Editorial

Needy feel generosity of our area

Friday, August 20, 2004

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over ... for with the same measure that ye measure, it shall be measured to you again."

That part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount should provide reassurance to everyone in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas who pitched in to make the recent food drive for the McCook Pantry an overwhelming success.

The Pantry's shelves are literally overflowing, according to coordinator Dorothy Henton, who said the recent appeal brought in more than 16,500 pounds of food, a record.

Henton, who has been involved with the effort since it was started by the Red Willow County Ministerial, said the donations are especially welcome today, with the Pantry recently seeing an increase of 400-500 people a month seeking help. And, she noted, the commodities program has been reduced by two-thirds of its former level.

And the once-a-month emergency food service was finding plenty of demand before that. In 2002, 1,989 households asked for food, or 6,428 people. That grew to 2,210 households or 6,834 people a year later. As Mrs. Henton's statement above indicates, the Pantry is on a record-breaking pace that would make any Olympic runner proud.

Wisely, she declined to point out any one person, organization or business for this food drive's success. Instead, she thanks everyone in the area for their overwhelming support.

But let's not become complacent over the Pantry's need, just because of the drive's success. Although the cupboard may be filled to overflowing now, as Jesus also said, the needy will always be with us.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: