During the morning sharing, I encouraged us to try the Lent suggestion of eating on $3 per person/per day.  My words ineffectively expressed what I was experiencing.

I was utterly moved this morning as we sang "Rain down."  We sang verse 2 - "We who revere and find hope in our God live in the kindness and joy of God's wing.  God will protect us from darkness and death; God will not leave us to starve."

As I tried this week to plan what I could cook for the 3 of us that were going to eat dinner at our house, the biggest thing that confronted me, was that there was no way I could cook the way I normally do.  I couldn't use the amount of meat I would typically use.  I couldn't pile on the cheese.  I couldn't make that new dish that called for 2 - 4 oz cans of green chilies.  Anyway, it was a great thing to face.

What does it mean when we sing "God will not leave us to starve"?  I have to believe that if it means me and my friends at GMC, then it has to include the family on food stamps.  I know I have stood impatiently in the line at the grocery store and engaged in critical thoughts about the persons using a green ACCESS card.

So I think I was partly feeling sorrow for my callous heart.  My small foray this week into $3 meals has stirred me up in a very good way.

Lois Ann

Published 08 March 2009 - 1 comment (View/Post Comments)   

During the season of Lent, you are encouraged to find way to place yourselves in physical solidarity with those members of our larger human community for whom obtaining adequate food is a regular challenge. 

The poor receive food stamps if they have the means to cook, and the food stamp rate is $1/per person/per meal.  One way to honor the spirit of sacrifice in Lent is to engage this is to try living on a food stamp budget, for a meal, a day, a week, or even the entire season of Lent.  Begin with one family dinner at $1 a person.

Resources

USDA Recipes, Meal Plans, Advice

Two Blog Stories of Those Who Have Tried It

Local Stories from newsreview.com

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/dinner-for-10-or-less-recipes

Snap-Ed Connection The USDA provides this resource to help Food Stamp Nutrition Educators find the tools and information they need to provide quality nutrition education for low-income audiences.

Share your experiences.  Add comments to this blog to share ideas, recipes, reflections.

Published 02 March 2009 - 17 comments (View/Post Comments)   

During the sharing time on Sunday, March 1, George Hatzfeld responded to the theme of the service by thinking about the 3 acres of land behind the church property.  In this difficult economic time George wondered about the possibility of using some of this space for a community garden.

Published 02 March 2009 - 10 comments (View/Post Comments)