"It's a Beautiful Life"- Genevieve Galvan Frenes

Day 28 – “6.6 Million jobless claims filed in one week” – According to Good Morning America, this headline is written on the bottom of the screen. 6.6 Million. It’s a number I can’t even fathom.

I see the lines of cars, in mile long lines, waiting to get food from their local community. These are the images on the television as we are reminded how our economy has, for the most part, shut down.

The stimulus checks promised to those out of work seem to be still in the process in getting to Americans (from the reports on television) and it seems unimaginable what some families must be going through. And when they receive these checks, will it cover the cost of everything they need to pay? I imagine it won’t cover everything, but it will be something.

And if we’re thinking of those without jobs, teachers are definitely thinking of our students.

Most students in local schools are getting meals at our district, but I wonder about other districts in other counties or states. Is this the main meal for these children? We assume that students come from homes where food is available for all meals. Most teachers know this is not the case, but we want to believe that they are taken care of in their homes. Teachers can continue to reach out to students who we know might be struggling.

There are organizations emerging to help feed the hungry, but these are only the beginning weeks of seeing the jobless get help in their situation. What will the emerging weeks look like? What can we do to help in our own community?

If we’re connected to social media, there are individuals or groups established to help feed those around us locally. When I think of how fortunate some of us are in our own situations, if we each just donate a little of what we have, it adds up to so much. Some organizers have porch drop offs which allow us to simply get in our car and drop items off for donations.

If we know of organizations locally like the Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul as well as other Food centers where we can drop off food safely (without contact), it’s a good thing to share a few items each week to help those around us.

Although we don’t think of our actions as seeming to be that much, the testimonies of those receiving food contributions from strangers is simply overwhelming. Some are brought to tears that others could be so generous at a time when many want to just provide for their own families. I’m sure others would promise to pay it forward when they are able to give again.

If we have food in our pantry and a roof over our head, then we are blessed. We need to remember when we eat our meals, there are some individuals going hungry. Try to give when you can. You won’t need a reassurance that your donation is appreciated. Every time you eat your meal, that is your reassurance. At least, that’s how I see this situation.

Stay blessed everyone…share what you can at this time when others are struggling.