Just before Thanksgiving, a formerly homeless 70-something African-American man was invited to speak at an interfaith Thanksgiving service in his town. The group of clergy organizing the service had chosen to raise money and collect canned goods for the local food pantry as part of their interfaith worship service. The gentleman was asked to say a few words about the food pantry. He had spent nearly 40 years homeless and knew the social services and food pantry systems better than almost anyone else in his town. This is what he said:

            The poor have always been a part of our society. In many respects, poverty is the heartbeat of our “great” society.

            The lack of food is far from the problem in the USA. People working full time must make use of food banks and soup kitchens to provide for themselves and [their] family.

            Food for the human body is in great abundance, and the poorest person can find a meal without going to jail, but we are more than flesh and blood; we are also spirit, and it cries out for the milk of human compassion and social justice to grow and prosper according to God’s plan.
            It’s not enough to provide food and prayers and believe that we have done enough to earn our “

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