Talking Tuesday: Look to the Vulnerable

I'm beyond words with the events of the past week.  The absolutely horrible death of George Floyd, the senseless deaths of Black people all over the country, who live in fear for their lives and their children's lives...my God, what a world.

I do not believe in utopias (a word that literally means "no where"), but I do think we can do better as humans.  We are all created in the image of God, we are all brothers and sisters who share in each other's suffering, no matter the color of one's skin.

The city is in ruins. 16,000 families were unable to pick up food from the food pantries yesterday, so thousands of children went to bed hungry last night.  A food bank was vandalized.  A trailer van belonging to a non-profit that works with the homeless was torched.  Several grocery stores that give  second chances to people with records, located in vulnerable neighborhoods that would otherwise be food deserts, were ransacked and destroyed on Sunday night, so many more people who live hand to mouth were left without access to groceries yesterday.  Elderly people sheltering at home who depended on grocery deliveries from those stores are also hungry today.  Who knows when it will be safe for food parcels to be distributed again, or when those grocery stores will reopen?  

To say my heart is broken is an understatement.

If you live in a place with riots and looting, look to the vulnerable, consider giving money or time to organizations that work to provide basic necessities like food and diapers to the most vulnerable.  If you live in a place where your home is safe and your neighborhood businesses are intact, please consider giving to organizations in hard-hit cities.  We will be doing the same.