Al's Outreach Outtakes

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”  
I came into the Food Closet recently one morning after a particularly busy week. There had been many requests for assistance over the previous few days and frankly, I was ready for the weekend and a little break. Hoping for a quiet day I went through my morning routine of checking the shelves and freezers for quantities of food that would be available and then listening to all of the voice mails that have been left over night. There were a couple, as there almost always are, that were more requests. Then I came across one from someone who had been helped earlier in the week.
 
She wanted to thank me for what we had done and she wanted me to know the impact it had on her and her family. Our assistance had gotten them out of a tough spot. She then said she wanted to share with me something that she reads to herself as she starts her day every morning; the Winston Churchill quote at the top of this column. She said it inspires her to keep going no matter what. May God give all of us the strength to deal with life as she does and the courage to continue no matter what.
 
One of our volunteers who helps deliver back packs shared a story about how he had been approached at one of the schools by a teacher. She wanted to thank him for providing the back packs and let him know how they impacted so many families at the school. She specifically told him about a situation where three families were sharing an apartment because they could not afford one on their own. They were all recipients of the back packs and if it were not for them these families would have far less to eat.
 
At a different school a young student, with a big smile on his face, came to help unload the packs. After taking one of the back packs from the volunteers car for himself he saw the remaining ones. Looking up he said “I can help; I can take another” and placed it on his other shoulder and headed into his school.