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Christianity Today, April, 2009 |

Hunger Has a Profile

Working at my local food pantry helped me personalize the statistics.

Cindy Crosby | posted 4/29/2009 08:59AM

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Instead of a vague notion of "the hungry," I see the Muslim woman with the shy, dark-haired four-year-old boy who has the most luminous eyes I've ever seen. The badly injured Asian woman unable to work but cheerful and smiling nonetheless. The neatly dressed professional man who was laid off but has kept his dignity.

I think of two blonde girls ages six and eight. I coax their names from them. Then, warming up, they tell me about their favorite subjects in school. I think about them leaving the pantry, sitting down for dinner, and eating until they are full. I think of their exhausted mother packing their lunches for school the next day. I think of these girls growing up, healthy and strong.

Now when I think of the hungry, I no longer see headlines, but faces. And that has made all the difference.

Cindy Crosby is the author of five books, including the Ancient Christian Devotional: Cycle C, with Thomas C. Oden (May 2009, IVP).

Related Elsewhere:

This article was posted today with "Hunger by the Numbers." Christianity Today has a special section on world hunger.

Learn more about domestic hunger through Feeding America, which bills itself as the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity.

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April 2009, Vol. 53, No. 4

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 13 comments.

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Julie

Posted: May 08, 2009 12:24 PM

To Maryann who said, "Just see what's in the cart when people pay with stamps": That is none of your business. Instead of obsessing about those who abuse the system, be grateful that you don't have to depend on food stamps or other forms of assistance. Keep in mind that many poor people are overweight because it is more challenging to buy healthy food on a budget (and a major reason our kids are fat is because of chemicals like MSG, which lead to obesity). As someone who has struggled financially, I mostly bought pasta and rice during those lean times because they are the least expensive items in the store. I am sure all that starch didn't help my figure, but it would have been nice to have had a choice. One of my relatives, a single mom, cooked nothing but rice and hotdogs for several months because her job barely paid enough to cover rent, and that's all she could afford. Instead of being so judgmental against the poor, try having a little compassion like Jesus did.

Dorothy

Posted: May 01, 2009 2:30 AM


Thank you Cindy for this story, which is so well written with sensitivity and understanding as well as love for the people you are serving and the work you are doing. God bless you and those who work in this field plus those who donate. Lord give encouragement too please to these same people and especially when times are difficult whether they are serving or receiving.

DianneA

Posted: April 30, 2009 2:23 PM


Good stuff.

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