As a church, we are privileged to be able to help the Salvation Army food bank. For those struggling with financial worries, food is not the only thing they need, however. Right now, the Salvation Army would also be grateful for donations of:
- toothpaste (for children & adults)
- toothbrushes (for children & adults)
- nappies (especially sizes 3, 4 & 5)
- shower gel
- deodorant
- wash sponges/ flannels
- soap
If you can bring any of these items into church along with tinned food (especially tinned meat such as ham or corned beef), cereals, UHT milk and soup, that would be a real blessing to many families. It isn’t just those who are unemployed who are struggling; this week I met a family with three children where the overlap between a parent leaving one job and starting another (and getting paid for the new job) meant several weeks without a wage, causing a short-term crisis.
Is 58:6-9 reminds us that our outward acts of piety (including fasting) must include sharing our food with the needy, providing the poor with shelter, clothing those in need and working against injustice. 1 John 3:18 urges us to not love ‘with words or speech but with actions and in truth.‘ Our practical help can be a real blessing to people in need and can open the way for them to not only hear about the love of God but see this love in action.