Hungry I Come to You...SA Food Bank

I had to do something.

Once we were done sorting and organizing the back packs, I was finally able to get the Dora the Explorer, "Backpack, Backpack," song out of my head, and move onto helping with the canned food distribution.

Just as a friendly FYI, it is not a good idea to volunteer at The San Antonio Food Bank if you dashed out the door, therefore, skipping the most important meal of the day, deciding to just drive and claim that, 'man does not live on bread alone,' on the way there.

Trust me. You may get hungry.

And then, half way through your scheduled time, you will totally be tempted to play out your own version of, The Hunger Games, while hiding in secrecy under the stainless steel sorting table, victoriously holding a pull tab can of Chef Boyardee Raviolis.

I didn't do it. But I can see how it could happen.

Our volunteer coordinator had several big guys bring out huge bins with massive amounts of donated food.

San Antonio is a generous city!

And the needs here are just as great as the generosity.

The San Antonio Food Bank actually feeds about 58,000 people a week.

That is amazing to me!

Once the plastic bins were in front of us, it was our job to take the food out of  their plastic bags and then organize them into one of the following five main categories; protein, veggies, dry pasta, fruit and cereal.

There were also a few subcategories like drinks, condiments, pet food, etc...

I don't think I've ever seen that much food in one place and I kept thinking about how many people they serve and the generosity of the donors.

And then it happened.

I had a revelation and had to go all, "Fifty Second Sermon," on a few of the other volunteers.

"I just thought of something hilarious!"

They just looked at me. We'd only known each other a little over an hour.

So maybe it was a little over zealous.

I took their silence as my cue to run with it.

So I did.

"I sort of feel like maybe I've been a stingy canned food giver!"

" You know that verse...the one says something like, 'you will get, by the measure in which you
give?' I gotta tell ya....True story...

When I was younger and new to God stuff, if someone asked me to bring canned food to church or participate in a food drive, I totally scoured my pantry for something, like beets...ya know? Or okra maybe?

I think I even checked the expiration date on a 4 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk.

Looking over everything I had in my cupboard, I would think, 'Well there's no way I'm giving up my cream corn!'

But....now, I get it.
I want to be a joyful and generous giver.

Not giving to get, but knowing that God sees my vegetable stinginess....and He's measuring.

Here! Take my cut asparagus. Oh! And my Green Giant Cream Corn!
Hey! Want some potted meat?
I've got  Vienna Sausages too!"

I think a few laughed.

A few others gave me 'the look', because I'm pretty sure, they thought I was kind of bossy.

I didn't mean to be.

It just seemed the fastest way to get the job done was to start setting all the cans up on the counter, then have us fill the designated boxes for each category.

I made a few suggestions.

I can't help it. I tried to stop myself.
Truly, I did. I thought I was being kind.

And one of them took my banana box lid!

Hey!
Swiper, no swiping!

They need those too by the way. Banana boxes. At the food bank. Just in case you have some laying around.

And fruit. There wasn't enough canned fruit! Send it with the box of love, joy, peace and kindness.
What are the fruits again? Mandarin? Gentleness. Peaches? Self-control. Pears? Patience. Oh, yeah.

Later, when we were just about finished, Kyle, a rockin' awesome, O'Connor High School junior who was just there to help, came up to me with a big smile on his face and said,

"Here. I found your can of beets."

I laughed.

And then immediately I eyeballed the box of Swiss Miss Rolls and looked up at the ceiling.

To another volunteer, it may have looked like I was checking to see if the coast was clear.

In all actuality, I was just glancing around, hoping to spot some of God's good measure coming my way.

Hungry I come to you, for I know you satisfy...

Oh, and the actual verse is Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”