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 I
picked up the phone at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of December 23rd.
The operator asked me if I had ever received a relay call? I said,“A
what?” She replied, “A TDD…that means a telecommunications device.”
I was receiving a call from a hearing impaired individual during which
the operator relays the information. The operator began, “I am an
elderly, deaf, physically disabled woman unable to drive. I have legal
custody of three very young children…and we have only enough food for
two more days. Can you help us?”
This
was our first year as the statewide venison donation program in
Maryland. The phone in my home office had been ringing fifteen or more
times a day since September 15th. When this mother from one
of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Baltimore called to ask for
meat to feed her family, my first reaction was to say, “I’m sorry, but
we provide the meat directly to other agencies like churches and food
banks who feed the hungry, so I don’t have any on hand for individual
requests.” I then remembered that a friend of mine named Ray Steele
used to wonder if situations like these represent “tests” from God. I
started thinking...God doesn’t test people like this...or does He?
Regardless, I knew that my initial reaction probably wasn’t what God
was looking for.
I
asked the woman for her name, address and phone number and told her I
would try to help. I then began wondering what we were getting
ourselves into. Notice how quickly the “I” changed to “we”—meaning
some unsuspecting friends were about to become involved! I called on
one of our volunteers in the Baltimore area, Chuck Lewis, Sr., and
asked if there was anything he could do to help—just two days before
Christmas! He scratched his head and said he’d see what he could come
up with. Through God’s grace, Chuck was able to locate a box of
packaged venison that had gone unclaimed at a nearby butcher shop. He
said he could deliver it the next afternoon…Christmas Eve. Chuck
doesn’t like to talk about his trip into that dangerous, unfamiliar
neighborhood, but if you press him, he will tell you that the
experience brought him a lot closer to God!
Al
Schlotterbeck, who has always been like a second father, has impressed
upon me from my youth the importance of having a backup plan. So I
called Gordon Krause, another Baltimore area volunteer. Gordon
promised to provide the mother and her family with venison all winter
long... and he did! Together we were able to help a neighbor in need.
Who
is your neighbor?
I don’t go to bed
hungry, and you probably don’t either. However, according to census
statistics, 1 of 15 people live in poverty. Many must make a weekly
choice between paying the rent and buying groceries. FHFH offers a
unique opportunity for hunters and non-hunters to come together and
feed our neighbors. However, there are many areas where FHFH hasn’t
gotten underway. Please do what you can to help this young national
ministry grow…
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Offer support financially by making a personal
donation using the envelope included with this magazine.
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Share this program with your church, business,
club, family and friends.
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If there isn’t an FHFH Chapter in your area give
some thought to who might make a good Chapter Coordinator and have
that individual contact us.
At Christmas and all
year long we can work together to make sure one less person goes to
bed hungry!
Thanks and God
bless,
Rick Wilson
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