And this trend is occurring not only in large cities, but also in smaller cities like Springfield. The Council of Churches' Crosslines ministry to the hungry has made appeals for funds and food contributions recently. One of 'the most troubling findings, the mayors observe, is that more families with employed adults are seeking food from pantries. Welfare reform is the cause of much of this growing need, the mayors say. People moving from public assistance to jobs simply don't make enough money to feed themselves or their families and take care of other necessities.
People of faith can do something to feed hungry neighbors.
And many are, including the people at Christ Episcopal Church. The baskets are brought forward when our tithes and offerings are brought to the altar to be blessed by the priest and offered to God for service to him and his people, including our hungry brothers and sisters. A portion of the food and other items goes into our parish food pantry. We draw supplies from it to provide limited, short-term assistance. Most of the Sunday donations, however, go to Crosslines, thanks to a church member who transports them in his truck.