Snack Bags

Mercy House is known around Council street for our Snack Bags. This gallon sized zip lock filled with some protein, chips, crackers and water is so valuable to our neighbors that are experiencing homelessness. It might not seem like a lot to those that have three hot meals a day or for people that have food to spare, but to our neighbors it is their only guarantee of their next meal. Mercy House puts together these snack bags every week and they are given out with a hot lunch. It is our way of ensuring that those we serve will have a dinner that night and a breakfast the next day. It also has a  fresh water bottle that they can refill at our outside water source. No one should go to bed hungry and no one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. Helping people walk out of poverty is a very complicated issue but feeding hungry children is not. 

We often think that people without enough food and water live in third world countries. We believe that surely everyone in the United States doesn’t struggle to feed their families and that children here would not go to bed hungry. But the truth is that there are people right here in West Montgomery that are in daily dependence on others to provide some form of nutrition for themselves and their children. At Mercy House we have seen the need and provide not only a hot meal but also a snack bag that helps bridge their hunger through the weekend. In a country where we have figured out how to live in a space station and split the atom, we still have not figured out how to make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink. That is why we are so thankful for all the people who see this need and are passionate about eliminating childhood hunger. Through our generous donors, we are able to keep providing hot meals, groceries and snack bags. 

This week we were blessed by a local church that asked their members to bring in snack bags to be donated to Mercy House. And like manna from heaven, the donations poured in. Over one thousand bags were delivered to us! Many of the bags had an encouraging note, scriptures or prayers tucked inside. It was a little overwhelming to see the generosity poured out on the Washington Park community that is so often forgotten. We are always so grateful when others come alongside us to help with Our heavenly Father’s work.  

I am reminded of the story in the Bible, Matthew 14:13. Jesus takes one boy’s lunch and feeds over five thousand people with baskets left over. I truly believe that The Lord loves to bless the gifts that are given in His name by multiplying them over and over again. Just as these scriptures testify to the miracle so many witnessed that day, we have the honor of witnessing His miracles all the time here and it never gets old. I ask for your prayers as we continue to meet the needs of so many. It is by God’s grace and mercy that we are making a way to feed His children.

God Bless,

Pastor Ken Austin