"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven"....Matthew 5:16

It is tragic that in America millions of people struggle with hunger and homelessness, and one in five children go to bed hungry. Unfortunately, everybody doesn't have the money to support organizations who help the homeless...however, there are other ways we can help..Here are some ideas:
  

• Share God's love whenever you can---it's important for them to know, they are not alone and it will help restore their faith

• Pray for homeless and less fortunate people----they endure a lot of misery..God can use our prayers to bring many of them to Him

• Support a Mission (We support is Hope of The Valley Rescue Mission in SF Valley, CA).. you can donate money, clothing, food or other supplies. One thing I have learned for sure, is never to give cash to a homeless person, because even well intended gifts may be converted to drugs or alcohol. If the person is hungry just buy them a sandwich and a beverage and always take precautions for your safety..Some people may not be safe to interact with, (30-40% suffer from some degree of mental illness) don't take unnecessary risks.

Galen and I have always had a compassion for the homeless and in our younger years we used to go up to them and give them food and whatever else they needed, or help out serving at homeless shelters, etc...but now we support the Mission because they do a better job and they can reach a lot more people then us.. A few things we learned along the way is that we need to remember that these people are not there because they choose to be. Some unfortunate circumstances put them in that predicament..Some are recovering drug or alcohol users, some are single moms escaping violent and abusive spouses and yet others have gotten there because of loss of a job or an unforeseen disability. They come from all backgrounds, male or female, young or old, black or white. They are people just like us. Homelessness and hunger can happen to anyone. If you decide to help out at a homeless shelter here are a few things we learned over the years

1. Show people respect, be friendly and give them a sense of dignity
2. They have stories to share with us. Look them in the eye and listen, most people feel uncomfortable and they look away as if they are invisible, but they need a friendly person to listen to them
3. You may not be able to feed them all, but it will give you joy even when you can help one. We can all make a difference one person at a time
4. If you have kids, teach them to get involved in doing something good for others who are less fortunate ..usually they will love it and they will bring a lot more needed energy and enthusiasm to the project
5. These experiences will change your life and make you more grateful for what you have

 Feeding the homeless and the hungry does not only provide nourishment for those we serve, but the act of giving in itself feeds our souls and our spirits as well.

 

Hope of the Valley's vision statement (written by the founder, Ken Craft) reads: "Our vision is to tangibly demonstrate God's love to the Hungry, Homeless and Hurting of the Greater Los Angeles area by offering Hope, Hot Meals, Housing, Health Services and Healing to those in need". This is exactly what they have been working on doing for the past 5 years ..If you are interested in volunteering or helping them financially, you can contact them on 818-392-0020 or www.hopeofthevalley.org...

 

God Bless