Food for Thought

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Created on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 00:00

Written by Richard Chidlaw

Tesco has just announced that its profits have fallen drastically over Christmas (though not all supermarkets suffered!) and a certain TV chef has been pilloried in the tabloid newspapers for his "Shoplifting Shame".  It is time we had a serious look at food!

Has your Christmas cake been successfully consumed yet? - ours has, but only by means of giving large chunks of it to sons to take away with them after Christmas. Now we are all getting down to a more restrained diet, ready for Lent. Do you enjoy Feasting and Fasting, or do you prefer to eat more moderately, regularly throughout the year?  What would you think if you were unable to put food on the table and had no means to be able to help yourself and those dependent on you?

One Tuesday in January, I went to a meeting of the Food Bank in Dursley.  It was set up under the guidance of the Stroud Food Bank and its intention is to have more of these units in the District - in Nailsworth and in Stonehouse, perhaps. The idea is to provide people in need with a box of basic groceries to last for three days,  to tide them over until their benefit can be arranged, so that no one will be left in a desperate strait, without food. The meeting was called by the local council of churches and the people at the meeting were, I suspect, all from the congregations of the parishes of Cam and Dursley. The collection point has been established at Dursley Tabernacle and a team set up to be available to help people twice a week. Boxes of food are collected from the warehouse in Stroud and given to people when they come with a voucher, given them by social workers, doctors, clergy etc, - all people who have contact with the needy and can justify those needs.  People who come to redeem their vouchers for groceries are given a warm welcome, a cup of tea and help to find answers to any other problems they may have. The Volunteers don't have the answers, but they are able to point people to those who can help.  To safeguard against abuse of the system, no one is given food without a voucher and should they not have one, they are directed to someone who can issue one to them.  Vouchers are given to single people in need, as well as families with children.  Perhaps it is amazing that, in our society, this sort of practical Christianity should be needed, but perhaps it is not so surprising.

It was interesting to hear how those who were already running the Food Bank reacted and of what they knew they needed to be aware.  Are the people who come for the food humble and grateful?  Of course not!  They are embarrassed and uncomfortable and even aggressive.  Imagine how you might feel, were you ever so unlucky as to be in such a circumstance!  It is easy to think that it could not happen to us.  We plan carefully and save against Rainy Days.  We don't need such things and so, neither should anyone else.  They must be just scroungers, looking for a free handout.  But some people don't manage their affairs as well as others; some people are caught in a financial mess; some people suddenly find themselves without employment.  

What should the Church do in such circumstances?  The State will provide benefits, but they take a while to be arranged.  The Food Bank tries to meet the immediate need and the fact that it exists at all, and is developing its work, suggests that there is a real need for it to exist - even here.  At the meeting, there was some discussion about whether the Church should provide people to pray with those who come.  What would your answer be to that?  Do you think that the Church's work should be "Obviously Christian" or do you think that the giving should be as though it were done by any caring group, without a special agenda?  Some compromise between the two views might be the answer - what would you like to have seen decided?

Being practical about their faith, helps Christians, in all sorts of ways, to fulfil their own ministry.  The reason is basically that it follows what Jesus did in His: - preaching, healing, blessing, meeting people's needs.  His command to us, in our work, is simply -  "Freely you have received, freely give."  You will find this more fully described in Matthew, Chapter 10, verse 5, following.

As the waiter says, "Enjoy your meal,"

Richard Chidlaw.