In our land of plenty, too many go without the basic necessities like food and shelter. We don’t need statistics to say whether homelessness has increased or decreased — we see it all around us. The opioid crisis has exacerbated the problem. Bottom line is that we must do more. Even one homeless family is one too many
Sadly, for many families, hunger is a way of life. That is why I salute the commitment of my spectacular sister-friend Shirley Shillingford, who started the Boston Public Health Commission food pantry as a sidebar to the Commission’s Healthy Baby — Healthy Family initiative, which ensured expectant minority mothers at risk for high infant mortality had vegetables in their diet. She’s run the pantry for at least 20 years. By today, hundreds of turkeys with all the fixin’s will be distribute without fanfare or TV crews. Last week Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Mayor Marty Walsh were on hand, handing out turkeys.
Thank you to those who see a “calling” in supporting and ministering to what the Bible calls “least of these,” like Action for Boston Community Development, Greater Boston Food Bank and many of our local churches — all step up to the plate to feed the needy.