Make a lunch. Make a friend.

OWHP-meals-with-a-message

It’s impossible not to see the growing numbers of homeless people on our streets but often, it’s painful to look. Looking takes time. Looking takes compassion. Looking can change us forever.

1% of US citizens are homeless. One seems like such a small number. One penny? Most people won’t even stop to pick it up off the ground. What does that number represent?

1.35 million children, 1.4 million veterans of military service, 1.3 million families. Homeless.

What first world country has the highest number of homeless people? The USA. On Christmas eve, two years ago, one person who was alone, feeling sad and hopeless decided to go to the store and make meals for the homeless. She fed 25 people that night. Her name is Constance. She’s one of our team members. She inspired us to create Meals with a Message, a program that makes sack lunches and delivers them to the homeless in our community. We are now distributing over 50 lunches each trip and plan to grow this number every month.

Guess what? In time, we realized, that not only were we feeding them but they were also “feeding” us. What started out as a plan to help them, became a mission to share their untold stories of hope, strength, courage and compassion with the world. We now know, as one team member said, “It’s not just about food, it’s about friendship.”

We’re just beginning this journey and we need your help. Would you be willing to start a “Meals with a Message” program in your family, church or office?  It’s really simple.   
 
1. Buy lunch bags and some crayons or markers
2. Imagine what you might want to read if you were homeless and hungry
3. Draw a picture and write a message on the bag. (kids love to draw)
4. Fill the bags with food…..and love.
5. Keep one in your car filled with a couple of granola or energy bars.
6. Hand one to the homeless person standing on the corner.
7. Take a box of filled bags to a shelter for homeless woman and children.
 
Our mission: Raise awareness about homelessness and our shared humanity.
Join our team. Share your stories. Make it count by telling us the number of people you’ve fed. It all adds up. The number we can reach together will far surpass what anyone can do alone.


+ It’s our symbol for “Add the Give.”  Anytime you see it….Give