There’s something about being a Southern woman that makes me love sharing food with others. Being born and raised in Georgia, it’s deeply engrained that feeding people is an act of love; especially when it’s a homemade cake. I think this is part of the reason I was so drawn to our food ministry back in 2016.
Once I started volunteering with Summer Sack Lunch, I realized this kind of food sharing was way better than any casserole I could make for my neighbor. I wasn’t just giving the kids we serve my own love, I was sharing God’s love and his true nature with others. Jesus modeled this perfectly to us when he multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the 5,000. He showed the crowd God’s love in action by meeting both their physical needs and their spiritual needs. Jesus reminds us of this when he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Having nutritious meals to eat is essential, but without God’s word, the nourishment is not complete. This is the reason we partner with our Next Gen team to invite any children in the neighborhoods we serve to come to our Foundation 45 monthly events (for 4th and 5th graders) and Youth Group weekly events (6th-12th grade). For each Next Gen event we hold, we provide transportation for any kid (who fits the age criteria of the event - - no toddlers at Youth Group!) who wants to attend, simply to nourish them spiritually, as well as physically. During these events, the kids get to hear the Gospel and experience God in both word and action.
One of the greatest honors we get as followers of Christ is the gift of sharing the goodness and greatness of God with our community. Giving food is nice, but giving food AND the Good News, well that’s just wonderful.
Sarah Hobbs
