Despite the current economic gloom, Reading and the Thames Valley is still regarded as a relatively affluent region of the UK but this can hide some desperate needs that are just under the surface.
Anne-Marie Patterson (CEO of Christian Community Action – CCA) reports that CCA has received an 18% increase in requests for food from families for food during the first six months of 2011. Malcolm Peirce (Director of FAITH – Feed all in thy Hand) has recently asked churches to help supply regular contributions of tinned food. Malcolm says "We are seeing a significant increase in demand for ReadiFood Food Parcels. We recently passed, for the very first time, 30 parcels per week. That's 30 lots of shopping for an individual/family for a week ....... a lot of food! This is unsustainable with our current food stocks. I noted the other week that CiRDiC (Churches in Reading Drop-in Centre) are similarly struggling to collect enough food.”
As with many Reading Churches, at Brookside we have a collection point for food contributions which slowly fills up and is then collected by FAITH. Current needs can easily slip under our field of view and so we are planning to raise the need and respond over the coming weeks.
Our immediate response to help is to have a two week period of helping to replenish some of ReadiFood’s stocks buy inviting as many from across the church and our friends to give generously to harvesting a ‘food mountain’ which we will build up in our building. Foods especially requested are: Tinned fruit and vegetables, rice, pasta, coffee and packets of biscuits.
Harvest Evangelism Director, Speaker and major influence to Reading Churches, Ed Silvoso has recently spoken in Reading and said, “National transformation must be tangible with the premier social indicator being the elimination of poverty.”
Reading is rich with a growing number of Christians working together to make a difference and help fuel a move of God that will bring many into His kingdom. Part of this includes being good news to people at their point of need. So, given that food is a fundamental need, we want to fully play our part in responding to the current crisis.
Our building at Brookside is open for food donations from Monday – Friday 9.00am to 1.00pm (10.30am on Thursdays) or you can bring food on Sunday 10
th July to our Sunday meeting from 10.30am. Also, how about buying something as a ReadiFood contribution every time you go food shopping?
