PRENTISS SMITH
Contributing Columnist
The past 20 months have been difficult ones for the city of Shreveport and for the country dealing with Covid and the economic toll it has taken on a lot of families. Today, despite historic amounts of monies being shoved out the door in Washington, many American families still find themselves struggling to make ends meet.
Rent and mortgage payments are still not being paid, and so many people are finding themselves on the street. In Shreveport and all around the country, there are homeless camps sprouting up in neighborhoods that have never had to deal with such problems.
Christian Services, the nonprofit founded by Sister Margaret McCafferty, is still in the business of helping those individuals and families who find themselves on hard times. In spite of all the things that have happened, the non-profit organization has persevered through this deadly pandemic; a pandemic that has infected over 700,000 Louisianans and killed almost 15,000.
The organization has only grown stronger as it celebrates over 50 years in its mission to feed the hungry in the city of Shreveport. It is a noble mission borne out of love and compassion for those who find themselves at the bottom of the economic totem pole.
These have been trying times for the indigent and displaced in Shreveport, and although the dining room for Christian Services has been closed, the mission has continued non-stop to serve two nutritious meals a day, 365 days a year. These meals are served in Styrofoam to-go plates with bottled water and/or canned juice or drinks. Christian Service provides between 1,400 to 1,500 meals per week.
Christian Services has not been alone in its effort to feed, clothe and house those individuals and families that fall on hard times. Through the generosity of numerous churches, schools, groups and individuals, the additional costs of serving to-go meals has been mostly covered and has not impacted the cost per meal greatly.
Make no mistake about it, this has been a challenging year, but Christian Service continues to provide food to those in need. With the support and donations from their partners and friends, the organization has continued to build on its vital mission to the community. Christian Services, which has devoted its resources to fulfilling Sister Margaret’s dream of not turning away anyone who seeks food, is now asking for help through its annual Poor Man’s Supper.
For only $30, the organization can feed one person two nutritious meals a day for seven days. This is a tremendous service that feeds so many people. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in Shreveport who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. So many of them depend on the meals they get from Christian Services.
So many of them are dealing with the hidden embarrassment of having to scrounge for food or for shelter. Many of the people who come to Christian Services need help, and for them, Christian Services is a lifeline that serves broken people with broken lives.
On Sunday, Nov. 7, the organization will be celebrating its 51st anniversary of service with the annual Poor Man’s Supper. It will again be a virtual event due to safety concerns. The program will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with a variety of presentations and pre-recorded interviews.
This yearly event celebrates the organization’s mission to be a bridge to those individuals and families that are food challenged. As was said earlier, it is a noble mission and a mission founded on love and compassion, and it is hard to deny its positive impact on the lives of the people who use the service every day.
The organization needs the support of the public to continue its mission to feed anyone and everyone who shows up at its door. Anyone who wants to contribute to this wonderful organization can do it by visiting their website at www.christianservicela.org. And that’s the way I see it. smithpren@aol.com