Away Longer

My Syrian friends gave me two weeks of rest and relaxation, much needed and much enjoyed. Now, they are on their way back to Scotland where they have acquired some work and probably won't return to Syria until and unless life calms down. Well, maybe they will visit friends and family during the less troubled moments...much prayer needed for them and all Syria.

As for me, after one day back to work and, seemingly, life going back to normal, things took a not-unexpected twist. My sister-in-law who has been suffering from Stage IV lung cancer was hospitalized and then immediately hospicized for a pulmonary embolism. My brother called and said that if I wanted to see her while she was still alive, I should come back home immediately, which is what I am doing. That is easier said than done. I come from rural Maine farm country where there is no public transportation, so the trip will be an all-day one from San Francisco to Boston by plane, followed by a bus trip to New Hampshire, where my brother can pick me up in his car and take me the final hour's drive home. Once a travel agent told me "you can't there from here," so since then I have been my own travel agent on trips home. I do know how to get there from here. It just takes a lot of time and a lot of conveyances.

I am hoping that I will be able to share some of her final hours with my sister-in-law and then help my brother post-funeral with whatever I can help. Being the oldest of the eight of us, I find that there is always something with which I can help and for which I am wanted.

Rural Maine is not entirely on the Internet grid yet, so please bear with me as a remain silent probably until nearly the end of October. When I am back, you all will know. There will be a post, the first in a long time!

Prayers for you all in my absence, and please pray for those in my life who need God's solace.

Taking a Break

I will be taking a break from blogging for the next 2 1/2 weeks (until October 5). I have friends arriving tonight from faraway Syria, and I really need to be able to spend undiluted time with them. They will not be here for long. So, while I regret not being able to post the Monday Morning Meditation (the other posts are of lesser importance), I know that you will be able to scroll down to the last MMM and click on Fr. Austin's link and have a nice cup of Monday morning coffee and reflection with him.



And I wish to all of you who stop by in the interim a blessed day, week, month. Thank you for dropping in and being a part of my life.

Eat at Denny's to Help the Hungry...Seriously

My husband and I stopped into Denny's a couple of days ago for breakfast and learned that we could buy a coupon book for $3. The book contains $5 worth of coupons for a dollar off any individual meal. Sound like a good deal? It is!

In fact, it is an even better deal than saving a dollar here and there. The $3 we paid for the coupon booklet goes to feeding hungry kids.

Since that day, I have learned that other restaurants are also participating in this campaign. Here is fuller information, replete with links.

Dear Friend, Starting Sunday, you can help fight hunger with your fork. Now through the end of September, join thousands of other supporters in Dine Out For No Kid Hungry, a nationwide event dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. Find a restaurant using our interactive map and invite your friends and family to join you for a great meal. Every time you, your friends and family eat at one of our partner restaurants, you will help raise funds for the No Kid Hungry campaign and its work connecting kids with the healthy food they need, every day. Click here to find a participating No Kid Hungry restaurant. Thank you for all that you do to make No Kid Hungry a reality. Sincerely, Billy Shore Founder and CEO P.S. Can’t make it? Make a contribution now to support the No Kid Hungry campaign and help end childhood hunger in America.

©Share Our Strength, 1730 M Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
Website: www.NoKidHungry.org
Contact us: contactus@strength.org
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No Kid Hungry - Congress Needs to Know

Another appeal from No Kid Hungry; if you agree with the need to resolve this problem, please help.

Dear Friend, This morning, the USDA confirmed that 16.6 million children are at risk of hunger here in America. This latest release of our country’s official hunger statistics shows that 1 out of every 5 children lives in a household that struggles to put food on the table. Unbelievably, some in Congress are looking to solve our nation’s fiscal problems in a way that could penalize our nation’s low-income children. Proposals in Congress right now would kick 280,000 low-income children off free and reduced-price school meals — a devastating proposal given that many of these kids rely on school breakfast and lunch as their primary source of nutrition. Hungry children don’t have lobbyists. But they do have you. Will you contact your members of Congress and ask them to protect at-risk kids? These potential cuts are part of the ongoing reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Some of these proposals could cause millions of Americans to lose access to the SNAP program, and would lead to 280,000 kids losing access to free school meals when their eligibility is tied to their receipt of SNAP benefits. If you don’t act today, our nation’s kids will suffer — kids like Joshua, a growing boy who loves playing sports and gets his breakfast and lunch at school thanks to the federal school meals programs. His family also relies on SNAP and local food pantries to supplement the food they purchase with their small income. If Congress approves drastic cuts to the Farm Bill, it will leave millions of families like Joshua’s even more vulnerable to hunger. We need to speak up for the children affected by these changes now. Please urge your members of Congress to protect children and ensure they get the healthy food they need every day from the school breakfasts and lunches served daily in schools across the country. Thank you for taking action today on behalf of the No Kid Hungry campaign. Sincerely, Billy Shore Founder and CEO

©Share Our Strength, 1730 M Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
Website: www.NoKidHungry.org
Contact us: contactus@strength.org
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe

Opus Bono Sacerdotti

Only a few years ago, I never dreamt that I would posting a blog note like this one: among the homeless and hungry are priests. With the growing bandwagon of individuals bringing accusations of misconduct against priests, many fine priests are now being flasely accused by those who see the opportunity for some very fine ill-gotten gains. In fact, an investigation into the situation in California indicates that approximately half of all allegations are false. When allegations are made, most priests find themselves immediately without a job, without an income, often without a vehicle, and, sadly, often without the support of their diocese. Sometimes the trials drag on for months, if not years, before the priest is cleared, and the priest can end up both during the process and even afterward on the street, hungry and homeless.

We had two priests in our parish, both proved innocent (seems to be against the law of the land that one has to prove innocence rather than an accuser having to prove guilt) who went through this difficult period. One ended up with no food at all at one point. Our parish helped, but not all parishes are wiling or able to do so.

One organization, Opus Bono Sacerdotti, helps priests in these circumstances. Currently, though, more than 1000 priests have turned to Opus Bono for assistance, and there is not enough money to go around. I learned this weekend that a new supplicant, Fr. Francis, has just been released from the hospital and has no food or medication. This is just one example of many. If you can help Fr. Francis or any other priest or contribute even a few dollars on a monthly basis to this good cause, please visit the Opus Bono website. You will find more information there about what Opus Bono does and a mechanism for donating. Similarly, if you know of a priest in desperate straits, please refer him to Opus Bono. They turn no one away and provide help with food, shelter, and, in extreme cases, safety.

No Kid Hungry: A Follow-Up

And a follow-up to the last post:

Dear Friend, Millions of America’s children head back to school this month where they’ll focus on reading, math, history and, well, just being kids. But for 1 in 5 of our kids, an obstacle stands in their way: not having enough nutrition to live up to their full potential. Too often, the only meal that these children receive is a school lunch. Please join the No Kid Hungry campaign and educators across America to help end childhood hunger and create a nation of healthier, smarter children. We can’t let them do this alone. Principal McElhaney, from a middle school in Maryland, has seen the effects of hunger firsthand, like when, one morning, a student failed a test and told him he just didn’t care because he was too hungry to think about his school work. Like many of our heroes in the school system, he knew he had to do something. Educators like Principal McElhaney and the No Kid Hungry campaign know that one critical solution to fighting hunger is offering school breakfast. Today, Principal McElhaney’s school offers breakfast to all their students, making sure they start their day with the nutritious food they need — so when it’s time to focus on instruction, hunger doesn’t stand in their way. Please take a minute to hear Principal McElhaney’s story and make a donation to the No Kid Hungry campaign. Your donation helps connect more kids to school breakfast. For every dollar you give, you can help provide up to 10 meals for a child, including a nutritious breakfast. By supporting the No Kid Hungry campaign, you can bring us one step closer to helping millions of hungry children across the nation feel better, learn better and reach their full potential. Thank you for all that you do to build a No Kid Hungry America. Sincerely, Billy Shore Founder and CEO ©Share Our Strength, 1730 M Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036 Website: www.strength.org Contact us: contactus@strength.org To unsubscribe: unsubscribe

No Kid Hungry This Summer

The No Kid Hungry foundation is running a special campaign this summer. Here is the information:

Out of school, out of food

Donate to help make No Kid Hungry This Summer

With school out for the summer, 17 million children across America are at greater risk of going hungry without access to the vital breakfast and school lunch programs they rely on during the academic year. And if we don’t act now, these kids will be facing missed meals and hungry stomachs instead of the fun childhood summers they deserve.

You can make a difference for hungry kids this summer by making a tax-deductible gift to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Every dollar you give can connect a child with ten meals — and when you give today, the Arby's Foundation will match your gift, dollar for dollar, to double the impact of your donation.

With your help, the No Kid Hungry campaign can surround kids with healthy food where they live, learn and play. Thank you for making a gift to Share Our Strength today.