Our Daily Bread

It’s a summer evening and meal preparation is well under way at The Mustard Seed’s kitchen. One person sweats over a hot stove while two more hurriedly wash and chop veggies, a fourth and fifth roll up plastic utensils in a paper napkin with assembly line efficiency, and a sixth pushes trays of dishes through the dishwasher while joking about being the chief cook and bottle washer.

Who are these people? They are an unlikely team of professionals and social assistance recipients, of people with stories of traumas and trials so large that one wonders why they have not become immobilized, of people whose plenitude is seasoned with gratitude, of meal line recipients and people who have never gone without and of others knowing what it is like to both have and have not. These people, each with their own story, are part of the daily miracle of preparing and serving a meal to 200 to 400 of Edmonton’s homeless and low-income population.  They include everyone from the couple who just stopped by to see if help was needed to a community member who joyously shares their kitchen expertise from their life experiences.

Together, these people prepare a meal in The Mustard’s Seed kitchen. Noodles boil and pasta sauce simmers. A colourful salad is tossed. Bread is buttered and sprinkled with garlic.

Where did this food come from? It comes from various places - day-old bread from the bakery, mis-packaged salad from the food bank which is no longer good for retail sale, salad dressing that was donated that very day, and noodles and pasta sauce left over from previous meals. This food, used for something other than its original purpose, is part of the daily miracle of preparing and serving a meal to 200 to 400 of Edmonton’s homeless and low-income population.

This summer, please pray for these daily miracles as there are 18 days from June-September that currently do not have groups scheduled to provide, prepare or serve a meal. Pray that individuals from all walks of life will come together to serve a meal. Pray for food that is not being used for its original purpose but can be used in the evening meal program. Pray for sponsors and meals groups to provide, prepare and serve meals. Most importantly, pray that we trust God as our provider whether for our daily bread in our homes or for the daily bread of 200 to 400 hungry Edmontonians on a summer evening at The Mustard Seed.

Blessings,

Sacha D
Food Services Coordinator

-----
Subscribe to The Mustard Seed Blog via RSS