Support Starts with Feeding People

At its core, Union Mission has been about showing people the love of Jesus Christ. As with any new relationship, we start with addressing basic  human needs such as food. Our Family Services Ministry has provided food for thousands of families over the decades. We like to take a moment from time to time and share some of the stories and experiences that come out of that department. Pat Clayton, a long standing employee of Union Mission, shared a couple brief stories with us.

“I received sad news just the other day,” Pat says. “One of our long standing clients we have helped, Connie, recently passed away. Connie would
come in for her appointments and we would spend time talking about how good God is and how God was moving in Connie’s life. She would offer details of how things were going in her life.”

“You see, Connie wasn’t just coming to get food assistance for herself, but also for her brother. She was his caregiver as his health did not allow him
to be on his own. Last Monday was my regularly scheduled appointment with Connie. Her granddaughter kept the appointment and told me about
Connie’s passing. Her granddaughter is now going to be the caretaker of Connie’s brother and will continue to pick up food for him as it is needed.
Although I will greatly miss Connie, I know she is with the Lord now and I look forward to getting to know her granddaughter and sharing prayer and encouragement with her.”

Pat also shared a story of a new client to Family Services he met last month.

“Desarai needed help with some food for her family. Her husband recently left her with their 6 children. Fortunately, Desarai’s mother moved in with her to help take care of the kids while Desarai works a full time job and is studying to be a Home Health Care Worker. Juggling a job, study time, and single mother responsibilities is really hard. I am glad we can help provide basic food staples for them. Those kids need to have access to food on a regular basis and Desarai needs help while she balances this difficult season of life. Hopefully, if she can complete her studies, she can be in a better position to support her family long term. I ask those reading this story to say a prayer for Desarai. Pray that her studies will go well and she and her mother can take care of the kids during this time.”

While the food we offer our clients in Family Services may be temporary, we feel that it is planting seeds of hope, providing support during rough
times, and displaying the love of Jesus Christ. We are thankful for every one of our donors who help support our efforts to provide food to those in
need.