by Katie Patrick
A few days before the accident, Bob’s daughter adopted three young children.
To anyone who is familiar with the process of adoption, you know and understand how challenging that can be: the paperwork, the home visits, the references, the waiting. It was a joyous time indeed when the adoption was finalized for this family living in central Nebraska!
However, the accident was very bad and Bob's daughter, the mother of these three young children, died. As next of kin, he became the sole provider – there are now 11 family members in his household; 11 mouths to feed.
When our food pantry partner was making his usual rounds, delivering food boxes door to door in this particular town, he stopped to visit with Bob. Bob opened the door to accept the food boxes, and broke down. He shared with our partner volunteer the tragic loss of his daughter and the fear and anxiety he felt over now being the sole provider for three additional children. It’s scary when you don’t know the future, because as much as you love someone, caring for and providing for them under predictable circumstances can be tough – imagine caring for and providing for family and those you love under uncertain circumstances.
Recognizing Bob’s struggle and need, our volunteer partner returned to his local food pantry and called our staff in Hastings to request two boxes of additional meat, in addition to their six boxes of non-perishable food. We fulfilled their request and connected them to our emergency services team for financial assistance. The relationships that CSS maintains with its local food pantries across central Nebraska made this connection and help for Bob and his family possible.
More often than not, these are our clients,: people who, for one reason or another, have come upon hard times. Thankfully, we and our volunteer partners know these communities and these families well, often on a personal basis.
While our commitment and visibility on the ground allows us to know and respond to the urgent and immediate needs of the poor and the vulnerable, we couldn’t do so without you, because only with your prayers and donations are we able to make it happen. May God bless you for your kindness, compassion, and generosity!
