TO?THE?EDITOR:
When I opened mail recently, I had a wonderful surprise that I would like to share with you. The bishop had sent our agency a very generous gift from his Diocesan Assistance Fund to be used to support our programs, based on a referral from one of his staff.
It is such a blessing to us, because we are a very small agency, but we serve overwhelming numbers of people. Our daily Food Pantry is the largest in the state, providing food to over 6,100 people each month. The Friday evening Community Meal for the Homeless serves a sit-down dinner to 200 people each week, and our Homeless Outreach program serves as the support system to nearly 1,000 people a year, the most marginalized in the city.
It was an act of faith on the bishop’s part, and a Holy Spirit moment for us, because grant monies are down at a time when numbers keep rising. Together, we are living out the words of Our Savior in Matthew 25 when he said that what you do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for him.
On behalf of our guests, thank you so much to the bishop for his kindness.
Diana D. Burdett,
Executive Director, Providence In-town Churches Association
