day twenty-seven: scraps

This morning we received a little culinary care ourselves. Grammy scrounged up the “scraps” in her kitchen to make us breakfast before we headed off for today’s activity. But her “scraps”—ham, sausage, eggs, toast, muffins, jellies, and preserves—filled us full…too full. I would have personally raised the stock value of Pepto Bismol if her fridge had been properly stocked.

This is what was left of her "scraps" after we ate

We sluggishly left and headed to Publix to grab snacks for students at Alexander Elementary School, a project suggested by our friend, Mary Beth, who's an internal auditor for schools in the county.

Alexander Elementary has one of the poorest student bodies of any elementary school in the state. I say, “one of” because 100% of Alexander’s students get free or reduced lunch (the standard measure of poverty in schools), and there are two other schools in SC that also have 100%. So it’s really the poorest, it’s just tied for first…or actually, for last. The schools' social worker, Ms. Gilliland, often sends food home with certain students on Fridays because if she doesn’t, they might not eat again until Monday. The meals they get at school are most (if not all) of the meals they ever eat.

We picked up chocolate pudding, granola bars, and applesauce at the grocery store and put them in bags with a nice note for the students.

Our assembly line in the back of the car

For some of these children, their food for the weekend will be the contents of this little brown bag…scraps, really. Meanwhile, we are constantly overindulged with more than we need. Just what Grammy could scrounge up in her kitchen was more than enough for a meal for four (and we were going to throw out the extra!). But we didn’t even give the students a meal. They got snacks...not much more than scraps.

Jesus was once confronted by an immigrant woman who asked Jesus to help her daughter. He basically said, "Get in line. There's a lot of people to help. The children get fed first, then the dogs, if there's any left over." Undeterred, she responded, "Yes...of course. But don't even dogs under the table get the scraps?" (Mk 7:24-30)

Yes. But for the children at Alexander (many of whose families are immigrants), scraps may be all they get. 

I want to be able to do more. I wish I could offer something greater. But, if I'm being honest with myself, I probably won't. It's not that I don't want to, but even when I am being intentional, even during these 40 days, all I ever seem to be able to offer are the leftovers of my time and energy and willingness to help. It's just a little bit here and there...just scraps.

I pray that as we work in God's kingdom, just as when we cook in Grammy's kitchen, even the scraps of good we do can become a feast for all of God's children. Dogs, too.

*There are lots of needs at Alexander and other schools in the area. Email Ms. Gilliland if you want to find out how you can help.