It is always the early morning calls that are the most stunning…
It is not quite 8:30 in the morning and Pam Koner, founder of Family to Family has just called. Family to Family directs its work to relieving hunger in some of our country’s poorest and most remote regions. It was Pam who introduced us to McRoberts, Kentucky where we are able to have an impact on this tiny community in the heart of Appalachia.
Pam’s problem this morning involved the Navajo community in Thoreau, New Mexico. Family to Family has been providing food to about twenty families here for several years. Thoreau is rural; mostly unpaved roads with families living in extreme poverty, far apart from each other. There is no local store in which to shop and unemployment exceeds 50% in the region. Pam explained that four social workers who were lifelines to this community had just lost their jobs and now distribution of the monthly food packages was in jeopardy.
The extraordinary distances between homes would require considerable driving to get the packages to the families. $180 in monthly gasoline costs would ensure that 150 people would be fed when they receive their food packages. (a little more than $1 per person.)
Could we help?
Could we not?
