March 2, 2009
A Note for the Mailman
We last wrote about Ranya Kelly and her Colorado-based Redistribution Center on August 15, 2008. At that time, we shared that in addition to Ranya’s efforts in retrieving brand new merchandise from manufacturers and retailers (which she then distributes to people who are in need) Ranya has also opened a small food pantry which provides nourishment to many people in her local area who just do not have enough money to put sufficient food on their table. Many times, when larger pantries are empty, Ranya is called upon to help out.
Ranya called a few hours ago. She was clearly distressed. In all of the years that she has been involved in her work, never has she seen such desperate times. So many people are hurting. However, the call that she received this morning really upset her and she had to share it with me.
The call came from the Sheriff’s office in El Paso County—a distance from where Ranya lives. Local food pantries were bare and Ranya was asked if she could help someone who had no provisions at all. It seems that the sheriff’s office received a call from a local postal worker who, while making his rounds delivering mail, found a note in the mailbox of one of his patrons. The note said that the writer, an 85 year old woman, had lost her husband, an army veteran, a few years before and she had had no food to eat for the past two days. Could anyone help? The postman called the sheriff’s office seeking help and eventually Ranya received her call. An 85 year old woman, no family, and no food to eat—something was terribly wrong. Assured by the authorities that they would help her get through the next few days, Ranya offered to drive to the town where the woman is living and will bring her a good supply of canned goods, meat and other nutritious food. She assured me that she would find out more about the woman’s circumstances and get back to me if there was anything that we could do.
Somehow, we don’t think that Ranya’s story is all that unusual in today’s economic climate. Do any of us really know what is happening to our neighbors?
