A lady called my name in the street; she looked drawn and tired. Her little children sat nearby. She grabbed my arm and asked: Will you help me? Like so many Sydneysiders she and her kids were hungry because they hadn’t eaten. Imagine if you were in her shoes.
An alarming number of Sydneysiders can’t make ends meet. Food is too costly, and rents are going through the roof. Power bills are crippling, in spite of the $300 government rebate. I’ve never known the need to be so urgent.
It means record numbers of people are turning to my Foundation for help, and that’s putting us under pressure like never before. In the past 12 months, we have prepared almost half-a-million meals for homeless and hungry Sydneysiders. That’s remarkable, but what’s more so is the rising tide of hungry people. Indeed, we are only beginning to realise the depth of the need around us. In fact, our work has quadrupled in recent years – and that involves more than just feeding hungry Sydneysiders.
Nourishing the human spirit
Recently a young woman came to my Foundation. We talked for a while, and then she gave me an earnest gaze and said: “Last night I slept rough and I was sexually assaulted. I need your help, please.”
Of course, I helped. Our doctor gently took her in and began treatment. Our counsellors immediately swung into action, finding her a place to stay. They then provided support to help her get her life back together. It was a rescue effort that went on for several days, saving someone at the point of crisis.
Your support enables my Foundation to care for every soul seeking our help; no matter the dimension of their crisis. We are a mission, and our mission is the person in front of us. It is profound, loving, and nonjudgemental. Moreover, it is what sets us apart from bigger charities that ‘process’ clients.
Caring without prejudice
There are faces you come to know at my Foundation. One of them is Terry. He visits for a hot meal because he is poverty-stricken and homeless. Like many others, he also suffers from chronic illness, so I was concerned when he stopped coming.
That concern melted away last week when I saw Terry. He told me he’d been in the hospital, shunted in and out and given a bunch of pills with instructions on how to take them. “But I can’t read”, he exclaimed.
The nurses in our medical centre knew just what to do, and now they are managing Terry’s dosages. It was quite literally a lifesaving intervention.
As my 80th birthday approaches, I am determined to set up my Foundation so that all our work and uniqueness continues to flourish.
Just a couple of days ago one of my volunteers told me her story. On a dark night, she glimpsed a young man in rags. His hair was all matted and he was barefooted, despite the cold. When she looked closer, she recognised him. It was... her brother, who she’d lost touch with years before. That chance encounter compelled her to help.
We are all each other’s brothers and sisters, and that compels us to help each other. So in these most difficult of times, I’m asking for your assistance.
Please consider donating that $300 handout; I promise you my Foundation will spend it wisely – feeding the hungry and caring for those in poverty. The crisis of hunger and poverty is as extreme as it is unyielding, but your donation can ease the burden.
God Bless
Rev. Bill Crews
