From December to March The Salvation Army and Churches Together in Wokingham have committed to serve a meal seven days a week to those who are in temporary accommodation and our regular service users, you may have seen the features about it in this paper.
It started off as a takeaway service but because of the latest lockdown it changed into a delivery service
to keep as many people at home as possible. We have been overwhelmed by support both in volunteer, food and monetary donations from across the community.
I think we would all recognise the benefit of a good meal and how that would help if we didn’t have much in the way of cooking facilities and for some living on their own cooking a meal for one seems a waste of effort. But as with all things that we do, it has to be more than just a meal delivery service.
Dropping off a meal to someone gives us a chance to see how they are going, it may be a quick exchange as the meal is placed on the doorstep as you move back out of the way but you can quickly gauge how someone is doing.
This contact is vital during the lockdowns, it is very hard to tell how someone is over the phone or email. We can then provide other support to that person. Helping someone with food is the easy bit, but helping them out of that dependence is a long term investment of friendship and love.
Sharing the resources that we have is nothing new, communities have survived on this principal throughout the ages.
The first churches were communities of people just sharing the resources they had, everyone giving what they had to create equality. Acts 2:44-45 says “And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.”
I am very grateful to live in a town that is so generous, kind and willing to share what they have.
Take care,
Captain Jan Howlin is from Wokingham Salvation Army, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
