Over the last few days, we have seen news stories about churches, social service agencies, and food pantries giving turkeys, bread stuffing mix, and cans of cranberry sauce to people who live in poverty. That’s one of the typical “feel good” stories of the holiday season.
We’ll see similar media reports at Christmastime. The media does the predictable. It helps middle-class folks feel better about themselves and makes people who live in poverty look needy and grateful. We see these narratives year after year.
A turkey once or twice a year is wonderful, but if I were in their position, I would ask: How do I feed my family every day? How do I keep my home? Congratulating ourselves for occasional attentiveness does not help those who are in need or are suffering all year round. We can do better.
This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA blog by Kate Elliott.
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