Think generously first

To the Editor:

Residents in Martin County are hurting. Things are tight. One cannot live on $10 or $11 per hour, common wages here. People work two jobs and still can’t make ends meet. Living month to month becomes the norm. Half the population does not have enough savings to cover a $400 emergency.

Food and a place to lay your head down: basics we take for granted, don’t you think? Have you ever had to go a day without food? What is it like to not have a place to sleep at night? Have you ever been out on the streets? Cold, hungry?

Heaven’s Table Food Shelf at 909 Winnebago Ave. in Fairmont offers food assistance to Martin County residents. A board member at the food shelf told me: “I just don’t see a lot of people coming and getting food just because it’s free. I want people to think generously first, instead of thinking people are taking advantage — it does happen, but golly I wouldn’t come here for fun. I want people to think generously.” (See: http://www.2harvest.org/content_types/blog-posts/heavens-table-food-shelf-and.html)

Who are the hungry and homeless? Could be me. Could be you. Could be your neighbor next door. For a place to lay your head, churches in Mankato have begun housing the homeless on a rotating basis. It is working. Churches around the country have started to open their doors to the homeless. The church-run rotating homeless shelter in Mankato is called Connections Shelter. Perhaps a church-based service could work in Martin County? It’s worth a try, don’t you think?

Peter Engstrom

Fairmont