Mission Reports Archive 2009

Overwhelming Needs of the Forgotten Poor

December 22, 2009 -- Gladys Jackson’s front steps are treacherous. Last week I almost fell when I stepped up from the concrete blocks to her rickety porch. The outside of her trailer is in rough shape with loose clumps of tattered insulation and exposed wiring. In fact, it’s hard to believe that the trailer inside is in much worse condition than the outside.

Shine the Light and Hope on the Needy This Christmas

Mary enjoying a hot meal at Bosco Food Kitchen.

November 30, 2009 -- Anna Jackson counted her nickels as she walked to the dollar store to buy a single strand of colored Christmas lights. Her husband had recently died and she yearned to give her two young children one simple joy, even if it was just a row of lights taped to the window of their small apartment.

Send Christmas Joy to the Needy this Holiday Season

November 12, 2009 -- Night comes early to the rundown house where little Janequa lives, out in the shadowy woods of rural Alabama. Once the sun sets, the house goes dark. There’s been no electricity since her father was laid off two months ago. For little Janequa, this poses a big worry. “How will Santa find my house?” Janequa asked her teacher.

Sharing God's Blessings with The Hungry Poor

October 22, 2009 -- Little Jayden was hungry. That’s why he ran up to us as soon as our Edmundite Missions truck filled with Thanksgiving food bags pulled into his small community. Despite a cast on his broken arm, Jayden, one of our Missions’ preschoolers, immediately starting toting big jugs of orange juice to different families waiting in line.

Unseen but not Forgotten: Food and Water for the Rural Poor

September 8, 2009 -- “You don’t have water?” I asked. “No, sir,” she replied, politely. Leaky pipes—there when she moved in—had driven her bill too high to pay, so the water company shut it off. The home was disconnected over a year ago! I could hardly imagine caring for little children with no water in this oppressive heat.

Learning Center Faces Termite Floor Damage

August 18, 2009 -- Sometimes, it seems that just when I see the light at the end of the tunnel; it turns out to be a locomotive headed straight for me…

Little Children Are Hungry 365 Days a Year

July 28, 2009 -- I went to Bosco Food Kitchen yesterday to help in our feeding ministry, because I know how busy it gets in the summer with school out. When I got there, I saw a long line of hungry children, elders, day laborers and out-of-work adults waiting for a meal.

Learning Comes with Lunch

July 7, 2009 -- When her sister died two years ago, Yolanda Robbins and her husband welcomed her sister’s year-old baby Jada with open arms and tender hearts. While mourning her loss, Yolanda took comfort in raising her niece, along with her own children. But in the past year, the Robbins have had some setbacks.

Hunger Never Goes on a Break

June 9, 2009 -- Jeffrey and Darien are kind-hearted big brothers to their little sister, Belinda. It’s a joy to watch them when they bring her to Bosco Food Kitchen.

Flooding in the Food Pantry

May 12, 2009 -- I rushed to our ministry site in rural Lowndes County after Sister Rosemary called to tell me there was flooding in the food pantry. As soon as I got there, I knew this was a problem that needed immediate action.

Make a Difference this Mother's Day

April 21, 2009 -- Raymond Williams didn’t think he would ever have to depend on the Bosco Food Kitchen for a meal again. As Mother’s Day nears, he remembers how hungry he was as a child, walking to Bosco with his mother, Lucille.

Learn how you can make a difference this Mother's Day...

Help Feed Hungry Children, Families and Elders This Easter

March 31, 2009 -- When I saw this vulnerable man with his tattered clothes and empty cupboards, I was reminded of what our Missions Founder, Father Frank Casey, wrote 70 years ago: "I am used to seeing dismal poverty, but I’m not hardened enough to stand what I saw ... some of the most neglected elders I’ve ever seen: miserable, destitute, sick, homeless, old people. I started to take care of them right then."

Learn how you can help provide food for the hungry...

Children Go Hungry Every Day

March 13, 2009 -- I was startled to hear a noise this early at the door. Was a child crying? I was at the Bosco Food Kitchen lending a hand on this freezing-cold Sunday morning, the first of March. A violent winter storm system was pounding Alabama with bitter wind and freezing cold temperatures.

Learn how you can help...

Help Provide Emergency Assistance for Families in Need

February 20, 2009 -- Lilly Mae has been living in the dark. Temperatures dropped below freezing last month and the water pipes burst in her rundown shack deep in the woods. Daily, she walks up a hill to the neighbor’s outdoor spigot for one bucket of water at a time.

Help Families Who Have Suffered Home Burnouts Get a New Start

January 30, 2009 -- Heros come in all sizes and all ages. For Sharisse Harrison, the hero is her three-year-old son, Josiah, who warned his family that their house was on fire, saving them.

Help Provide Food and Heat for Elders and Families this Winter

January 9, 2009 -- During these winter months, I think back over 70 years to Edmundite Missions’ founder Father Frank Casey, who often went out in bitter weather to help elders and families survive.