It wasn’t quite the night before Christmas, but it was getting very close. And all through the
houses of two elderly women in our community, there was hardly any food at all.
One of the women had just been released from the hospital, where she had spent three months on a ventilator battling COVID-19. When she was finally well enough to return home, just in time for Christmas, her fridge and her cupboards were empty.
Another woman was ill, and unable to leave her home because she was on oxygen. She had also run out of food.
Both women, who lived in Comanche, contacted Christian Helping Hands (CHH) — one of the Regional Food Bank’s partners — with emergency requests for food. Neither wanted to face Christmas without something to eat.
CHH was able to respond quickly to both requests.
When a CHH staff person delivered food to the second woman, she could be seen with oxygen tubes and having a hard time breathing.
“At least they had food for Christmas,” said the staffer.
Indeed. It’s the small, individual gestures like this — thousands of them, every holiday season — that make the difference between going hungry and living alone, or having enough to eat, filled with joy and hope.
Thank you for remembering those who could easily be forgotten over the holidays.
