Feeding the Hungry in our Community
E
Shining the Light of Christ
ach of us is called to mālama one another and to see the face of Jesus in the faces of those in need of our kōkua. For the past couple years, parishioner Thelma Bacxa and her family have been feeding the hungry in our own community through the simple “street outreach” of Shining the Light of Christ. “My husband and I started bringing my girls out when they were about 8 or 9 years old,” Thelma says. “After Mass, we went out to the front of Ali’i Drive, and started giving out little snacks to the people there. One time, one of the young women on the street asked for a sandwich, and I thought, ‘OK, we need to fulfill that need here.’” Every Sunday after the 9 a.m. Mass, Thelma joins a small group of parish individuals and families to bring sandwiches to the people on the street outside the parish. Children are welcome to come, and Thelma takes families with children out in groups of two families at a time. Parishioners are asked to bring a loaf of bread’s worth of individually-wrapped sandwiches, such as tuna salad, peanut butter and
jelly, or egg salad — Thelma also provides small bottles of water and bags of chips. The group then goes on a walk to give out the food items. “We serve about 10 to 20 people at a time,” Thelma says. “Before we go out, I go over safety guidelines, what you should and shouldn’t do, and make sure everyone is dressed appropriately. We say a little prayer, and then we journey out. For safety reasons, I go to approach people first and then tell the parishioners to come and follow. It’s a great way to evangelize, and a lot of fun, and everyone is very grateful. They often say, ‘We look for you!’ “After we’re done, we come back to the church and we reflect,” she adds. “The ministry touches people in different ways. It’s also a way of showing and appreciating everything we have been given from God — all our gifts are gifts from God, so we need to give back to others who are less fortunate.” Before holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, the ministry does some special street outreach. Two days before the planned day, Thelma continued on back cover
“The ministry touches people in different ways. It’s also a way of showing and appreciating everything we have been given from God — all our gifts are gifts from God, so we need to give back to others who are less fortunate.” — Thelma Bacxa 7
