Meerkats are amazing protectors of their community. They seem to be continually vigilant, reacting to the slightest sound or movement. There are also certain “watchmen” meerkats who keep even more watchful eyes out for possible dangers or difficulties for the entire community and then sound the alarm to save lives.
We here in the US are also amazing protectors of our communities. We step up to do what it takes to keep our community, friends and loved ones safe by being vigilant and staying healthy ourselves. We even wear uncomfortable face masks in the public, dodge people with our carts in store aisles to keep our social distance, wash our hands repeatedly throughout the day, and remain painfully apart from older loved ones to keep them safe. And now, as some restrictions loosen up, it’s critical that we remain vigilant so that we don’t lose in the long run.
Yet, while meerkats are high strung, being vigilant does not mean they live in fear. They still go through their day doing the normal things meerkats do (whatever that is) being alert and feeling protected by each other and the “watchmen”.
Like the meerkat, we too do not have to live in fear. We have an Almighty Protector who has provided resources (doctors, healthcare workers, each other, etc) and “watchmen” (elected officials, CDC, etc) to support us. However, as a part of the community, we still are responsible to take measures to protect ourselves and family, consistently follow the guidelines and be vigilant for any changes. Then, we can go on living day to day doing the normal things we do (whatever that is) with confidence that we and our “meerkat” community are doing our part.
So, what has Project 216 been up to these past few months?
We too are being vigilant and caring for our community. Almost all of the 118,152 meals packaged this year before the pandemic have gone out to those in need locally and globally. Unfortunately private packing events to replenish our inventory have ground to a halt but that gave us time to work on a new process to get packing again.
So, we are ready to responsibly start packing again!
We have revised our event process to allow for social distancing to minimize risks to our community of wonderful volunteers. It takes obviously takes more space and volunteers will need to wear masks but it is totally doable. Now we are in need of organizations ready to raise money and people to pack.
So, why not wait until the pandemic is finished to pack again?
There is a critical need for nutritious food, especially now with so many more families out of work here and around the world. Thousands upon thousands of families with children are facing death – not just from the virus but also from starvation. Just this week, we just received requests for over 78.000 meals that are needed in the next 2 months that we cannot fill.
International Action Ministries has asked for 57,024 meals to ship along with medical supplies to feed indigenous people in the jungles of Venezuela.
CURE international (www.cure.org) has asked for an additional 21,384 meals. Kristina Thorne, Procurement Manager for CURE, writes: “I had a recent request from one of our partners who send doctors to Panama to do medical clinics in remote areas. Their team went to Panama to drop off 3 months of medications with chronic patients in the villages (diabetes, epilepsy, family planning, etc) and they were shocked and horrified to find some folks looked like they had lost 20 pounds and way, WAY too many people reported eating as infrequently as 3 times per week.”
What can you do to partner with us and make a difference?
First and foremost, you can pray for those in dire need to receive what is needed to sustain them. Second, you can host a “Pod Pack” – a small gathering of your family and friends to pack meals. And, of course, you can also give financially. Less than $60 can feed one person life-saving meals for 216 days.
For more information or if you have other ideas to help, please contact us at 260-471-8852, go to our website at www.project-216.org or email us at hope@project-216.org.
Thank you for being our vigilant partner!
