When somebody tells you, “The Lord put you in my path today!” you are the one who feels blessed.

As a St. George volunteer working for Christian Assistance Ministry or CAM, I try to help the homeless and poor families by working at the front desk and in the food pantry on different days.

I like working at the desk because I enjoy meeting people, and I am able to interact with each person who comes to us. Since the desk is the first exposure people have to our ministry, I try to be welcoming, to be sensitive to our clients' need to maintain their dignity in the face of poverty, and to be a bit light-hearted. I also try to keep order in the "system" by finding or preparing files for our interviewers, like Susan Keehn, or for our social workers. We have a number of guidelines, and I try to keep abreast of any changes.

I enjoy working in the food pantry because everything we prepare goes out the door that day to help someone, making the gratification immediate. In the food pantry, I help make dozens of sack lunches; a lunch consists of a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, a can of pork and beans, a can of juice and a cookie or two, and we include a spoon and a napkin. We apply a Bible verse on the sack for a little contemplation.

The St. George Church and School community has always been very generous to CAM. Every time I put out a desperate call for food, diapers, children’s underwear and clothing, men's underwear and jeans, shoes, warm jackets or other needs, you come through. Every can of tomatoes or box of cereal keeps someone from being hungry. Everything is used and appreciated. We keep track of every item on each client's card by date, so that your donations are as fairly distributed as possible.

Bishop Lillibridge calls us “to bear one another’s burdens”. Perhaps that means cultivating the spiritual gift of mercy, of empathy. Perhaps we need to learn, by listening, or by imagining, because of the pain in our own lives, what someone else’s hurt, despair or fear feels like. Then, we might just want to do something to relieve that pain.

Some us can bear such burdens more easily than others. During my long life I have been blessed emotionally, supported materially, and nurtured intellectually. More than any other blessing, I was born into a Christian community which gave me a distinct sense of right and wrong, fostered in me a sense of purpose and a sense of responsibility toward others, and promised the hope for eternal life. Many people who need help at CAM have had few such blessings and opportunities.

As Christians, we are called upon to see the face of Christ in the faces of all men, women and children we come into contact with. From some of my past behavior, it’s sure been a stretch for others to see Christ in me. So it’s hard. It means seeing Christ, not just in our friends and fellow worshippers at St. George Episcopal Church and School, but everybody. We’re called to see Him in people that, on the surface, we might not have anything in common with—nothing in common, that is, except basic humanity, nothing except that we are all part of the human family.

I am not saying that having personal responsibility and making sound choices are not important values in life. These behaviors affect our lifestyles and our levels of personal security. But, sometimes, it is impossible to judge or weigh what makes some people thrive and others not. Everybody at CAM is there for a reason. Often their being destitute is not their fault. And it is not for me to judge whether they “deserve” my help.

We are called to see and believe in the best that is within people--to have the faith in Christ, or in others, that our bearing their burdens will help lead them out of dependency to strength. Or, if that is not possible, that we can help someone struggle through another hour or another day with more hope than despair. When somebody tells you, “The Lord put you in my path today!” you are the one who feels blessed.

Almost every needy person I’ve met at CAM expresses gratitude for any bit of help they receive, even a peanut butter sandwich and a can of beans. Many do not want to ask for help and are ashamed to have to do so. Most, if they have been self-sufficient for a few years and have to come back into our system, were proud to be making it on their own and are reluctant to have to ask for assistance again. We try to make them feel comfortable about their decision to come back to us. And we try to make everybody who brightens our door feel welcome.

Won’t you help make them feel welcome too?

Marti Nodine, CAM Volunteer








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