Saturday Service and the Week that Was

Yesterday, Josh and I got up early and went to put in a few hours of volunteer service at the Bishop's Storehouse, which is our church's version of a food bank or pantry.  Josh has a good friend who is serving as a full-time service missionary at the Bishop's Storehouse and Josh and I had been curious about what he was doing, so we decided to go and find out.  We picked up Josh's friend at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and drove a few miles to the storehouse.  When we got there, Josh's friend took us on the grand tour.  Here's what we saw:

 The actual store part of the Bishop's storehouse is about the size of a 7-11 or other convenience store.

The shelves are stocked with nutritious basic staple food items such as canned peaches, tomatoes, beans, spaghetti sauce, flour, dried beans, rice, uncooked pasta and cereal. Non-food items such as tooth paste, deodorant, laundry detergent and all-purpose cleaner are also available.

There is a small refrigerated section in the back of the store where there is an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products like milk, butter and cheese and meats like hamburger, pork roast and chicken.

There was very little convenience or junk food in the store.  The only thing I saw on the shelves that could possible pass for junk food was packaged cake mixes in a choice of white or chocolate.

In the back of the store is a large warehouse where the food and other items are kept until they are stocked on the shelves.  Having been a Mormon all my life, I knew about Bishop's Storehouses as the place where the needy among us could go for food, but I had never actually been to one.  I was amazed by this place, the number of items stocked, its cleanliness and efficiency but mostly by the way the respectful, caring and non-judgmental way clients were treated as they came in for help.

Basically, if a member (or non-member) of our church is in financial need, the bishop (pastor) in the area meets with the person to determine the extent of the need.  If food is needed, the bishop asks the Relief Society President of the ward (parish) to meet with the person or family and write up a food order.  A food order is just a form that lists what food is available at the storehouse and the person in need indicates which items are needed and in what quantities.  The order is then signed by the Relief Society President and the Bishop and taken by the client to the Bishop's Storehouse where he or she is met by a host (this is what Josh and I were Saturday morning) who escorts him or her through the store getting the needed items.  There is absolutely no money at the Bishop's Storehouse.  Everything is totally free to the person or family in need. Visiting the Bishop's Storehouse is not a one-time shot either. Clients can return for help with as long as they are need - they only need a new food order signed by the Relief Society and Bishop whenever they come. By the way, I didn't take any of the pictures of the Bishop's Storehouse in this post, because the dignity and confidentiality of each client and his or her situation is of utmost importance.  The storehouse was never empty, like the pictures in this post.  It was filled with clients, and helpful volunteers, all morning.  Josh and I were busy helping clients fill food orders the entire time we were there.  I can't remember sitting down once.

We were at the Storehouse from 7 a.m. until past noon.  Although I had planned on leaving about 11 a.m., I changed the plan when Josh came up to me and said "mom this is fun."  If my son is enjoying himself helping others, we are staying longer!  

A picture of Jesus, similar to this one, hung on the wall of the Bishop's Storehouse with the admonition "Be Christ-like."  To me that said it all.  Help and serve others in their need.  Be kind.  Don't judge.  So for five hours Saturday morning, that is what my son and I did, and even though we helped others with their physical needs, it was Josh and I who came away nourished and filled in a spiritual sense.  Above all, we were happy and had joy in our service.  We will definitely be coming back to do this again.

Some of the other things that made this past week a good one included...

  ...morning workouts at the community recreation center. 

I have really enjoyed walking and working out on the equipment at the rec center each morning. Unfortunately, these morning work outs are about to end as summer vacation for teachers in our area is dwindling.   I do plan to keep my membership at the rec center and simply find another time to work out there.

...cloudy weather and cooler temperatures. We have still been over 100 every day, but not as far over 100 as we usually are this time of year.  Warmer weather is about to return, the weatherman says, and I suspect that our hot summer days are not over yet.

...lunch with friends.  Two good friends and I met here at Wildflower Bread Company for lunch and spent a couple of enjoyable hours chatting and catching up.

...company for dinner.  We had company over for dinner on  Friday evening and I made cheese enchiladas - a family favorite.  Here they are just before I put them in the oven.  Oh so yummy!

...a bit of time to read and relax.  Extra moments to sit down during the day with a good book are another casualty of back-to-school time.  I hope to finish at least one or maybe even two more books before summer vacation 2014 says goodbye for good.

Our family plans for this coming week:

• a full work-week for Josh
• a two half-day teacher class for me
• a morning teacher meeting for me
• teacher meeting for Charly
• taking dinner to a friend who just had surgery
• temple time
• preparing for one last very quick summer trip
• continue with painting and purging
• records indexing at familysearch.org
• haircuts
• a new evening institute (scripture study) class for Josh

Hope you enjoy the coming week and take the opportunity to help someone else!

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another."

--Charles Dickens