This Too Will Pass
“Firefighters don’t just run into a fire. They assess the scene, gather their equipment and conserve their oxygen until they are inside. Approach the COVID-19 virus as if it were a fire.” -Robert Marbut, Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Somehow, someway, this small piece of advice brought tremendous comfort to our team. We are overwhelmed, stressed and most of the time feel like we are running full speed into the fire with our hands tied, and we’re sure you are too. Our world is consumed with panic that is leaving our stores empty, closing our businesses and mandating statewide shutdowns. Simply put, we aren’t sure whether to overreact or underreact. This panic is leaving us empty.
Fear and doubt surround us. We keep hearing “2 weeks or 4 months”, “manmade or natural”, “nonprofits will crumble”, but none of it is grounded in truth. However, there is a truth we can hold on to. We have been through natural disasters, pandemics, and wars before. Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were tied up and thrown into the furnace? The king demanded the furnace be seven times hotter, and everyone believed they would not make it out alive, but because their hope and trust was rooted in Christ, they walked out of the fire. Let me say that again. They WALKED out of the fire!
Right now, it feels like a lot of people don’t believe we’ll make it out of this, yet from Genesis to Revelation, we are reminded this too will pass. We take losses along the way, but we make it through every time. Friends, let’s remember where our faith is rooted and where our hope comes from.
The people around the furnace reported seeing a fourth figure in the fire. God was with them. We don’t know what this virus means for our guests or our funding streams, but we know God is in this fire with us. We are keeping our doors open to those that have no place to go in this crisis. Your support isn’t just a dollar, it’s a face, it’s a name, it’s someone’s life that will be drastically changed because of you.
Don’t run into the fire friends, let’s walk out of it together.
By Krystel Marino // Development Director
March
January & February Impact
9,031 MEALS 10,044 lbs Food Donated
5,450 SHELTER STAYS 3,168 MEN 1,769 WOMEN 513 CHILDREN
Shelter Needs
Milk
Eggs
Toilet Paper
Hand Soap
Deodorant
Razors