Mt. Baker Park PC helps Rainier Valley Food Bank through "Operation Sandwich"
Seattle Presbytery
What would you do for lunch if you had no permanent home and a full-time job?
When would you find time to make a sandwich if you were a single, non-English-speaking mom?
How would you manage your diabetes if you had no income and could not work?
Who would take the time to help you find food if you were struggling with mental illness and addiction?
If you found yourself at the Rainier Valley Food Bank RVFB), you would receive a hearty sandwich, made from quality ingredients, ready for you. Every Sunday after worship, a small team of people from Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church make 100 sandwiches and deliver them to RVFB, to be distributed on Monday. This is part of an effort to make almost 1000 sandwiches every week for clients of the food bank.
Is this only a bandaid solution? Does it perpetuate the problem? According to staff at RVFB, Peter’s Place Shelter, Union Gospel Mission, and a nearby Nickelsville camp, these sandwiches are a vital piece of a larger puzzle. For some recipients, the sandwiches are their only meal in a day. Shelter workers report that hunger — even missing a meal — exacerbates physical, mental, and emotional issues for many of their clients.
There is plenty of room for additional congregations to join Operation Sandwich by preparing and delivering sandwiches to RVFB. If this sounds like a local mission opportunity for you, please contact Pastor Lee Seese at pastor@mtbakerchurch.org.