The Topeka Rescue Mission has a history of responding to whatever kind of needs crop up in the Capital City and surrounding areas. Since March of this year the nation has seen the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression of 1929 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing massive increases in unemployment and thousands facing eviction. Two major outcomes of this crisis are hunger and homelessness.
The Topeka Rescue Mission has responded to the consequences of the coronavirus on the economy of Northeastern Kansas. Barry Feaker, director of the TRM, said that as of October 18, the mission has delivered 43,001 food boxes containing 15,726 gallons of milk and 1,187,368 pounds of food which equals 1.97 million meals.
“Sheltering and feeding people is really taking front and center of everything we do,” he said.
World Vision and the Citygate Network, an association of rescue ministries in North America, informed Feaker that Congress has allocated money to help farmers get food into the hands of needy families through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers to Families program.
“They provide the food, we find ways to distribute through volunteers,” Feaker said.
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TRM created Operation Food Secure in April “to help people who are food insecure,” Feaker said. Eighty groups consisting of mostly churches in several counties around Topeka are trying to determine who is in need.
You can help by donating both finances and food.
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Cooked meat
- Milk products
Trucks, vans and station wagons distribute food to people in need in an operation called Trunk to Table.
Besides food distribution, Operation Food Secure also provides other ministry opportunities. Mission volunteers also pray for people. The Coronavirus has created tremendous pressure, Feaker said, and he does not expect to solve all problems, but the mission is also providing training for churches on how to reach out to people in their communities. In addition, two major players are involved in this effort: The City of Topeka and The United Way.
If you would like to get involved or if you are in need, contact the Topeka Rescue mission at 785-354-1744 or go online to trmonline.org for more information.
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food? If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14-17).
–Carolyn Cogswell | Metro Voice
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