Helping Hands

Day 21: Helping Hands (to Supply)

"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38

("Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity" Luke 6:38 Message)

Happy Twenty First Day of Thanks Everyone!

Nothing warms my heart more than to know that a village will gather around folks to take care of them when they are in dire need.

As many of you know, I come from the best community on this planet, "The South, South Bronx." As a community, we love on each other and our families. We support, as best we can, the small mom and pop businesses so that they stay afloat. As members of this community, we stay actively engaged on the pulse of what's happening on our streets. (I don't care what you think or say, we are the da bomb!)

One of the small restaurant businesses in our community, La Morada, is a family owned business that has some of the best Mexican food in these parts. This loving family owned business of organizers and activists have been a staple in our community for years. 

La Morada is located in the heart of our community on Willis Avenue between 140th & 141st Streets. This business stays actively engaged and committed to the families in our community and vehemently opposes discriminatory immigration policies towards immigrant families in our nation. They have always provided the food for our South Bronx Unite community events. We have even hosted many events, including an Easter egg scavenger hunt, in the restaurant. Most honorable to note is that they have stepped up countless times again and again to feed the families in our community when they were/are in trouble.

During the heart of the COVID pandemic, when many heads of household lost their jobs and wondered how they would feed their families, La Morada staff, with the help of many local community volunteers, made free food available for families to receive. The families of our community music program, Upbeat NYC, received free food. The families residing in the local NYCHA tenements (aka "the projects") received food. Every day, they had fresh, kitchen-made, free food available and delivered to the many folks in line and at home that were hungry and needed meals. They served about 5000 meals weekly to those that needed within the community. 

What a blessing it is for our community to have La Morada!

Just recently, I discovered the community's helping hand, La Morada, is now in need of some love and attention. This small business that sows so freely into the lives of the members of our community has a big need as well. Their business is in need of some items to keep them going and prepared to keep helping our community.  Among the list of items are a new commercial stove, refrigerator, freezer, convection oven, counter-top griddle and walk-in cooler. They are trying to raise $90,000 but have only raised $32,000 for the cost of what they need. As we approach the holidays, let's give back as much as we can to La Morada, and the many other businesses like it, that love, uphold and bless our communities daily.

As I give thanks for the helpings hands of our world, today, I invite you to please donate and bless La Morada so that they can get the items they need to help its business continue being a blessing to their sphere of influence. Their GoFundMe campaign is https://www.gofundme.com/f/thpfc3-la-morada039s-soup-kitchen-needs-a-new-stove

Yesterday, I also discovered that my friend knows a family with five children, several of which have special needs, who was completely burned out of their rental apartment by a fire in their building. During this COVID-ridden, holiday season, they lost everything. Prices for apartments for a family of seven with 2 dogs is not cheap and very hard by which to come. Price gouging in the supermarkets are at an all time high.  I imagine having to get new documents like birth certificates and social security cards all over again, when many offices are barely open. How about having to buy all new clothes and shoes because everyone just has the clothes on their back?  I wonder how this family is getting around, and hopefully not having to do public transportation with five children. As a parent with one special needs child who is very particular and regimented about everything, I can only imagine what they must be going through with several special needs children, having lost everything. Please find it in your heart to give any and everything that you can to help them. Their GoFundMe campaign is https://www.gofundme.com/f/7wpw66-please-help-our-family-we-lost-everything?utm_source=whatsapp-visit&utm_medium=chat&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Love Ya,

Have a Great Day of Thanks!