An Abundance of Compassion
Dani, member of San Pablo, helps every Saturday to give out food to people in need
The first Saturday of February, members of San Pablo Lutheran Church set up the San Pablo Food Pantry as people lined up to pick up their food baskets. It was cold and wet outside, and many people wore sweaters or light jackets, unprepared for the unusually harsh weather.
Member of the El Paso Rotary Club comes every Saturday with her husband to help give out food
Normally, to maintain a semblance of order, people are able to enter the Dining Hall twenty at a time, quickly registering before heading to the kitchen area where they pick up their food baskets and extra items. With the weather so cold, the San Pablo members felt compassion for the people out in the cold. “It was a beautiful thing to witness,” Rev Dr. Karl Heimer, pastor of San Pablo, shared about that morning, “The compassion shown to these people was so simple, but it was greatly appreciated.”
“Many people thanked us for getting them out of the cold,” Miguel Muñoz, council chairman and elder at San Pablo, recalled how the people responded to being ushered indoors and out of the cold, wet weather, “Safety is always a concern, which is why we work on maintaining order, but it wasn’t necessary that day -everyone was patient, caring towards each other, and most importantly, warm and feeling cared for.”
Grateful people walked away with food staples, dairy, juice, vegetables, fruit, potatoes, breads, and meat/poultry