When we asked Gladys if it would be OK to include a picture of her family, she said, “Sure,” and then added, “All of them?” Gladys sent her oldest sibling, Erik, to get the family together and in true older brother form, he did. We counted six children. But Gladys quickly added that there was one in the car seat and one in the oven! So eventually, there would be eight children, making this a beautiful family of ten! When we expressed our approval, she added, “That’s it! No more!”

We think one of the most beautiful aspects of this partnership with the Rescue Mission Alliance Valley Food Bank is the generosity of the food we get to share. It is usually too much rather than too little. It is usually, “I can’t really carry that much” instead of, “Can I get some more of this?”

For larger groups like Gladys’ family, we are sure that this bounty means a lot. You can see it in their faces—except Erik’s of course. But then, I am told that he goes to a military academy. We did get him to crack a smile, albeit not on camera.

Submitted by Pastor Paul Kim, Friday Pantry, North Valley Caring Services