Have you ever had someone walk up to you and say, “Do you remember me”? You look at them and smile, but in your mind you are thinking, I have no idea who you are. You begin to panic and little sweat beads form on your brow until that person graciously gives you an introduction and your memory of them comes flooding back.
This is what happened to me when I took a small mission team to Lynch, Kentucky a couple of months ago. Believe it or not, this happens quite often to me in Kentucky. For over two years Feed the Hunger has been delivering nutritious rice and beans meal packets to needy children and families in several counties throughout eastern Kentucky. On several occasions I have been honored to help deliver these food packets to various schools, food pantries, and even to extremely impoverished homes.
On this mission trip to Kentucky, the Feed the Hunger mission team joined Creekside Stables as they held a ministry outreach to local 4–6-year-old children. It was an exciting time with about 45 children learning about horses, touching and riding horses for the first time, and even finger-painting a horse! As I was standing next to a horse and holding a child so she could gently touch the horse, a young woman approached me with those famous words “Do you remember me?” My heart stopped for a moment and those little sweat beads began to form on my brow. I glanced around to be sure she was talking to me. Realizing that she was talking to me, a wave of panic swept over me. 
However, without me having to guess her name, she answered, “My name is Brittany and I work in the cafeteria at the elementary school down the road. You bring us food to give out to the children so they can take something home in their backpacks to eat on the weekends.” She added, “I also receive your food at the food pantry. Thank you for caring for us here in Kentucky.” Wow! My heart stopped again, but this time it was filled with joy and excitement.
Thank you to all of those who have participated in a Feed the Hunger Packathon event and packed nutritious meals for those in need. People are being fed and lives are being changed because of you. I will never forget Brittany and I hope you won’t either.
Melinda Staples | Project Manager