This past weekend I went to two very different public events: an open house at the new building for Blessings of Hope Food Ministry and a church showing of the movie Unplanned. I decided writing about both of them in one blog post would be an interesting juxtaposition.
Open House at Blessings of Hope
Can you feed thousands of people for only 12 cents per meal?
Blessings of Hope Ministry in Leola is doing just that— providing 25,000 meals per day, seven days a week, for less than $3,000 per day.
I’ve written about volunteering at Blessings of Hope Food Ministry before. Some of my friends and relatives volunteer regularly. I’ve been there several times in the past few months, so I’m getting quite familiar with the organization, and I was glad to attend the the Open House in their new building.
This warehouse, a former fruit packing facility at 500 Becker Road, Leola, is much larger than the warehouse the ministry had been using. “We’re going to own this building, lock, stock, and barrel,” explained Fannie, the sister of the founder to us. “We were paying seven thousand dollars in rent for the old building.”
While the ministry has to spend a lot of money on their buildings, they don’t spend anything on the food they distribute to soup kitchens and food banks. During a tour at the new facility, one of the men explained, “All the food received is donated by large corporations. It’s a win-win situation. We get the food, they get a tax break and don’t have to pay the landfill.”
Why does the food end up there? Sometimes it’s mistakes— “We got a truckload of ice cream because a batch of containers had the wrong lid. Or we get chicken because someone froze chicken that was supposed to be kept fresh.”
The new building is impressive— massive cooling units, rows of racking and bins, and room for a truly amazing amount of food.
During the tour, one man asked how long it will take to pay off the new building. “We’re planning five years, and we’re ahead of schedule, ” says our guide.
Renovation plans include a kitchen and large dining hall.
He also said they plan to have much of the renovations done by spring. Looking around at the ghostly warehouse, I’m a little doubtful about the timeline. But what do I know? After all, these are the same people who can turn a little cash and the cast-offs of America’s food corporations into bread and loaves and feed the multitudes for 12 cents per plate.
Unplanned Film Review
Sunday evening I went with friends to watch Unplanned at a church in Bethel hosting a free showing. I’d heard about the movie before, of course, but I hadn’t seen it yet, although I did read the memoir with the same title several years ago.
If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book yet, here’s a brief summary. Unplanned is based on the true story of Abby Johnson, who was the youngest person ever to become a director of a Planned Parenthood clinic. She was adamantly pro-choice, of course. One day, after she had been the director for several years, Abby was asked to help the surgical team perform an abortion, which she had never done before. (As director, she was in more of a management/office role.) Abby was told to hold the ultrasound probe as the doctor prepared to remove the unborn baby by suction.
When she saw the baby’s tiny form, head, arms, legs, and back, disappear—Abby knew she had seen a life being taken. And she knew she had to quit Planned Parenthood.
That’s the beginning of the movie.
Unplanned, which was released earlier this year, has stirred a huge controversy. Two theater owners in Canada actually got death threats because they were planning to show the movie.
The film received an R rating (because of the gory parts about aborted fetuses, not because of nudity or bad language.) It shows abortion for what it is— taking the lives of very young children, and often hurting or endangering their mothers in the process. (A nurse friend who watched the movie with me said the medical parts looked accurate to her.)
The movie is respectful to women— the girls coming for abortions are portrayed as frightened and confused, not as hardened villains. (The abortion doctor and Abby’s Planned Parenthood boss are portrayed as villains, but every movie needs villains.)
Pro-life protesters are portrayed as a diverse group. Some are villainous (dressed as the Grim Reaper, yelling hateful things) or loving and kind (praying quietly at the fence.) To the latter, Abby turned to for support when she left Planned Parenthood.
One of the most chilling scenes doesn’t include blood— instead it’s the time Abby’s staff throw a baby shower for her after the clinic is closed. (She had a daughter during her years at Planned Parenthood). So the staff, after a day of ending pregnancies, throws a party to celebrate their boss’s unborn child.
Unplanned does have a happy ending. In 2013, the abortion clinic Abby worked for closed its doors. There’s a scene near the end of the movie of a worker using heavy equipment to pull down the Planned Parenthood sign.
Though it had horrible, eye-closing parts, and I wouldn’t want to watch it again, I think Unplanned is a film worth watching. (For adults. I wouldn’t recommend it for children.)
May your week be thought-provoking.
Great post showing two organizations serving Christ in very different ways.
Thanks, Andrew. Glad the juxtaposition made sense.