Cover image courtesy of Coventry Foodbank
Hugh McNeill of Coventry Foodbank says it’s down to us to decide to change as we emerge from lockdown and enter the 'new normal' -- to step out and find the need that still remains. It is greater than many of us realise, and will be discovered in surprising places. The easing of lockdown restrictions could not have come sooner for many. The town centre in Coventry – where I live – was bustling with people yesterday, visiting shops, enjoying a meal indoors and hugging family for the first time in 2021! Yet, with our excitement to get back to normal – will we forget many things lockdown has taught us? Since the pandemic hit the UK in March 2020 the community spirit in our towns, cities and villages was so present – did you feel that where you live? While people grabbed hold of their daily dose of exercise, suddenly eyes were opened to the needs of the community and complete strangers found themselves stopping on a walk to talk to one another. There were small acts of kindness everywhere: notes written to neighbours offering help; newspapers and groceries delivered to those who were shielding; prescriptions picked up; many neighbours stood in solidarity out of their doorways as we clapped for the NHS each Thursday. At the Foodbank we saw a 20% increase in the number of people attending foodbank in the past year, with hundreds of new volunteers stepping up to help this need. We were a community of servants. A nation serving our communities. Surely, we don’t want to lose our togetherness now the world is opening up step by step. Serving others is core to who we are as Christians, and we should serve from a heart that earnestly seeks to love others as Christ loves us – but is it that easy? Philippians 2:1-5 (Douay-Rheims) says:
