There’s a story about a man who left this earth and was taken on a tour of the inner realms. He was shown a room where he saw a large group of hungry people trying to eat dinner but, because their spoons were longer than their arms, they were frustrated.

“This is hell,” his guide told him.

“This is awful,” the man said. “Take me to Heaven.”

The guide took him to Heaven, but to the man’s surprise, the spoons were just as long, but people were enjoying their noonday meal. They were feeding each other.
In today’s world, spoons are not longer than a man’s reach but the need to feed each other continues to be great, said Kim May, director of the Pike County Salvation Army Service Center in Troy.

The center’s annual Empty Bowls luncheon at Bush Memorial Baptist Church on Friday was an opportunity for people in Pike County to feed the hungry here at home. And, there are many of them, May said.

“Many people in our community are hungry,” she said. “The elderly, the disabled, single mothers and veterans are the ones with the greatest needs. The assistance they get doesn’t meet their needs. We have elderly people who get Food Stamps but they only get about $12 month.”

May said earlier in the year the Salvation Army’s food pantry was well stocked. In a short time, the cupboard was almost bare.

“There is always a need and Empty Bowls greatly helps meet that need,” she said. “At the Salvation Army, we are so grateful for the support that we received this year from our sponsors, those who volunteered in so many ways and those who donated soup, those who made bowls and those who came and ‘filled’ those bowls. Together, we will help feed the hungry in our community.”

May said the 9th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon was a great success, in raising funds for the Pike County Salvation Army and in bringing the community together for a worthy cause.

“We are still getting money in from those who got their bowl bids,” she said. “But, we already have more than $13,000 and that tops the $12,000 that was raised at last year’s Empty Bowls Luncheon. Thank you doesn’t really express our appreciation to the people of Pike County for their continuing support of the Salvation Army as we strive to meet the needs of our community.”