Dec 26, 2019

Then Feed One

Have you ever seen an art piece that makes ZERO sense to you? You tilt your head and try to figure out what the artist was trying to convey and you just can’t get it? That happens to us quite a bit, I think. The things we have seen in Haiti are sometimes things that you just carry with the people that have seen them with you, or all alone with Jesus, because you know that it’s not easy to grasp something you have never seen first hand. But, there are also moments in time that you absolutely must do your best to paint a picture of the realities of the people you serve, to give others a glimpse into life outside of their own & to give them an opportunity to make an impact that they didn’t know they could make until they were told that they can. I am here to tell you that you can make an impact. Yes, you. Every single one of you. It does not matter what is or isn’t in your bank account, how young or old you are or even if you understand, or don’t, what I am about to tell you.

I am here to tell you that you can make an impact. Yes, you. 

I know it is hard to convey, let alone understand, the realities that Haiti is enduring at this very moment. Unless you have served in Haiti for some time, it’ll be hard to truly grasp the depth of suffering that Haitians have endured for generations, and even harder to understand why or how an entire island can boil over into gargantuan crisis, crisis that is crippling at best. For months Haiti has been faced with unrest. Protests, closed schools, people unable to travel safely to work, lack of transportation, violence, increase in gang activity, fuel, food & water shortages, inflation, uncertainty, lack of medical care, dehydration, starvation & death. The scariest part is that no one knows when it will end.

Upstream serves an area called Citè Soleil, home to around 500,000 people in a couple of square miles. It’s the slum of Port Au Prince that is sadly known for violence coupled with deeper levels of poverty and immense suffering than many places in Haiti.No running water, no plumbing or sanitation, rampant unemployment, and for those that are employed they are struggling to make ends meet on only a couple of dollars a day.  We have been faithfully serving Citè Soleil for nearly nine years. We have seen a lot & we have had our hearts broken more times than we can count. But, right now, the people are more desperate than we have ever seen before. The community has called on God to intervene & they have asked Upstream to continue to fight for their population & to be an answer to their prayers. Families are begging for orphanages to take their children to so that they are at least fed. That is not going to happen on our watch, we must battle to keep families intact. Mothers and fathers should not be faced with giving away their children because they don't have food.  We must do all we can to bring food and water to people who have no other options. Over the last few weeks we have made this need known and we have been able to provide nearly 100,000 meals throughout Citè Soleil. The need is still here, it’s not going away anytime soon, & we are committed to continuing to raise the funds necessary to get food and water into the hands of the most vulnerable people.

We must do all we can to bring food and water to people who have no other options.

A cooked meal on the street in Haiti is roughly $1.50 USD. Because of the bulk food purchasing that Upstream is doing, we are able to dwindle that cost down to about 33 cents per meal. That means that no matter your budget, you can feed someone. Mother Teresa said that “If you can’t feed 100, then feed 1. “ and that is what we are asking everyone who is reading this to do. Feed at least 1. If you can feed more than one, we are asking you to do that, too. You can literally save a life &  be a part of keeping a family together. Would you please ask God what He would have you do & how much He is asking you to give?

$.33= 1 meal

$1 = 3 meals

$5 = 15 meals

$10 = 30 meals

$20 = 60 meals

$50 = 151 meals

$100 = 303 meals

$250 = 757 meals

$500= 1515 meals

$1,000=3,030 meals

$2,500=7,575 meals

$5,000= 15,151 meals

$10,000=30,303 meals

$25,000=75, 757 meals

$50,000= 151, 515 meals

100% of the dollars we receive will provide food and water for those that do not have it. 

How many people can you feed?