How did THAT happen???

The following can also be found under the News and Events page on www.stfrancisinn.org but I thought it was worth addressing here on this fine blog. Our numbers in the past year were lower than the year prior so I do some reflecting on what that means for us and for our guests. Enjoy!

Each year we compile the numbers of people served and the numbers for 2009 are confounding, if not shocking. In the midst of the greatest recession the country has faced since the Great Depression, we served 9,000 less meals in 2009 (146,000) than we did in 2008 (155,570). The “Great Recession” began in the fall of 2007, but it became more widely acknowledged mid-2008, with increasing coverage of the face of desperation that spread throughout the United States. Over the past year, local and national news have shed light on the countless individuals that have been affected by the economic downturn. You can’t turn on the TV or CNN.com without getting the latest unemployment rate nationwide and which state has the highest rate. You also heard endlessly about the charities that are suffering because their federal funds and private donors are waning as their requests for assistance are increasing.

This, among many other things, makes St. Francis Inn Ministries an anomaly. We’ve always known that our community and our humble ministry in north Philadelphia was unique, set apart, even a bit quirky. But after looking at our numbers, we consider ourselves blessed yet again to be able to serve our guests with the same quantity, quality, dignity and grace as we ever have.

The explanations for our numbers decreasing are vast and there seems to be a bit of truth to each of them. Because we don’t do background checks or means-tests on our guests before we break bread with them, we simply don’t know who has recently been laid off, who is unemployable, and who is just there for human interaction. And as difficult as it may be to swallow, so many of our guests live so far out of mainstream society that a work force facing joblessness and destitution doesn’t even affect them.

So what does this mean for us, for our guests? It means our doors and hearts remain open to those who need it. And it means that we continue to be grateful for all God has done to protect our ministry, those who support it, and those who depend on it.