“I can’t believe that you are here with diapers like you said you would be,” said the sorrowful woman holding her baby, bursting into tears.

The single mother has a 12-year-old and a 3-month-old. A PREPARES volunteer from Basin City had asked for help for her sister in Kennewick, so an area coordinator called her right away, and put together a bag to make it look like a baby shower gift, with clothing, a book, a toy, and a blanket as well as diapers. This struggling mother lost her job due to the pandemic, does not have a car, and is fearful to go out, so she rarely sees anyone. She was as grateful for the friendly face as she was for the supplies. She introduced her baby, of whom she was very proud, and the two women talked at the doorstep of her apartment.

“Would you come back to visit me someday?” she asked, as the coordinator prepared to leave. 

We are all as thirsty for human connection as for water. The Church meets this need in part through PREPARES.