A young girl was walking along a beach in which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the water. She had been doing this for some time, when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The little girl seemed crushed, deflated. But then she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. She looked at the man and said, “I made a difference to that one!”
PB UMC was blessed to help some special starfish in the last couple of months. RH was a gentleman who was trying to get back home to his brother. He had no employment here, and had the possibility of employment if he could only get back home. Travelers Aid Society had guaranteed him a low-fare bus ticket if he could find one or more sponsors to pick up the bulk of his ticket. He came to PB UMC asking for help, and with funds from our Persons in Crisis fund, we were able to commit to helping him get back home.
CK was a lady living on the street. She had moved to San Diego from upstate New York for health reasons, and with the cost of living difference, she didn’t have enough money for both a deposit and 1st months’ rent in a hotel. Her prospective landlord was kind enough to hold her room with a security deposit, but she would have to stay on the streets for a month, to be able to save enough money to pay her rent in full. She walked into PB UMC on a Tuesday seeking dental care and shared her story with the staff. By Wednesday, after talking with her prospective landlord, we were able to help CK with a discounted rent for the rest of
the month, so that she would have a safe place to stay, while saving money and seeking a job.
The S family, consisting of father, mother, a 4-year old girl, and an 8-month old baby, through a series of bad luck, became stranded in San Diego and were being thrown out of their temporary housing. The family came to the church seeking help. Family members were driving out to pick up the family and take them back home to the mid-west, but would not physically arrive for 24 hours, leaving the family to sleep on the street. PB UMC was able to book a hotel room for the family that would also provide them breakfast the next morning, and a cash credit-card was donated to the family to enable them to have a meal that night.
While the family waited in the lanai to be transported to the hotel once they could check-in, a bag full of non-perishable food and drink was assembled so that the family would have snacks and drinks to feed their children in-between meals.
All of these people were helped using funds that were provided by members of PB UMC, for our Persons in Crisis fund, which is administered solely at the Pastor’s discretion, for people in urgent and immediate need. If you would like to make a charitable donation towards our now severely-depleted fund, please contact the church office. Your gift will make a difference to someone in need.
