March 3, 2009
God Will Provide
Miryam Torres is a local woman whose quiet work was featured this past Sunday in a front-page article in the (NJ) Star-Ledger. Herself an immigrant from Ecuador who arrived in the United States 40 years ago and has since raised five children-now all adults, it was Miryam’s work as a field representative for Essex County that alerted her to a group of immigrants (living in the East Orange, NJ area) who often went without a meal for days on end.
The news article shared that Miryam remembered growing up in Ecuador and her father’s (a baker) admonition that they were always to share with people who had less. Her mother was a nurse/midwife and Miryam recalled going out at all hours of the day and night when her mother was called to a medical situation. Hearing that these people were without sustenance evoked just one response-I must cook for them so they can have a hot meal.
…and cook she does. Every Thursday evening Miryam visits the supermarket where she purchases the ingredients for her meal. She returns home and spends the evening cooking…chicken and rice, hot soup, sandwiches-a healthy, hot meal for sustenance. Friday night (it is a sort-of "Shabbat" meal) Miryam and her disabled brother pack the food in individual containers and proceed to a dark parking lot where the group assembles to share this meal-made-with-love. Sometimes people give Miryam clothes to share with the men and since the news article appeared, one woman brought her 25 blankets to distribute and a local pastor is opening his church every Friday night so that the group can share their meal in a more comfortable place.
When I met Miryam at a local diner she was everything I had expected and more. The first thing that struck me as we walked into the restaurant were the warm greetings of "hi Miryam" that came from both the diner’s patrons and the staff. Clearly Miryam was "known" here in her neighborhood. Diminutive in stature but definitely someone with passion and compassion, Miryam shared that she was surprised by the response the news story had evoked. Some good people had come forth with help and others had written angry letters to the paper assailing her for what she was doing. She expressed more than a little concern for her own safety. When I asked her why she was doing this, her response to me was that if someone has no food you must help them. When I inquired how she was going to continue to pay for this week after week, she looked me in the eye and very calmly explained that "God will provide". It was then that I knew that I had made a good decision to try to track her down…good people come in all sizes and from many different backgrounds. They are always out there-sometimes you just have to search a bit to find them.
To help Miryam in her beautiful work the Good People Fund will underwrite the cost of some new commercial cooking utensils (something she was most appreciative to have) as well as cover the cost of several weeks’ meals. (She reports that each week’s groceries run her about $60) We also requested that she occasionally add a little dessert to end the meal-something she had not done when she was underwriting the meals herself.
