Prayer for Lexington, Nebraska

“Lord, today we pray for Lexington, Nebraska, a town that faced hunger throughout the pandemic.”

Welcome back to Weekly Prayer, a newsletter for today’s rapidly changing world. Today, we will be covering the food insecurity that Lexington, Nebraska faced during the pandemic and how the town came together to provide the necessary security for its residents.

News Item: “In Rural Nebraska, Combating Hunger From The Pandemic Is A Community Effort”

According to an article from NPR published today, rural town Lexington, Nebraska, faced a sharp increase in hunger rate among its ~11,000 residents when the coronavirus pandemic arrived. Some groups such as seniors and workers for the local Tyson Foods plant were especially struggling. Seniors weren’t leaving their houses because of their high risk status, and many workers for Tyson were quarantining at home because they had gotten infected or had been exposed to someone who had gotten infected.

The town had to come together to protect its most vulnerable workers. "We started getting different financial donations, items, businesses started reaching out," said Martha Draskovic, the manager of Lexington’s food pantry. Orthman Manufacturing was one of those companies that played a role in providing food to families in need. Its plant manager, Scott McKelvey, brought Hot Meals USA to Lexington, which has provided 18,000 meals to residents since. Residents also started reaching out, and food delivery efforts never lacked volunteers.

“As a community, we're one," a resident reflected. "And if anyone in our community is hurting, then it's the responsibility of the ones who are not to step up."

Prayer: Prayer for Lexington, Nebraska

“Lord, today we pray for Lexington, Nebraska, a town that faced hunger throughout the pandemic but came together to provide for its residents. We pray not only for its residents to keep serving each other but for their actions to be an example for all of us. Give us the strength and the will to serve our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ like the residents of Lexington served each other through difficult times. Amen.”

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See you all next week.

Hernán