Las Vegas Family Church Practices ‘Food is Love’

November is the month of gratitude, and this month Rev. Ken Doo and 18 members of the Las Vegas Family Church showed their gratitude by giving back to communities in need. On November 12, they left their homes bright and early to venture to Three Square, a food bank that provides food and services to over 300,000 hungry people in southern Nevada. For several hours on a Saturday morning, they prepared boxes to send to families over Thanksgiving.

Although Karina Acosta’s intention was to give her time to help others, what she gained for herself was even more meaningful. “What really caught my heart and made me reflect was sorting the apples,” she said. “We all worked in groups to sort apples from big boxes. We had to throw away the bad apples…and put the good apples in another box so they could be given to those in need. It was really hard work but I learned so much from that simple task!”

“Just like we worked hard together to separate the good apples from the bad apples, we also have to look into our hearts and separate the good things from our bad and worldly ways. Sometimes we focus on the bad aspects of our lives, but we don’t know that just like the bad apples made the rest of the apples in the container smell bad, the bad aspects of our lives make us forget the good things that make our hearts rich and unique….We can turn bad memories, habits and experiences into things that will make us grow and shine even brighter….The good apples were put into clean boxes so they could be handed out to those in need. Can’t we do the same with our hearts?”’

Karina was not the only volunteer who learned something profound while at Three Square. Junna Ota, who was among the 19 helpers, learned that anyone can make a difference. “Neither age, gender, nor ethnicity are relevant when serving….Wanting to make a change in society was the only requirement and we were more than welcomed to embrace those who share the same passion.”