Mother of Divine Providence Parish is having the yearly Manna Food Drive the first weekend in October.  The Food Cupboard at Catholic Social Services is grateful for this being done at an off time — the food supply is low and the food line is twice what it has been in past months.  Bags will be available at the doors of the church this weekend and should be filled with nonperishable items and returned on October 6th and 7th.  As we prepare for this collection, I believe my last Alaska story that follows this information is very appropriate.

There is a wonderful little bird in Alaska called a Puffin.  This bird is very unusual because it is a great diver and swimmer.  The puffin has a very strong bone structure, which makes it heavy.  It has to use great effort to fly, BUT, it can dive 250 feet below the surface and stay underwater for a while.  Its purpose in life, besides being cute, is to chase the fish to the surface of the water so that the other birds can get food.  The Puffin is definitely a “feed the hungry” bird.  There is a lesson for us from this creature.  He spends his entire day diving and chasing fish to the surface so that other birds may eat.  He is a great swimmer; he seems to glide in the water with such ease.  We saw this in the wild on our cruise on Resurrection Bay and at the Sea Life Center in Seward.  There is a special section for sea birds and we could actually see them dive and catch the fish in the big glass tank at the center.  I could have watched all day –amazing!  What does this Puffin teach us? What kind of time do we spend helping others?  Are we willing to give of ourselves at any cost?  Let’s take the example of this Puffin and help feed the hungry by our participation in the Manna Food Collection next weekend.  Thank you for your support.