Shining Light Abroad Ministries

Every year, Grace Ministries hosts our Annual Cake Auction to raise funds for children and families in need.

I sometimes wonder if people quietly ask themselves, “Does my donation really make a difference?”

God continues to answer that question for me over and over again.   

A shy, reserved teenage girl—I’ll call her K—walked up to our school director, Julio, and almost whispered the words no child should ever have to say.   “My family needs food.”

Julio didn’t hesitate.  He walked to the small food closet where we keep supplies for students facing emergencies. He gathered beans, rice, flour, butter, and oatmeal, placed them in a bag, and quietly slipped them into K’s backpack so no one else would know.

This wasn’t about having extra food.

This wasn’t about having emergency food.

This was survival food.

Last night, I sat with K, her brother A, and their father as we shared pizza at the local mall.

(The only times these children had ever eaten fast food were because Grace Ministries had provided it. Pollo Campero—once. McDonald’s—once.)

Only one week earlier, K and A had stood beside their mother’s grave and said their earthly goodbyes.

Now their father finds himself raising two teenagers alone.

He is legally blind, preventing him from working, and he depends on his children to guide him wherever he goes.

With his permission, we gently asked about their finances.

He quietly explained that each month his wife worked to earn the money.  They paid the electricity bill and his diabetes medication which totaled about $40.

On really good months, they might have an additional $13 left for food. They lived on $0.43 per day for food!

Many weeks, their family of four survived on just two pounds of beans.

Two Pounds of Beans. For One Week. For Four People.  

We gently asked, “What will you do now?”

He paused before answering.

“We haven’t even thought about the future.”

His words pierced my heart.  This comment took me back to the very early days of my own deep grief, when simply breathing required all the strength I had. When thinking about tomorrow felt impossible because today already hurt too much.

When the children stepped away from the table, we looked at their father and made him a promise.

“Your children will never be without food.”

As those words left our lips, I was reminded that this is exactly how the Body of Christ is supposed to work.

When one member suffers, we all suffer.

When one family is hurting, the Body of Christ responds.

When one child is hungry, God’s people become His hands and feet.

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

That is what our Annual Cake Auction is really about.

It isn’t about cakes.

It isn’t about desserts.

It isn’t even about raising money.

It is about the love of Christ reaching a family that has almost nothing left.

It is about keeping food on a table.

It is about reminding a grieving father that he is not alone.

It is about telling two children that God sees them, knows them, and loves them.

Every cake donated…

Every bid placed…

Every dollar given…

Becomes an answer to someone’s prayer.

It becomes beans.

It becomes rice.

It becomes flour.

It becomes hope.

It becomes the tangible love of Jesus Christ.

So, is it just a cake auction?   No.

It’s keeping a promise to a grieving father and two precious children.  

It’s making sure two teenagers never have to wonder if there will be food in their house.  

It’s allowing God to use ordinary people to meet the physical needs of “the least of these.”

When you bid on a cake, you’re not simply purchasing dessert.

You’re providing food for survival.

And yes…

Your donation really does make a difference.

And for families like K’s, it is nothing less than food for survival.