LETTERS: There are anonymous angels among us

The China Food Pantry at 1320 Lakeview Drive in China. (photo by Eric Austin)

To the editor:

My mother, Ann Austin, runs the China Community Food Pantry. She is an eternal optimist, and lives by the expression, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

During the food pantry this Saturday, which occupies much of the upstairs floor of our home in China, I heard my mother come down the stairs. She strode into the kitchen and waved an envelope at me. “An older gentleman got in line just now,” she said. “He handed me this.”

I squinted at the white envelope in her hand. It looked like a bank envelope. The number “500” was written in one corner.

“He wouldn’t give me his name,” she continued. “He wanted to remain anonymous.”

My eyes widened. It was a sizable donation and would go a long way toward helping those in the community facing difficult times.

“With all the evil in the world,” my mother, the eternal optimist, declared, “there are still plenty of angels around!” Then she marched out of the room and back upstairs to continue handing out food to the hungry.

She’s right. There are plenty of bad people out there, but there are an amazing number of good people, too — and many of them live right here in our community.

It’s important to remind ourselves of that every once in a while. Thanks, Mom.

Eric W. Austin
China