When I Was Hungry

Dave and Mercedes Rizzo help their daughter, who has autism, prepare a meal for the hungry. 

We are now into the fall and as this brisk and chilly season rolls around, we think about those who may need some extra kindness sent their way. As Christians, we know that in giving to others we receive, and that in helping others we are helping Jesus as he taught us to do. Sometimes we look for an act of kindness that our daughter Danielle can help us with.

Danielle is a young adult with non-verbal autism, who loves to help others. However, it can be hard to find an accessible and appropriate activity for her to do. Recently, she helped us and the recipients of her kindness with the gift of a warm meal. 

An Adaptive Approach to Acts of Kindness

We are lucky to attend a parish that has a wide array of ministries. One of these is a social justice group that provides casseroles to a house run by the good nuns in nearby Camden, New Jersey. At Mass, Danielle received a casserole tin, which we brought home. Together, we prepared a meal at home to package as a frozen casserole for those who depend on the sisters for support. 

Danielle loves going to the grocery store. It is, in fact, one of her favorite things to do. At the store she helped us pick out the ingredients we needed. She put these in our shopping cart and said what each one was using her speech-generating software program on her iPad. We heard the mechanical voice, “Danielle’s” voice, say in turn, “Ground beef ... carrots ... celery ... onion ... barley ... gravy.” 

Once home, she helped stir the ground beef in the pot on the stove with a big spatula and assistance from us. She cannot cut with a knife safely, but she likes to put her hand on top of ours when we chop the vegetables. When everything was ready, she spooned the mixture into the casserole dish, and we sealed it up tight. 

The Importance of Finding Ways to Help Others 

Dani really enjoyed it when we drove to the church and she placed the casserole into the freezer with all the other casseroles that others had so gratefully contributed. We felt pretty good too. When you’re raising a child or adult with a serious disability, getting involved in the community might be the last thing you feel like doing. There are so many demands on your time, and you feel overwhelmed and in need of a break yourself. But getting out and involved in providing charitable service to those in need may be just what you and your child need. And acts of charity are vitally important to others, especially at this time of year. 

This Thanksgiving can be a great time for you and your loved one with special needs to help folks who might otherwise go hungry or unhoused. We remember that Jesus mandates that we help those most in need, and that by doing this we are helping Him.  

"Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'
And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:34-40)

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Copyright 2025 David and Mercedes Rizzo
Images: copyright 2025 David and Mercedes Rizzo, all rights reserved.