Written & Performed by Food Hub Shelter Team Member: Tina “Thunda Khatt” Ortiz
Ode to the Food Hub
In the shadows of the city’s towering pride,
Where dreams collide with harsh realities outside
There’s a place, a beacon in the night’s embrace,
The Lancaster County Food Hub, a sanctuary’s grace.
In the hushed corners where poverty prevails,
And hope is but a flicker, frail and pale
They stand, extending hands to those in need,
The homeless, the downtrodden, their hearts to feed.
For some, it’s a choice between rent and bread,
Or medicine to quiet the pains that shred
Their weary bodies, worn by life’s cruel game,
Yet here, at the Food Hub, they find no shame.
59,000 neighbors sought refuge here,
Their silent cries echoing, loud and clear,
46,000 souls fed, their hunger eased,
12,000 clothed, their dignity retrieved.
In the dance of survival, where choices weigh,
Between shelter, sustenance, and bills to pay,
The Food Hub offers respite, a chance to breathe,
To ease the burdens, if only to believe
“I don’t have any money,” the refrain
Of those whose voices echo with silent pain
“I can’t get a job,” a vicious cycle spins
Yet here, in these walls, a new chapter begins
For it’s not just about the food they provide
Or the shelter offered to those denied,
It’s about restoring dignity, a sense of worth
In a world that often forgets their birth
So let us not turn a blind eye to their plight
For in their struggle, we glimpse our shared fight
To lift each other up, to bridge the divide
In the warmth of compassion, humanity thrives.
