>> welcome to mosaic. i am ron swisher and myself as we get down to four days to the christian holiday of christmas. thank you for joining us on this very early and cold foggy morning. sarah weber is with us. she is the director of the berkeley food pantry. michael old fest is with us. he's in communications director of the food pantry community food pantry of alameda county. welcome. remind us what a food bank? what's a food pantry? >> alameda community bank is one of the five food banks

around the area the and the bay area. we are pretty much hubs of hunger relief that serve our general service area. alameda county community food bank serves one in five county residents and actually turns us for help and areawide food banks are serving 700 80,000 people per month. the shooting millions and millions of food pantries and soup kitchens. pantry is just like sarah's in fact. >> there is your cue, sarah. >> in berkeley we serve about 700,000 families a month. which translates into about 23 or 25 people a month. we serve all of berkeley and we serve people from every walk of life. everybody you could ever imagine at some point turns to us for food. >> so what happens, you have a need and you show up there? >> so, if you work in berkeley or albany, you come to our pantry and we will give you a

certain amount of food depending on how large your family is. and it's meant to be enough food to last you three days. so, nine meals per person in your household. >> it stays over christmas break coming up? increase need? >> we provide extra food for the holidays because people who are food insecure find themselves even more anxious around the holidays. in particular, because so many of the people we serve our families. they become particularly anxious about being able to provide something that is so for their families at the time that is so food and family oriented bit like thanksgiving and christmas. >> good stuff. you tune the patron the food bank or alameda county ããas you said, this is going on all over the bay area, correct? >> correct. we are part of a coalition in the bay area food banks. we are serving down in santa clara and san jose and san francisco food back and food bank solano and all of the main area counties are served by all

these food banks that are part of this coalition. so ããthe support during the holiday season if people go to bay area.org and take you directly to the food bank. >> food bank.org. it's good to give food and people can donate food directly. it's also a better deal to give a cash gift, is that right? >> we encourage people to donate and interact with the food banks in ways that are most meaningful to them. owever, food banks are extremely efficient organizations. our food bank and food banks that are around us typically distribute about six dollars worth of food for every dollar that is donated. that is the tail value. food banks are extremely efficient are well-run organizations and all the food banks in the areas are four-star charity navigator and we given to charities.any are for eight years like us.

which is actually in the top one percent of charities nationwide. we do a lot more with the dollar. >> what you do this? would you get back out of it? >> it's such an essential thing to have food and feed your family. we have so many clients come and who have children. sometimes they come in and ask if we can save their place because they have to run off and pick the children up from school. it's really kind of heart wrenching ããto know that we can actually make them feel little more at ease about food and the hunger and the ability to pay the bills ããthen that's a huge reward. >> that's a huge payback. >> michael, how about you? what did you get into this. >> it's just amazing on a day by day basis. seeing the relief that, families face when they come in. they get help from us. after people we serve our children.wo thirds of the people we serve our seniors and children. people were very vulnerable to hunger. and you know? our food bank is there to help people and a lot of times

people come to us and are very hesitant at first and maybe they waited a day or two longer than they should have before calling us. after they get off the food with our emergency food line and directed to agencies like sarah's, it sends relief and a sense of comfort knowing that the community is looking out for them. the fact is being hungry is a difficult thing, but it's not anything anybody should be ashamed of. the quicker they can get help, the quicker we can help them. the better off they will be. >> okay, the phone number is what? what's the phone number? >> 800 635 food. >> 800 635, food. very clever. bless the two of you for what you're doing for michael, it's just a joy to have you on. thank you and give our regards to the food bank and to working in the pantry service. thank you very much. we will be back. give something to the food bank this christmas. stay with us.

[music]

[music] >> we want to thank sarah weber and michael old fest from the berkeley food pantry and alameda food bank for coming on. watch the announcements in the brakes and get something to the food bank this christmas. won't you? we welcome back mosaic now. the

clement's episcopal church. in berkeley. bruce, it's good to have you back. >> it's great to be here. thank you hu. >> i assume you're here to talk a little bit about the upcoming christmas and the advent season. >> yes. thank you. today is the fourth day of advent per the final sunday of advent. we have a few more days until christmas. advent is the season of preparation. getting ready for the coming of the baby jesus and also the second coming of christ. mixed messages in some ways, but it's all the same in the end. >> let's focus on the former. so, you have a season of advent and that is if i remember correctly, for some days leading up. and it started up anywhere from 2nd to 4th century depending on how you count the numbers. what have you been observing in this season? why this season to run up? would you do? with the purpose of that? >> you have your advent brief. we have an advent brief with the four candles and then the

little candle for christmas, for oupageant and eparinistmas r services. itchlengat t r to a spi when we are ed d th shliday parties. and y caneall placd santa s.ke spiritl devotion> how you do that? would you suggest for people to observe that? and what are the dangers of getting over on the shopping side? >> i was hoping for advice from you. the best way to observe the holy advent. his reverend billy and the stop shopping choir. it has been in the news recently. and they are preaching the apocalypse that people need to stop shopping and observe a real christmas. for me ããi'm not a real follower of reverend bailey ãã for me it's taking time being intentional in prayer and church has been helping me in

worshiping and being devotional during advent season. >> and so he lighting candles and the sunday coming up is the fourth sunday of advent? >> is the fourth sunday of advent. >> and so, what are the hymns likely to be?hat happens during worship? >> we will be singing hymns anticipatory hymns getting ready r thisfeies. llfamiliar eshappens christmas eve in your parish? >> we have at 4 o'clock in the afternoon ããwe have a pageant. just standing lonely. it's a reenactment of the birth of christ and the worshiping of him. we have the youngest members of the congregation through high

school ããit's a great crowd. we sing music, we enjoy the eucharist. it's one of the finest times of the years i would say. >> this is one ããone that you would see in charlie schultz peanuts where they have angels and shepherds and all that good stuff. >> may never know exactly what's can happen and we were always a little bit nervous with the angels and shepherds and whether or not they gonna hit each other or not. but it always works out. >> a lot of churches on christmas eve will have some observance. do you do that? >> later on ããat 9 o'clock, we have our great choir, which will have some of our number

members and a little bit. >> on this ratio? >> on this very show. right here with us.willlead us in carol's beginning at 9 o'clock. and then we would ease into our holy eucharist service continuing with hymns and carols. it'll be a fine sermon to i hope. >> i would expect that. yes. and this is sort of standard for most churches then. if this sunday you could go for sunday advent and help worship and sing some familiar carols ã ãmost churches will have something on christmas eve. and to look for the christmas pageants for sure. and so ããyou can go out. i'm not saying at saint clements, but you can find a church down the street. there be very glad to see you. we're going to take a little break. reverend o'neill's can stay with us and we come back ãthis weekend the little bit more exploration of this season of christmas. we will be right back. maybe something about the food bank coming up to. usic]

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>> bruce o'neill as our guest. he's the director of saint clement's episcopal church in berkeley.music] again, good to have you here. what else do you want to share with us? would we need to know about this week coming up? >> it's gonna be a great week. whether people come to saint clements or their own. communities of faith. it's a blessed time of the year. i would also like to note that we had people from berkeley food pantry in alameda county community food bank with us this morning. and sing clements has had some fun collecting food for those organizations. we've had a macaroni role. we collected boxes of macaroni and kids got involved and they set up a big line of macaroni boxes throughout our parish hall we knocked him over like dominoes. great fun for all ages. we also collected oatmeal boxes d lljericho and thds knock it d beanbags.so ããsome fun and

getting people mindful of the need to reach out to others. >> a lot of ways to get involved. a lot of ways to get involved. now, you have a spiritual message that you want to share from the bishop? >> yes ããthis is just a brief passage from the most reverend catherine shorey, who was the presiding bishop at the episcopal church. her christmas letter message for 2014 ããall read a little bit. don't worry. advent leads us into the darkness and decreasing light. our bodies slow imperceptibly with shorter days and longer nights. and the marion is in frantic activity around us are often merely signs of eager hunger for light and healing and wholeness. the incarnation ããthe coming of god among us in human flesh will happen in such a quiet and out-of-the-way place that few

noticed it first. yet the impact on human existence has been like a bolt of lightning that will continue to grow in generate new life and fire. in all who share that hunger. and i think that brief passage right there speaks to the of this week. >> of the obvious themes of light and dark stand out there. and this whole season ããthere are other celebrations coming on. hanukkah justice we are into the eight days of hanukkah here. and the buddhist celebrate the enlightenment of the buddha and the sikhs have a celebration in their last saint who came on. so, it's the end of the year time that came on. if i remember correctly ãã christmas was something of a dispute early on that some people claimed it was january 6. very early on. some people claimed it was mark. but it got placed in 336 i think by constantine at december 25. at the orthodox continued to

say it was january 6. and's as a result ããwe have the 12 days of christmas. so ããthere's a lot of things going on. this frosty the snowman. there's the start, the light, the darkness, the whole christmas pageant ããwhich is when you say theological work as much as historical one. what is important to you in that? how do you help us enjoy the season? >> it's come and see is what i say. and it's a community time and it's also time for personal reflection. >> growing up, what was important christmas as you look back? you say oh, yes, that was really part of the whole season that made my little heart sing

and stuff like that. >> so, you want to know all about my family history? >> exactly. >> i enjoyed the christmas tree. i enjoyed exchanging presents. the anticipation ãthis seemed like christmas would never come. it took forever to start from the beginning of advent into christmas. i also remember fond memories of being in a christmas present. plan different parts. i could remember the burlap sack that i was wearing as a shepherd. and then the one angel, who had a little bit of a stomach flu. [laughter] > russia people get involved and go to church on christmas eve or christmas day? what value can you garner from that, even if you only go once a year? >> i find value at of church year-round. but i get paid to say that.

[laughter] >> okay. >> christmas time, there are people that we don't often see in the hope is that the common have a good experience. get to know one another a little bit say the prayers. pray with others. and then maybe feel like their lives have changed just a little bit. maybe there's a little bit more warmth in the cold winter. >> great. you brought some people that are going to come in in the last segment and sing us out as it were. so ããcarolers. you want to introduce that one? >> sure, that would be great. we have our long time director of music, linda vendor. and our other stars, edith lavan, helen hampton, and kelly witter, who will also be playing the violin.hey are our ããthey make up 1/10 of our c clements wire or so. give or take a few. and they are just very talented people. >> will become back then.

usic pleasure.aic. christmas

>> this was a publication of the evangelical lutheran church. here, it set to the tune cradle song by william kirkpatrick john sweeney. [music]

>> at christmas time in 1818 ã this the organ broke down at saint cholas church.sephoore br silently to the church organist. , who said it is a do it for guitar and goals chorus.♪ ♪ [music] silent night, holy ♪

♪ night.♪ ♪ all is whole and all is ♪ ♪ bright.♪ ♪ [music] virgin and child.♪ ♪ so tender and bright.♪ ♪ [music]

>> little town of bethlehem was written by the reverend phillips brooks director of holy trinity and philadelphia while traveling in the holy land in 1865. the tune, forced green is an english full tune arranged by vaughn williams in 1903. [music]

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sunday, december 25. i'm