The Widow's Mite

During the Great Depression, the natural instinct was to hoard and protect what little one had. There is a profound, quiet holiness in a donation of twenty-five cents when that same quarter could have purchased two loaves of bread or a dozen eggs for a struggling family. For Evan's family and friends, these weren't "small" donations; they were the contemporary equivalent of the widow’s mite. By parting with those coins, they weren't just giving away spare change—they were offering up their very security. This was a physical manifestation of the belief that the spiritual nourishment of the world was just as vital as the physical nourishment of their own children.

The ledger below records those who donated for Evan's mission.

The context of the Great Depression makes these figures staggering:

• The Quarter ($0.25): In 1931, a quarter could buy roughly three loaves of bread or two pounds of steak. For a family to give up $0.25 was to consciously decide to skip a significant portion of their weekly grocery budget.

• The Fifty-Cent Piece ($0.50): This was often a full day's wage for many laborers lucky enough to have work. Giving fifty cents was essentially donating eight hours of back-breaking labor to the cause.

• The Dollar ($1.00): A single dollar in 1931 had the purchasing power of over $20 today, but its "scarcity value" was much higher. With unemployment near 25%, a dollar was often the difference between keeping the lights on or sitting in the dark.

These weren't just financial transactions; they were acts of profound devotion. Every time someone donated a coin, they were giving Evan a piece of their survival, trusting that the work he was doing in the Eastern States was more important than the physical comforts they were forgoing at home.