I applied for and received funding for
an action team project from my insurance company. It involved collecting non
food items for an organization that has a homeless shelter as well as daily
noon meals. I signed my church choir up as my team without asking them first if
they wanted to be involved. With a bit of ribbing, they stepped up and donated
many items. My car was not totally full, but it was noticeably more crowded. I
dropped off those donations on Wednesday. The man who received the items was so
happy. He kept saying, “You brought me such good stuff!”
I then told him that I had money to
spend and needed his suggestions for the items that would help the most. Many
of his suggestions were for cleaning products. His list was not so long, but I knew
that I could use the money very easily. I asked my friend Ruth if she would go
with me to a store where she has a membership and we could get more items for
the money. She enthusiastically said “Yes! We can go in my car because I have a
larger vehicle.”
We made the trip this morning,
weighting down her car with our purchases. Again the man was so pleased to get
all of these items. He told me how much they use of some things and it makes me
wonder how they manage. There are four buildings this organization is
responsible for. At one of them people can come to do their laundry or take a
shower. Some of our gifts were aimed at helping them provide those services.
This organization is also working on
the idea of helping people to become independent which is a much longer task
than simply handing out food or services. I hope and pray that they can make
real progress in those areas.
Paula
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