Thanksgiving 12 Day Countdown: Practical Thing #11 YOU CAN DO to show your thankfulness this Thanksgiving - Support the many wonderful and proven programs/ministries that already exist within our community. I am personally blessed beyond measure to be discipled by a local ministry with almost 67 years experience serving its community but ... there are also many other similar programs that we can share in by supporting the work theyve already started. Too often, our inspiration really overrides our better judgment. We allow our emotion in the moment to complicate or reinvent the wheel. When we learned about backpacks, our first thought was, We need to start a program like that! Thankfully, after a little prayer and careful thought, we realized that starting another backpack program wouldnt be the best use of our enthusiasm. In fact, starting another program would actually hurt the work already being done because we would have created another duplicated program which would ultimately mean that our program would be competing for the same limited community funding available. Instead of solving a need - we would have, in reality, only created a larger funding gap that would have prevented both of our organizations from serving hungry children to the best of our abilities. The most beneficial solution was to invest our hearts and hands into an already existing and experienced agency; the Bay Area Food Bank. So instead of worrying about marketing, grant writing and begging for our own program - we decided to advocate for a very good and established agency who already knows what to do but needed our support. Today, our support comes in the form of encouragement, volunteerism and public education. The net result is that more and more children are served every year and the food bank is funded and known about a little better every year. Dreams are hazy and talk is cheap. Whenever youre inspired to help and to give your best - do it! Theres nothing wrong with filling a niche that needs filling but, in most cases, someone is already desperately trying to fill that gap and they dont need more competition. They need more support. TOGETHER we can always do more. Here are a few of my favorite ways to get started this season and right now: 1. Volunteer - There a many excellent agencies and local churches needing your hands and feet such as the Waterfront Rescue Mission, the Waterfront Bargain Centers, the Bay Area Food Bank and your local church! 2. Give - Times are tough. No one is minimizing that but every time you give a dollar, youve freed up the organizations you care about to serve rather than exhausting their efforts in fundraising. If you can give a lot - give a lot. If you can only give a little - then give a little. 3. Share - Learn all you can about the goals and purposes of the charities/ministries you care about and help spread the word about not only their need but also the great work they are doing and why they are important to you. Your endorsement means much more than you might think and every single person that you help to discover those great causes is a victory won! 4. Who, What, When and How - Shoeboxes, Care Packages, Homeless Survival Kits, Angel Trees, Meal Tickets, Senior Trees, Toys for Tots, Pack the Mayflower, Food Drives, etc., etc., etc. Getting involved and doing the right thing isnt always a big headlining event. Usually, its the quiet, small, behind-the-scenes support that will mean the most to recipients. Heather pointed out the Senior Tree to me at Walmart last night. Honestly, it broke my heart to see all the ornaments (unfilled Christmas wishes) hanging on that tree. What really got my heart invested was the actual gift requests of the elders represented - coats, space heaters, gloves, hats, space heaters, lotion, disposable razors and the like. We picked up several. We cant afford to do a lot but we can certainly do a little and a little is all thats being asked for. Check those trees on your next trip to Walmart. Im sure the gifts of necessities being asked for will be very much appreciated but my prayer is that their obvious loneliness will also be eased a little knowing that strangers in their community made a little time to show they care. Ramp it up a notch and write a card or note Christmas not to go along with your gift of lotion and razors. Let our seniors know that, even though we may never meet, they are value and an important part of the fabric of our community; that their lives matter and they are important to you. I have no doubt in my mind that God will take your little and make it much more that you can understand! “I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. Its not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone.” - Robin Williams
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:09:06 +0000
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