Over the weekend we took the kids shopping with their cousins to pick out and purchase a few toys that we could donate to a "bishop's room" located at a local DI. (We do this instead of exchanging some family gifts) Local bishops can give members of their wards who are in need permission to go to that room to find items for their families for Christmas. This was good for my kids -- we asked them to pick toys that they would wish to have for themselves. Jacob had a hard time parting with a Lego Imperial Dropship that he dearly wants for Christmas, but he did it. I was proud of him. (BTW, he will get his own for Christmas, he just doesn't know that yet, of course) When we got to the DI with the toys, we found a manager to take us to the room where the kids got to see what will happen to the toys they are donating. The teeny tiny room seemed to have quite a few toys, one rack of coats, and a few socks and other personal items hanging on a back wall. The manager told us that the room had just opened last week and they had had about 150 families come through so far. Last year, that room had 800 families come through -- wow! They are expecting at least that many families again this year, if not more. There was no way in the world that the supplies they had in the room at that time would ever be enough to help that many families. Hopefully they will continue to recieve donations as the Christmas season continues. We were able to look around the room for a minute and the kids were happy to know what was going to happen with their donated toys and it helped them feel even better about giving.
There are so many places seeking donations this year. What really gets me the most is when agencies are asking for donations for basic necessities for babies -- i.e. formula, diapers, blankets. My heart just breaks to know that there are hungry, soggy, or cold babies out there. Tonight, our cub scouts get the opportunity to help out at the local food pantry -- I hope I get to go with them, I've always wanted to help with a service project there. I'm certain that any service we give or donation we make can help someone.
***Mark, Ryan and I were able to go to the food pantry last night. We filled approx. 215 individual food bags in our short time there. Each bag had 4 cans of tuna, 5 cans of soup, 1 can of vegetables, 2 cans of fruit, 2 cans of beans, a can of meat, and 1 box of mac n'cheese. Individuals can get one of these bags per month. We were able to see how our donations were weighed, sorted, and distributed. It was a really fun activity -- we all enjoyed it! Ryan even said it was one of the best pack meetings ever!! And when you compare a service opportunity with pinewood derby's and rocket making/shooting, you know you've really got a winner!
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2 comments:
That's awesome that the boys were able to actually pack the bags. My kids watched for a few minutes when we went to drop off the cash donations and boxes from our food drive. I think it's starting to sink in to them that we are very blessed to have a roof over our heads. I was so glad that the manager let us go back to the Bishop's room so that they could see where the stuff was going. Honestly, I felt a bit sick at how little was in there compared with how many more people have yet to be served. The donations at our ward party were a lot more meager this year than in years past. Stupid lousy economy.
Let's hope your boys don't read the blog. I'd hate for Jacob's surprise to be ruined.
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