. . . . . . . What to do with all that dough. . . . . . .
Finally, I'd like to encourage everyone to give a portion of their gains to those less fortunate.
Through our faithfulness, discipline and patience, God has blessed us richly. Now let us bless others in His name. My personal favorite area of charity has to do with the care and feeding of those in need. . .especially those closest to you . . . without judgment of "who they are" or "why they need".
NOTE: There are suggestions which help in selecting charitable organizations dealing with disaster relief here: Message 11027830
Some Suggestions for Donating to the Hungry Near You:
1. Drive down to the Salvation Army and hand the Captain a check. For those that have recently encountered traumatic experiences, I would urge you to lend a hand for several hours. . . and personally serve those in greater need than yourself. It will bring joy to your heart and healing to your bones.
2. Call up your local Meals-On-Wheels and offer to pay for X number of dinners over the next X number of weeks.
3. Make a donation to your local Rescue Mission. My mom was a chapter president, and I attended weekly meetings for years when I was I small child. I know that your money would be used as you would intend it. And it is amazing how many dinners they can serve for the smallest of donations.
4. If you are feeling really generous, make a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank in your area. This is the organization that provides the food for the other charitable organizations in your area . . .free of charge to all non-profit organizations, churches, etc. This is where overruns of food come in from Kraft, General Foods, Del Monte, etc.
5. If you are feeling adventurous, ask the director of the Second Harvest in your area which charitable organization is in the most need of donation. Believe me, the director will know and will be happy you are wanting to help. He knows most every charitable organization in your town and is on a first name basis with those that give food to those in need.
Often times you will find in your research, that there are people you never heard of before . . . like a guy in Indio, California that makes a stew for the hobos that ride the trains behind his tiny shop. . .he says he makes sure the stew has veggies and beans for nourishment, but never tastes really good, since that would encourage the hobos to stick around for more.
You would be shocked to find out that in the back of a store or church in your own home town, is a store room filled with groceries. . .so that when needy families show up there once each week, they are given a paper bag to fill with whatever items they feel they will need for the week. These types of impromptu organizations run strictly on the goodness of the operators, their families and the few that know or care that they exist. Your donations would come as a most welcome surprise and would be used to the fullest extent possible. Again, many such places can use volunteers to drive vans one day per week for a few hours. . . or to work in the store, which is often only open for a few hours per week. I guarantee you this . . .[a rarity] . . You will be amazed at how good you feel and how much more sense your life makes, when you spend a morning feeding the hungry in your own home town.
Which leads me to one further thought. When you give, tell nobody! Whatever praise you receive for your good works is all the credit you will ever get. Instead, store up those credits by telling absolutely no one of your generosity. Then give without even thinking about it. . .so that your mind doesn't even notice what your hands are doing. . .
The less you expect back in return, the more you will get.
Make your giving a regular occurance. . .just like paying your electric bill. . .Now let your kids do the giving. . .teach them how to give without thinking. . .and they will pass it on to your grandchildren.
Yes, we truly have much to be thankful . . . and what better way to show our thanks than by giving!!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here.. . our leaders, our regular posters, our regular lurkers and our infrequent guests.
May God Bless you all in ways you never thought possible.
Rande Is |
