We were asked to make deliveries to people who are unable to leave their homes. We split into two teams, Lincoln went with me and Mark took Rachel. We were each assigned four people to deliver to.
We assembled boxes of cheese, yogurt, juice, canned goods, and a frozen turkey breast. We also took non food items like a roll of gift wrap and a container of laundry soap.
We packed up our cars and Lincoln and I headed out to our first stop in Rose Park. The Food Bank was completely out of milk so we stopped at 7 Eleven to pick up four gallons. As we walked in, Linc noticed a big sign on the door that said, "Today Only Manager's Special: Milk 2 for 5.00".
We smiled at each other and commented about our good luck.
A few minutes later we arrived at Viola's home. Perhaps the tiniest house I have ever seen. Before we got out of the car, Lincoln looked at me and said, "Mom, I think this is going to make me feel really good."
Viola looked to be well into her eighties. She had bright red hair and a New York accent. She gave us a warm welcome and invited us into her humble little house.
Although the house was tidy, everything inside it was very old. The stove was rusted out in sections and she said that it no longer worked, "but" she said, pointing at the microwave, "that thing works great!"
She had a mini Christmas tree sitting on her windowsill, it reminded me of Charlie Brown's.
She had no family, no pictures of grandchildren, no one to talk to except her cat.
"Honey" she said to me "I need you to read some things for me."
At first I thought that she had misplaced her glasses but then I realized that she was illiterate. She had lived her entire life unable to read.
We went through her mail and the instructions on some of the food. I read her the information on her new prescription card and Linc did a few small tasks that she wanted done.
She thanked us over and over. As we were Leaving, she grabbed Lincoln and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
When we got to the car, tears filled our eyes and love filled our hearts.
We continued with our other deliveries. The humility and gratitude of the recipients was touching. We kept checking in with Mark and Rach and they were having the same kinds of experiences.
It took us about three hours start to finish, then we met up with Mark and Rachel for a donut run. When we walked into the warmth of our own home, it felt a little different to us. We looked at our pantry and fridge with new eyes. We hugged each other and talked about how grateful we are to have all of our needs met.
We realized that in our effort to help feed the hungry, we were the ones fed. We gained more than we gave. We were captured by the true spirit of Christmas. We committed to make this a regular family activity.
The Food Bank has a great need for contributions and volunteers. If you have a few hours to spare, gather the family and make a few deliveries. Take it from me, you will be glad you did!
If you would like to help and you live near the Salt Lake area, you can contact Jenn @ 887-1266 or 978-2452.
Merry Christmas.
4 comments:
Amazing! Service IS the greatest gift we can give. We did something similar this year for a family in our area and I will never forget it. We also decided to make it a family tradition. Thanks for sharing your experience. I cried.
What a great experience. You really can't teach children any better than by example. Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful story Kimberly. I guess our family needs to do a little more of this since Russell and I were unable to come up with a nice personal experience of "Gratitude at Christmas time" for his talk. Your whole ward now knows how ungrateful we are! I wish I knew exactly what was said. I have only heard a few people's versions.
Great idea! We'll have to follow your good example.
Post a Comment