A Way to Give

"Anything Will Help"

"Down and OUT"

"Disabled Veteran, God Bless"

"Hungry, Beat Down"

"Out of Work - Please Help"

I've seen all this, and more, written on cardboard signs, held up at intersections.  Men, women, sometimes children in tow, all of them asking for help.  I know that maybe, some of them are not truly in need, but there is no way for me to figure that out.  I've always hesitated to give cash, partly because I don't always have cash with me, and partly because cash could spell trouble for someone with addictions.

Our church started a program where we gather some small items and put them into 'blessing bags'.  This week, Daughter and I took $10 and bought some snack items, then added some items we had at home - socks gotten on clearance, chap-stick gotten free with coupons, cough drops and hard candies that we could easily spare.

An individual bag looks something like this: water, a snack bar, some crackers, some fruit, hard candies, cough drops, a pair of socks.  Some of them vary a little, depending upon what we have to share.  We never feel like it's enough, yet it's more than nothing, so we continue to do our best to be there for people in some small way.

Daughter, writing encouraging messages on the outside of the bags....

We made 12 bags this day.  We close them up and pray that they do good for the people who receive them.  We will take 11 to church and keep one in the car.  The next time we see someone asking for help, we can offer them something that we hope will be a blessing.



May you be blessed!

-Laura at TenThingsFarm