Service

One of our family goals is that of stewardship, and one way that we try to be good stewards of our time is to serve others.  For the past several years we have volunteered once a month at our local food bank.  We usually meet with friends and the time flies by as the kids race to see how much they can get done.  It's great to see them be creative in their ways to work as a team and accomplish their tasks.  The food bank is a great fit for our large group and variety of ages.  Ami started out by accompanying us in her stroller, but as the years have passed she has progressed to becoming quite a helper.  The kids all have a sense of satisfaction and at the end of the day we talk about the importance of helping others.

A job that we frequently work on at the food bank is to fill bags called "Buddy Packs".  These bags are given to underprivileged children on Fridays when they leave school.  Each bag is filled with several food and drink items that will help feed him/her over the weekend.  My heart aches for such children, as I cannot imagine the circumstances that they must be in to need this kind of assistance.

It is our privilege to help.  We pray that our children will be moved with compassion for others and that they learn that even just an hour of their time is very valuable.  In our short time at the food bank today, our group of fifteen (12 kids and 3 moms), filled roughly 375 bags.  That's 375 children with food for the weekend.  That's 375 children with a little bit of hope.