Monday afternoon, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find a young man with a stack of grocery sacks and papers in his hand.
He introduced himself and let me know he was doing a food drive in our neighborhood for the local food banks. He gave me a plastic sack, asked if I’d be willing to fill it up and said he’d be back later in the week to pick it up.
The girls and I immediately took the sack downstairs to our “pantry” (i.e. some shelves on the wall in our utility closet). We came up with tuna, pasta and a number of other canned and jarred goods to fill the sack with. As we were pulling things off the shelf, it provided an excellent opportunity for me to share with the girls again about how important it is that we live our lives with open hands, seeking to give to and bless those in need.
It was such a simple thing and a grocery sack full of non-perishables won’t really make that much of a difference. However, our hope and prayer is that by constantly looking for opportunities to teach our children to be givers, it can make a lifelong impact in their lives — and in the lives of all those they come in contact with.
How have you been encouraging your children to be givers recently? I’d love to hear your ideas!
THE BOY SCOUTS ARE DOING THIS IN 2 WEEKS ALSO LAST YEAR THE TOTAL FOR THE LOCAL FOOD BANK WAS EST 900 LB OF FOOD!!!!! ITS AWESOME
We are a family of service. We make meals at least once a month, sometimes once a week. Sometimes they’re for someone that just had a baby, someone struggling with cancer, or someone that just had an overwhelming week. My husband takes the older boys and shovels drive-ways for the ones with cancer or physical limitations. And finally, during the summer, we have them pick a neighbor to do a service project for. Maybe it’s an elderly who needs their yard raked, someone with physical limitations that needs their yard picked up, a dog walked, etc. Trying to make them aware of others in a world where we are so caught up in ourselves.
We have 3 separate banks for my 4 year-old: his personal savings bank, a baby bottle to save coins for the crisis pregnancy center we support, and a bank to save coins for an orphanage in Honduras. We take both of our kids (4 years and 20 months) on family mission trips every year and this is a fantastic way to teach the kids how to give to others. I think the most important thing with giving to others is that you are giving in faith, knowing that God has a plan for that money. Once we give it, it is out of our control. Sometimes it is the obedience of our giving not just the person receiving it.
My husband works for a national food manufacturer and every once in a while we are able to purchase company products at a huge discount. Nothing you could make a meal out of, but staples and necessities. We started calling the closet where we keep it “God’s closet” and every time the boy scouts or our church’s food pantry asks for donations, we go to “God’s closet” and fill a bag or two. Since we started doing this, the closet has never been empty or run out. Even though my children are teenagers, they have been able to see God’s provision not only for us, but for those who are in need.
During the holidays, I let my daughter use the change from our checkout to put in the “red bucket”….this year we talked about it helping other families have a nice holiday…we are also working through Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve from Heavenly Homemakers…its great and we are helping friends and neighbors that maybe just needed a smile from my girls that day…
Crystal, forgive me but I must correct you… when you say the small bag of food will not make that much of a difference… but you are so wrong. It will make a world of difference! Each little thing we do adds up. Even if we donate just one can of food that could be a meal that you provided that would have been missed! Each little thing we do makes a huge impact! It may not seem like much to us but to someone who doesn’t have the blessings we do, it is a HUGE thing! When my neighbor was a young boy he searched threw trash dumpsters each day for dinner because they were so poor and one small bag of groceries would have meant the world to him! You are doing such a great thing!
We try to teach are children to be thankful for the many blessings they have and explain that some children are not as fortunate. Just threw little things like this our children have a heart to give toys, money and all sorts of things to those in need. We recently completed the Mission India series from Sonlight and my daughter still talks about sending money to India. Another thing I do often is prepare meals for those in need and this has been a huge teaching experience as we show server through doing. My daughters help prepare the meal and are proud of the part they play in giving to others!
Thank you Crystal for all you do, I’m so glad I found your blog recently and look forward to all of your posts! 🙂
Around Christmas time, I have my two sons go through their toys and belongings and choose the ones they want to donate to those in need. I use this time to teach them that there are children out there (even some in your school and in your classroom) that are in need of toys, clothes, food, etc. (I, of course, never tell them any of the children’s names.)
My boys always feel good afterward that they were able to help those in need.
Zachie and MacLean have been looking for a summer service project–we try to do one big thing a quarter that they’ve picked so that they’re invested in the outcome. The twins decided to do the “Backpack Project” to put together toiletries and school supplies for kids at the School With No Name. This amazing little place is operated by dedicated teachers at the Road Home, our local homeless shelter for families. When kids are local, every effort is made to keep them in their regular schools, but sometimes that’s not possible. The School With No Name keeps these sweet kiddos up with their grade, but there’s not much money for extras. Every kid deserves a new backpack and school supplies!
If you’ve got a Smith’s nearby, they’ve got an amazing sale right now on toiletries and school supplies. I stepped out of my comfort zone and asked for a discount to buy 10 backpacks for charity. The nice manager immediately gave me 20% off everything! I know that Walmart and Target are offering great deals right now, too. We saved our money this summer and budgeted to spend $11.00 per backpack. The total bill was actually $73.24, so we kept under budget!
We bought basics like toothpaste, toothbrushes, bandaids, shampoo, baby wipes and DEODORANT. (When you can’t take a shower anytime you like, hygiene is a challenge.) The twins packed all the backpacks, and added a note to say “hi” to their new friends, wishing them a happy school year. I’m so excited to take the boys down to the school with their gifts–but not as thrilled as they are! See why I’m crazy about my boys?
For more information about The School With No Name, click here. To help kids in need in your city, click here.
When my daughter gets her allowance, one portion of it is designated for charity. When the time comes to spend this portion, she often goes to the Samaritan’s Purse website and views their gift catalog. They have many options that are less than $10 (Ex: $9 will feed a baby for a week) and it allows her to see EXACTLY how her money helps those less fortunate. She also loves being able to choose which way her money will be spent.
I guess I learned from my parents. I’ve always been generous with my stuff as long as it’s being appreciated. I let friends borrow stuff when they ask and if I have an extra one, I usually give it to them. I found a deal on headlamps one time, so I bought 4. Originally I was going to give one to my parents, one to my sister and keep 2 for me. I ended up keeping 2 for me and gave one to a friend at work who was dying to have one for her car. I think I still have the extra one around, but I’ve given tons of other stuff away. When I moved, I gave the same headlamp friend my iron + ironing board, some living room lamps and pretty much anything else she wanted.
My parents are similar with stuff.
I tutor math part time, and while many people charge $20+/hr for such a service, I only charge $12.50 and the first lesson is free just to make sure things work out. I can’t honestly bring myself to charge $20+ for sharing knowledge and helping someone understand something. The charge covers the cost of gas and there’s a little extra for me to keep. So far I’ve been tutoring enlisted Air Force guys, and I know they don’t make much at all.
That makes me no good at business, but I’d be a bad person if I were price gouging.
Anyway, just know that your kids are learning. I learned from my parents. Your kids will learn it from you.
A month ago we were playing in the playground at a McDonald’s. My little girl came down the slide with a Brand new Not even smudged I-Pod. Now you and I know just how expensive that would be to have to replace let alone own. I could not believe how someone could have left it. It had to have been a child playing with it. So I placed it on the table and told her to go and finish playing and we would take it to the manger and turn it in. A couple of parents said to me after my DD went to play that I should just keep it that it was finders keepers. I was a bit horrified at this thought. I said thanks I will think about it. Of course I would not even entertain the thought. I Sat my four year old down to talk about what we should do with the I-Pod. I asked her how she would feel if someone kept something of hers and did not give it back. DD response was (in her 4 year old way)That would be really mean mommy. So I told her well that is why we need to take this to the Manger and turn it in. Because that is the right thing to do. Great teachable moment. So My DD Very proudly took the I-Pod to the Manger. This past Sunday was a month since we had been. So I took her back up and asked to speak the the manger we had spoken to when we turned it in. The manger informed us that the family had come back looking for it and was happy to get it back. They were very thankful to my DD for being such a big girl and being so honest that the manger had said that the Father of the child who lost the I-Pod was in tears not to get it back but happy that someone was kind enough to return it. I told my little girl how proud I was of her. I am So thankful to GOD for giving me the strength of good character to make the right decision in front of my child . It would have been very easy to stick it in my purse and take it home But what would that have taught my child.
My kids and I made some birthday boxes for a local food pantry to give to families that don’t have the money for a cake, decorations, gifts, etc to celebrate their child’s birthday. Our Church did this to celebrate their 10 yr anniversary and it was such an inspiration my kids and I have done quite a few boxes and plan on doing more throughout the year. My 5 yr old loves doing things like this and I always make sure to bring her with me to turn the boxes in. Now my oldest wants to boxes for kids her age (14 and up), with makeup, gift cards and things like that and use her own money to do it. She wants to “spread God’s love” in all ways possible. I love it when my kids get inspired to help others and give so freely.
My daughter saves her 1 penny and 2 penny coins (English money) and puts them in a jar. Once the jar is full she gives them to charity. The jar, when full, collects about £10 and it makes her feel good to know that she is helping someone less fortunate than herself.
Claire
(England)
You would be surprised how much of a difference a little bag of groceries can make to a 4-year-old! We wandered through Kroger around Christmastime and my 4-year-old spotted a food drive box and yelled, “Mommy! I want to give to the poor kids too!” Everyone around us said “awwww” and I felt so proud of my daughter! We went home and filled up a bag for charity with her old toys – something she was so excited to do! She didn’t know how much she was helping kids who were less fortunate (as a child, we were a family who always received “angel tree” gifts, due to my mother being a widow)…Ell just thought she was having fun! I’ll never forget her spirit of giving at such a young age.
We volunteer at our local soup kitchen and often take gently used toys and clothes to the needy families in our community. My son is almost three and he loves to go in and visit with all the people there.
We are blessed to be a blessing, it is an honor to share our resources with others
For my daughter’s b’day – I’d asked her if we can collect books for the children in the hospital… instead of presents. she said “yes.” So on the party invitations, we’d stated in lieu of gifts, we’d asked for age appropriate gently used books, cds and DVDs to be donated to the Childen’s Hospital. The hospital staff were so impressed and thankful. We’d collected over 4 boxes of books, puzzles, and DVDs.
Every week DD7 helps me cut coupons and we match up sales. We have a $7/week budget and every Thursday after school we take groceries to the Salvation Army Food Pantry. It combines math & charity. I’m not sure she really understands (she has a speech & language disorder), but one day it’ll click.
i volunteer weekly at a crisis pregnancy center in our town. when my kids are not in school, which happens a few times a year, they come with me and count diapers into stacks, clean the walls in the hallway with a magic eraser or help hang clothes in the boutique. during the hours i volunteer, the kids are able to see the moms come in with their babies to “shop” in the boutique and we have had great conversations about how this place helps so many women and babies. we also have adopted an elderly woman in our church. we take groceries to her after school and the kids help do small things for her in her home as well. we feel blessed to help others. God is so good!
We used to live in a lower income town and our school always did a hat and glove drive. One year my daughter had gotten money for Christmas and we were in the big city and she found gloves and hats marked $.50 to a .25. She asked if she could spend her $10 to buy some for the drive at school. We always encourage our kids to think of others even when the hoildays are over. I love all the ideas that I have gotten to help the smaller ones in our house start the giving spirit.
I teach my daughter to work for food…not to bag 🙂 When you get something for nothing you will always be nothing!!
Each year we adopt a family at Christmas time and let the kids help pick out the presents and wrap them. I can’t wait until they are old enough to deliver them with me and my husband. Throughout the year we donate to the food pantry at out church. It’s AWESOME to see my daughter come home something and have an extra for her brother so she can give to him!
We serve at our local women and children’s shelter once a month. I post a menu at http://www.cookandplay.webs.com encouraging moms to have a cook and play date and make a casserole to donate to this ministry. My kids and other moms and kids serve the meal to other moms and kids. It’s a way for my children to visually see others in need. This idea could be duplicated at any church or community.
Our church has a daily sack lunch ministry to the homeless. It is funded by donations and they don’t have the funds to include a dessert. My 2 year old son and I bake cookies and wrap them individually to go in the sack lunches. When he gets a little older and can stand still for more than a few minutes, I plan to bring him along on my day to hand out the lunches too.
Wow, love that post! Today we helped pack boxes for soldiers over seas. But I tell them we should not tell others since our left hand should not know what the right hand is doing. And now I am telling you. Roll eyes.
Our church as a pantry and each Wednesday the teacher of the ladies class sends out an email detailing prayer requests, lesson topics, and an item for the pantry. Each Wednesday night you can see lots of people (old and young) bringing in sacks of food.
Each holiday, my kid’s class puts together “goodie bags” for those who may come to the pantry. Instead of leaving with just a bag of food, they get a pretty gift bag full of necessities and candy, along with a sweet note!
I’m just really starting to impress upon my son (he’s 3.5) that not everyone has what we have – heck, we’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination. We’re just another middle income family, sitting next to you in the pew at Mass. Right now, we just pick one toy a month that our son and daughter don’t play with or have outgrown, and we donate those. I think this upcoming Christmas, we’ll adopt a family through Love Inc again, and ask that the family have children in close an age as possible to my kids – it will be more tangible for them, and allow them to participate more in the giving.
But we CAN give…it isn’t much, but my husband and I are going to volunteer at this upcoming Lenten Season’s fish fry. It serves a large part of the population in our community, from parishoners to the elderly to even the homeless and needy. I’m also a rabid couponer – and I LOVE free items or inexpensive items that were once expensive, even if we don’t use or need them. I just grab them anyway, and give them away. Why not? I can’t give tons of money, but I can give my time right now. When our children are older, when some of our own financial obligations are paid for, I will be able to give more money than we do now.
One game I like to play each month is this – we enjoy a good beer or a glass of wine. I know some of you who read this site don’t drink, but we do enjoy the occasional adult beverage. But what I DO when I buy beer or wine is to challenge myself to spend the same amount of money on items that our local Love Inc needs or could use – and since I coupon, that adds up quick! Since a 12 pack of ‘good beer’ (local microbrews) average around $14 here, that’s $14 in items I need to purchase to ‘break even’, as I call it. And some weeks, that’s a whole cart worth of groceries. 🙂 It’s kind of fun, because I enjoy giving, and I enjoy a good beer…combine them together, and I’m high on life. 🙂
My hands are always open…Lord, never let them be closed. I may be tight fisted with our budget, but never let me tight fisted with charity and love.
We also do the donation birthday gifts for our kids. We ask that their friends who come to their friend party bring something (we’ve done Shoes for Orphan Souls the last 2 years) and they receive their own gifts from relatives. That way they get a little something for themselves, but they also get to give back.
My kids have a “Spend, Save, Share” bank – every time they get money (allowance, gifts etc.) we divide it among the three sections. Once a month, we talk about what to do with the Share money and then together we take the share money to do whatever it is we decide (food bank, church stuff, etc.) It is a powerful lesson to them. We also take part in hand-on service projects as a family whenever we can. It is so important to learn to give back. One of their favorites is doing birthday bags for the food shelves – our food shelves prepare bags for families to pick up for their kids when they have birthdays – they have cake mix, frosting, oil, candles, a small gift and other miscellaneous items for an instant party (fun plates, napkins etc.) – we look out for these items all year!
I too love any opportunity I can find to teach my children about giving to others. This week we found a local little boy who is trying to get 1000 pillow pets for patients at our children’s hospital. This little boy is going thru some really rough stuff but wants to help the other kids in the hospital. Last I knew they had already collected 1700 pillow pets and they were still rolling in! The drive is still thru the end of this month. Needless to say I was more than willing to go out and spend a little cash to buy a pillow pet to make some little child’s day and my heart filled with joy as my daughter said a beautiful prayer that night for the little boy who made this all happen!
Too bad they aren’t doing the graveyardmall deal right now :/ They sometimes sell a set of 6 knockoffs (they got good reviews though) of the 15″ size for like $40 including s/h. It broke down to less than $7 each.
After a painful and financially draining divorce in 2009, my 4 children and I were fortunate enough to qualify for our state’s Food Share (SNAP) program, which provides a monthly food benefit. A month before my divorce was final, I met a wonderful man, whom I started dating in August of 2009. He has 2 kids of his own. He eventually moved in and, with his added income, we were no longer qualified for Food Share (which was fine; we didn’t need it anymore). We decided to take our last month’s benefit and we went to Save A Lot and bought cases of canned fruit and veggies. Right after Christmas (when we knew it would be especially needed) we took the 6 kids down to the local food pantry and donated all the canned goods. We explained how lucky we were to not only have what we have now, but also to have had the programs to help us when we needed it and that we were giving back. The kids had a great time and we donated 108 pounds of food. They can’t wait to do it again in a couple months!
We do something called a “Fast Offering”. Whoever in the family is physically capable and willing will voluntarily fast through two meals (or just meal – even just a snack). Then we donate the money that we would have spent on our food for those two meals to humanitarian efforts through our church. We do it the first Sunday of every month and it teaches self-sacrifice for others.
Right now there aren’t many in our family who can do it because I’m pregnant and won’t fast while expecting. But, for even just one family member to skip through meals and snacks while others eat shows a great example – and leading by example is the best influence.
So many of these stories touched my heart!! I give when/where I can, but last year I noticed that I give so much more at the Holidays. I made it my 2011 resolution to give back all year. I’ve found several ways already, but all the time I’m getting new ideas from others. I love the thought of using coupons to purchase extra items for little to no cost to donate!!
Keep giving!!
This is great! We actually had a bag dropped off this week as well stating that the local Boy Scouts were collection food for the local food pantry. Although my stockpile isn’t very big yet, it was fun to go through my stuff and pick out things to add to the bag. It’s a good feeling to know that while I’m saving money for myself, I can also help out others in need.
A family at my sons’ elementary school had a house fire this past weekend. They lost quite a bit, so the school is having a “hat” day today to help raise money for the family – pay $1 or more, and you can wear a hat to school. My sons’ don’t like to wear hats, but I explained that even if they choose not to wear a hat, they can still donate. I gave each of them some money to take to school, and they also pulled a dollar out of their own money to give. They are very sad for the family, and my oldest is hoping the money can help buy his fellow 2nd grader books to replace those lost in the fire.
“It was such a simple thing and a grocery sack full of non-perishables won’t really make that much of a difference.”
(It will make a difference to someone.)
Crystal,
I wanted to say the same thing as Katherine.
To the hungry mother who has something to feed her children that day, it makes all the difference in the world. Today, you have answered her prayers to feed her family. She will shed tears of gratitude over your kindness, and pray blessings upon you.
There is a group called Clipping for a Cause, that collects free and close to free food to fill their local food banks–because the shelves are often empty otherwise. http://clippingforacause.blogspot.com/
Even if you have no money to sepnd, you can use your free items to donate, and you can set up chapters where you live to fill your local food banks.
It makes a great deal of difference.
I read what Crystal wrote about it “not making a difference” in reference to it not taking away food from their own family (i.e., not hurting her stockpile). Not in the way that she would say a sack of groceries wouldn’t make a difference for someone else, because we all know she thinks highly that it could and would!
I sure hope I am not stirring up the hornets’ nest with this comment, as that is NOT my intention. I have NO problem giving, and teaching my children to give, in a situation where we feel somone obviously needs assistance. In the situations most of you have described, giving was a commendable deed. My issue lies with the question (and here comes the thorny part), “how do you know if someone really needs help, or IF THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO BE A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF SOCIETY TO HELP SUPPORT THEMSELVES?” I understand that with the economy, there are many people who ARE trying to help themselves but are struggling to find jobs, and also that there are people out there that are working and supporting themselves, but that could use a little extra help. But then, you hear stories of folks panhandling, then driving off in a BMW. Or from personal experience, a couple had stopped me and my children recently, and gave us this sob story about how they were short only $9 on rent money this month (and showed me his credentials), and could we help? We DID give him a little bit of money… but then I saw the same couple on various other dates (within the last several months), at various areas of town, pulling the same scam on others! So, I am not saying that I think we should not be generous people, but my husband and I work hard for our money (and my family is struggling financially as well)… it does make me angry to see people taking advantage of others, ESPECIALLY in situations where the person taking advantage is someone who grew up with that modern day sense of self-entitlement (a whole ‘nother can of worms), and is simply not willing to try very hard to support themselves. So how do you know when being generous is warranted? How do you know the person you are helping is legitimate? Like I said, I am not trying to insult anyone… it’s just frustrating feeling like I got out there and did what I needed to do to support my family, and others are not even trying (not including those who ARE attempting, but are just having a difficult time of it). Thanks for letting me post another viewpoint.
Our family has specific guidelines in place for when we give a monetary gift because it’s important to us that we are truly helping someone. Because unfortunately, there are scammers out there. We feel like this is also part of being wise stewards of our money.
This is why it is often best to do your giving through established organizations where you know your money is going to those who need it. This is how we do it, and we feel quite comfortable with that.
We only give and serve at organizations that we check out first, and then we trust them to have security measures in place to avoid scams, and to distribute the money/food in the best way. That said, I used to work at a charitable organization and while there I learned a few things about need and grace. Sometimes people will make a mistake in life – they will overspend where they shouldn’t, or they will make any number of other poor choices. Maybe they have not been taught a strong work ethic, do not know how to budget properly, or are caught up in a powerful addiction. We may question whether they “deserve” the help since they brought their trouble upon themselves. But, someone I worked with pointed out to me that if I made that same mistake I would have a safety net because I have certain advantages and resources – an education, supportive family/friends/church, savings accounts, etc. Some people are not as fortunate and so they suffer far more for their mistakes than I would in the same situation. In addition, my faith compels me to believe that mercy does not need to be deserved. None of us truly “get what we deserve” in life (thank God), and giving to others regardless of their situation allows me to be a part of the underserved grace that God gives to all of us.
Love this, Julie! Thank you for sharing your perspective!
I grew up in a family that heavily supported established charities, but rarely handed out cash to anyone on the street for this very reason (worries about “scammers”). When I started dating my now-husband (a poor college student), I was surprised when he would consistently give cash (typically just a few dollars) to people who begged on the streets of our city. He did this so casually and without any judgment that it really convicted me. His philosophy is that it’s our responsibility to give freely and that God will honor that generosity. It’s not our job to determine how the receiver should use the money. Sometimes I still struggle to accept this because I don’t want to be taken advantage of, but I’m gradually changing as I’ve been inspired by my husband’s generous spirit.
Hi Megan,
While I see your point, I think it’s fair to point out that giving out cash may not be the best thing. You stated that it is not our job to determine how someone uses what we give…however, it is our job to use the discernment and wisdom that God gives us to make sure that we are not enabling others in harming themselves with addictions, etc. My husband and I found this out the hard way with his alcoholic brother…what we thought was helping him in our being generous was actually feeding his addiction.
I encourage others to help in other non-cash ways…give those who are hungry food, pay a bill for someone who has lost their job and is falling behind, etc.
I will not give money to those I see on the street, but I have offered to buy them a sandwich if they say them are hungry and need the money for food.
Some have graciously accepted the offer, others have not (I had one man get angry that I wouldn’t give him cash but would give a sandwich). But I feel better knowing that a $2 sandwich is feeding someone, rather than trusting they are using the cash for food.
While in college, our college would also make up PB&J sandwiches and hand them out to the homeless. This was another way that we gave back as poor college students but felt like we were making a different.
My kids each have a “giving” jar of money where at least some of their allowance goes each week (how much is up to them). They use this money to support the causes that are important to them. Their favorites have been extra food drive donations and items for the Humane Society.
Not to be cynical or anything, but did he have any identification for what group he was with? We donate groceries all the time for specific groups like my kids’ schools, the Boy Scouts, the Postal Workers’ food drive, and our local food bank, but I would hesitate to fill a bag for a random person that comes to my door. I’m not saying don’t do it, just please be cautious if you don’t really know who you’re dealing with. That’s just MHO.
I checked it out to make sure it was legit. He’s the local food bank drive coordinator in our area.
On the other hand, if someone is desperate enough to go door to door for food donations, shouldn’t we fill their bag as well?
What a great opportunity! We get lots of opportunities through our church to teach our kids about giving. Whether it’s joining in on the yearly Jesse tree at Christmas buying gifts for needy families, donating canned goods at Thanksgiving for a local food bank, buying extra school supplies for a backpack drive for needy kids, giving a few extra dollars for visiting international missionaries or donating old (to us) clothes and toys for St. Vincent de Paul in the monthly drive. I love teaching our kids that something so simple for us (donating our clothes as we outgrow them) can make such an impact in the lives of others who aren’t as fortunate as we are. Every opportunity (no matter how small it seems to be to us) can teach our children so much, and bless the lives of people we may never meet.
OH and also, it distresses my 7 year old very much to see panhandlers and not be able to help them, so we’ve started packing little sandwich bags of carrot sticks and grapes in the car, so we can at least give them a little snack. It’s not much, but goodness, anyone who is panhandling in Texas could use a snack, especially something like grapes that has a high water content.
Once a quarter–it’s a recurring event on my calendar (LOVE technology)–I take my girls, 3 and 7 years old, to the store and we pick out some pet toys and whatnot. They have a budget to work within, of course, and it’s not a lot of money but enough that they have to learn how much each thing costs and make choices. Then we take what they picked to the animal shelter. They love animals and they love that they can help make the ones that don’t have a home a little happier. Of course, getting them to leave without adopting more critters is the hardest part. 🙂
I love the term “open hands” it says a lot. Thanks for the reminder.
We donate through our church’s food pantry as well. We really didn’t donate food all that often until a few years ago, and it’s been amazing to watch my children’s attitudes change about money in general. They seem to have a better understanding of not needing everything they see, because they recognize that so many others live without so much.
Thanks for sharing!
I have a stockpile of food and household items that is just for the two families that are chosen each month. We’ve been doing this for over a year. I really enjoy doing this, and my children all help.
This past Christmas, I found out that my two older daughters started their own “stockpile” of things that they had received or purchased. I only found out because they heard of a young girl who would not have much for Christmas, so they made a huge giftbag for her. They came to me with the bag asking if we could take it to her. Now, they regularly do this on their own.
Something that has struck me as my children have come into their late teen years is that I have always taught them to give and to serve. However, Christ did more than this. He did not just feed and help, he gave of himself. He spoke to those He ministered to, He ate with them. He got to “know” them, the sinners, the adulterous woman, the tax collectors. Our family is working on giving of ourselves, making heart connections with those in need. There are a ton of organizations that need food and money, but let’s not forget the people who need us to hold their hand and introduce them to Jesus (or reintroduce them).
So very true Kim! Thanks for that reminder!
How I love those moments. I am teaching my daughter to give every time there is that opportunity. Whether it be to the children’s home, or homeless shelter, or volunteer its a blessing to do it. I have been sending packages to soldiers for 3 yrs now. I have taught my daughter that we should how the troops how much we appreciate them and love them. We do many things in my home. I don’t have much but it doesn’t take much to give something. God bless.
This is really awesome. I give to our food bank all the time, but I love the concept of getting the kids involved in going around and asking people to donate and having them take the food in. It would be great to have them be so active in the process of getting others involved and having them be in charge of doing it. Watch out neighbors, here we come.
I don’t have any kids yet but I believe this is one crucial and foundational lesson I will have to teach my kids. I learned from watching my parents tithe faithfully and help many people. I didn’t even find out some of the stuff they had done until after my father passed away. My parents were not rich by any standards but they lived within their means and found ways to be extraordinary givers. I believe that God always blesses such hearts and this is not the point of giving but it’s an awesome by product. Great job Crystal! I’ve learned a little bit of this and a little bit of that from reading your blog-from parenting to finances!
Children have such pure hearts. We can learn so much from them. And the Bible teaches us that we should be like children. I think it is harder for adults sometimes to give because we are full of judgements, pre-concieved ideas etc. But a child sees a need and acts on it. They don’t judge how the situation came about etc.
I love Operation Christmas child and local food banks as these are great ways for my children, who turn 4 this month can be involved. They are already asking about the shoeboxes for next year. And at dinner they pray for those who don’t have any food. Which then, they ask, “when can we take more food and toys for those that don’t have any?” I love that at their young age they have a desire to give.
For those who think they aren’t making a difference with just a can of food here and there because there budget is tight, YOU ARE!! Think of the story of the starfish on the beach. A little boy was throwing starfish back into the ocean and an older man asked what he was doing. The old man thought it was useless. There’s no way you can save them all. The little boy then picked up another starfish and said, “I made a difference to this one.” We all can make a difference in others life.
I agree!
I love how these simple moments can teach children so much!
Even just donating things to the thrift store is a lesson in giving.
One of my favorite moments as a mother was when my daughter came across a duplicate of a book she had. She remembered her grandma’s copy of the book was falling apart and decided to give the extra one to her. But my favorite part was when she said, “I want to give her the best one.”
So many times my kids want the best for themselves. Learning to put others first is hard!
Ooooo this is good and so sweet! 🙂
Crystal yes!!! One of the most important things I try to be intentional about as a parent is teaching my kids the world doesn’t revolve around them and to give to others. I have a few creative ideas I think for making sure this happens: buy/check out books on people with disabilities/differences, put a globe or map in your child’s room as a reminder of how many people there are in the world and that the world doesn’t revolve around them ( maybe even pray for a specific country or region every month), volunteer as a family at least once month to a nursing home/soup kitchen/food bank,etc, do good deeds for others anonymously, put a change jar on the counter with the proceeds to benefit a chosen charity for the month/year, bring baked goods for those in service to us like firemen and the police, have kids write thank you notes, talk to them about how some kids have no food or toys. I also LOVE the idea of having a “Good Deeds” day with the kids-spend a whole day coming up with ways to give to others and then do them! You could pay for someone’s food/drink at the drive-through, hold doors open, put extra change in the pop machine, give out cheap umbrellas if it’s raining, the possibilies are endless!!! I think the most important thing is that it shows in YOUR lifestyle and attitude AND you take time to specifically do acts of generosity. What are some more creative ways you guys can come up with?
I keep a well stocked pantry and freezer so I can do the same thing – my daughter has seen countless times where I have been able to help someone else with food, even if we don’t have anything else we can do for them. She is now volunteering at a local nursing home one afternoon a week after school, because she saw a need to do something for someone who might not see anyone other than medical professionals for weeks at a time. I am so proud of what she is doing, while maintaining a busy high school schedule and activities there as well.
We had some friends at church in desperate need of a sitter for their little one just so they could get out of the house- but can’t afford to pay anyone. I told my kids we were gonna babysit for them and they had so much fun with the little girl and we all enjoyed being helpful for absolutely nothing in return. They are already asking when we can help watch her again!!
What an awesome practical way to help someone nearby! We live in a military town so run into this situation fairly often with so many couples being far from family, and try to help when possible as well.
During our trip to the DR, our oldest son met a little boy at a local goat farm. Weeks after our return home, our son kept asking about sponsoring the little boy through the child sponsorship program. Well, as I looked into finding him (he wasn’t even in the program yet), I talked to our son about the financial responsibility in it. Granted, he couldn’t afford $40 a month on his allowance, but he could do at least 10%. As we found and were given the information to sponsor “Romey”, our son also agreed to pay $4 a month to help pay for his new “little brother.”
Our boys see us giving and volunteering all the time. They bring home bags from school for food donations and they get to fill them up since I want them to use their hands and feet in it too. I’m hopeful they see our actions and know that giving is done in all types of ways: money, time, and talents. And, oh yes, teaching others to save with coupons of course 🙂
We give as much as possible, helping out for food drives, donating our gently used items to a community thrift store instead of taking them to the resale shop, and helping our neighbors when we can. In fact, our church took a team to Houston, TX over the week of Thanksgiving last year and our family went. We were blessed to collect items (a lot of the things I’d gotten using couponing and RR from Walgreens) and make hygiene packs for the homeless. We then went to downtown Houston where many homeless gather and passed out the kits at “street church”. We had the opportunity to see first hand how blessed we really are, and to be a blessing to those in need. YWAM Houston is an amazing organization, if you’re close to Houston, I recommend contacting them to see how you could serve.
While looking at the ads each week I will spend about $1 that is a great deal and pick it up. Sometimes this has been 10 items. Sometimes it has been only 1 but I make sure that we are getting something every week to donate to the local food pantry and it’s not costing much at all. I’m not sure we even notice each week.
We always donate food to the local food bank. I like to make little gift bags with the personal items I get for free with coupons to hand out to the homeless. Some of them are very happy to receive new deodorant, tooth brush and paste, and a warm blanket. It really helps explain us to my daughter why we do it, and also why some people end up in those situations.
One of my challenges for myself is to have my entire family volunteer to serve a meal at the local soup kitchen. I want my family to give back to the community in any way possible. I think it’s important to show not only goods, but time matters!
Yes I agree! Volunteering in a local soup kitchen is a goal of ours for our children when they are older.
I have two girls, ages 4 and 2. In their birthday party invitations, I always include a note to say in lieu of birthday gifts, guests are encouraged to donate non-perishable foods items to be donated to our local food bank. The girls understand that they have enough toys and they enjoy going to the food bank to drop off all of the food for other kids that don’t have enough.
GREAT idea! We never need the birthday gifts, either, but everyone is too polite to come without a gift.
Yes that is a great idea!
We do no present parties around here too (I put it in bold on the invite and haven’t had a problem), but I never thought of suggesting people donate. What a fun twist on it!
I encourage my kids all the time to give to those who are less fortunate. I think all parents should because no matter how bad you have it, someone always has it worse, so if you can help them, even a little bit, then you should.