Sunday, June 05, 2011

A Chance to Be Thankful

Yesterday the kids’ choir that my son participates in at church visited the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. Their last musical had a harvest theme so they asked everyone to bring canned food to the performance, then we all drove down to deliver it and take a tour. The opportunity for a bunch of 6-12-year-olds to give to those less fortunate doubled as a learning time for all of us. At the Food Bank we discovered that . . .

They delivered over 8,000,000 pounds of food to needy families last year and expect that number to reach 10,000,000 in 2011.

Volunteers put in over 26,000 hours last year.

The majority of those suffering from hunger are either elderly or under 16.

The gigantic warehouse of donations was overwhelming. We watched a group of men and women—who also happened to be from our church—fill box after box. Those boxes would get families through the week.

I benefitted as much as the kids did, as I considered how many in my own community go without basic necessities like food. My family has experienced humbling seasons when the kindness of others helped us pay bills, stay in Christian school, and even stock up on groceries. But I can’t think of a single time when we went hungry. Once I had $25 to spend on food and enjoyed the challenge of seeing how much I could buy between the Dollar Store and bargains at the grocery store. It was only fun because I didn’t have to do it every week.

I left thankful that our community has such a valuable resource, and equally as grateful that I didn’t need to rely on it.

What opportunities have you had to reflect on God’s goodness and provision in your life? When has a glance at someone else’s need prompted you to thank Him for all He has blessed you with?

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