‘Tis the Season for Giving

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

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It's that time of year, when the world falls in love.

A familiar line in a familiar song that speaks to a season when we remember just how blessed we really are. Family, jobs, homes, good fortune – they come up around the dinner table as you share quality time and comfort food with loved ones. You remember why life is good.

In maybe the next moment, those who are less fortunate at this time of year come to mind. Those who aren't sharing a meal with family, who won't have a home to go to for the holidays, who are grieving as they remember happy memories associated with this time of year.

The Christian Center, as you know, is in existence to serve the Hungry, Hurting, and Homeless. Many are reaching out to us as those we serve are remembered this holiday season, and we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of this community. To name every blessing would be exhausting, both to list and to read, but the goodness we are experiencing needs to be shared.

There are some who have the resources to give in big ways:

Hoosier Park, for instance, made a gigantic food donation, which included 16 frozen turkeys and over 100 cans of assorted food items.
Lapel Elementary's kindergarten classes collectively held a sock drive and presented 1,102 pairs of socks.
An anonymous donor came in with a $3,000.00 donation – money he had won in a raffle.

While other donations are maybe smaller in quantity, they are usually the stories that warm your heart:

A little boy who got a kid's meal announced to his mother that he wanted to give his toy to another child who needed it; they made a special trip to The Christian Center to drop it off.
A mother and her 2 kids saved change for a time and, right before Christmas, brought in around $50.00 in a jar.
Even those seeking Community Assistance, who have so little to begin with, make great sacrifices to help others this time of year. A winter-wear item (gloves, scarf, or hat) is available for each client and each dependent; we witnessed a client forfeit their item so another could have gloves and a matching hat.

It may not always be easy to run an organization that is serving a hurting community, but it is certainly fulfilling to see the difference being made, not only in the lives of those we serve, but those who partner with us.

Merry Christmas and thank you for your partnership in this ministry!