Blessing Bags: Teaching Our Children to Joyfully Serve the Poor

Dec 1

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Disclaimer: I'm always a bit squirmish when it comes to posting details about the charity we do because I feel like by posting it all over the internet I'm doing the exact opposite of what we're instructed in Matthew 6:2-4. However, this project has been such a blessing to us that I just had to share it. I know it's something many of you would really enjoy doing! It's something you can do on your own or turn into a beautiful learning experience for your children. Feeding the poor is something every person should do with joy and love. I pray that each and every one of you gives it a go this season and finds the Joy of Christ in sharing your blessings with those less fortunate. Today, we woke up to find a message from our Kindess Kids inside the refrigerator! Good thing they had their scarves and hats on! ;)

They reminded us, "as you do it to the least of these my brethren, you've done it to Me." -Matthew 25:40

So, we set to work packing up Blessing Bags. (Of course, I purchased all the items in advance. I got a tip that the Kindness Kids would be coming by :)) Blessing Bags are just gallon Ziploc bags filled with various necessities. This time each bag contained:

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich
Bottled Water
Orange
Baby Carrots
Napkin
Cheese Crackers
Bag of Veggie Straws
Gingerbread Cookie
Granola Bar
Peppermints
Chewing Gum
Pack of Tissues

You can spend as much or as little on the bags as you want. I always make sure to look for Buy One Get One Free deals and use coupons so I can put as much as possible in them. Many items can be purchased from the dollar store, too.We usually make 6-8 bags and staple this note to each of the bags.Click here to print : Blessing BagsBlessing Bags can be given to whoever you want, we give them to people on the side of the road asking for help. If you're going to do that, it's a good idea to drive around to get an idea of who you will give them to so you don't drive around aimlessly. There are several people we see often and the boys wanted to make sure they got bags. One man knew we were coming today and gave the boys a Christmas card. It made their day!It's amazing how grateful these people are. You know, we give money to these same people all the time but the reaction you get from them when they see you've actually thought about them and made an effort to do something kind for them is so special. They talk to us and we learn a little more about them each time.It's crazy how sometimes unfortunate circumstances force people onto the streets. Sometimes it's consequences of bad decisions, but many times it's not. And we are so quick to judge. People often say they don't like giving them money because they might buy alcohol or something with it. I disagree with that though. I don't think it's our place to judge what they do with that money, it's only our job to help them. Even if they go buy alcohol, why is that my business? How do I know that that bottle of booze might not ease their pain and save them from taking their life that day? I know a lot of people will argue that thought, but that's how I see it. We have to do our part, what if they don't go buy alcohol and we didn't help? We can only control what we do, not others.Today we realized we are starting to develop a "route", making sure we give to the people we "know" first. The boys ask them their names and as we drive around we pray for them on our prayer ropes. Many of them have told us they would pray for us too and that touches me more than anything. Christ loves the poor and knowing they are praying for us feels really good. These men and women bless us more than we could ever bless them.We'll be distributing more bags in a couple of weeks that will contain some items they'll need for the winter.Ideas for Winter Blessing Bags