Giving Big feels so good
/Today was my first #GiveBig. I donated $1000 to a soup kitchen run by a husband and wife, Gene and Jean (so cute), out of the Central United Methodist Church in Ballston, VA.
They call it the A-SPAN Ministry, because their program supports the work done by Arlington Street People's Assistance Network to end homelessness in the area.
I met them last summer when volunteering with my friend, Jan.
Spend one morning peeling potatoes with Jean and your day will change for the better. After a couple hours there, I smelled like raw onions and felt fantastic.
It also helps that she's one of the best huggers I've ever met. (I gave her an honorary Hug Tour t-shirt.)
After that first meeting, I went back. I live 45 minutes from there, so it's a 6 a.m. wake-up call, and the onion smell, and totally worth it.
From the moment you enter, you are appreciated for being there. Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cleaning up after the morning rush, whatever you do Jean will give you a big smile, and a squeeze on the arm.
When I came up with #GiveBig, she was the first person I thought of.
Turns out, I have impeccable timing.
The program is running out of funds at the same time the need is increasing. They have gone from serving 20 people to nearly 50. Jean and Gene do most of the shopping, not to mention cooking, themselves.
The giving felt GREAT. I mean really, how could this reaction not make you happy?
Funny thing happened, though, after I left. I thought—did I give enough?
There will always be a need. Always. Knowing that can make giving, of any kind, feel daunting.
It can also make you not want to give at all. Why start when whatever I do is just a drop in the bucket?
Because every drop counts. Your drop says: keep going. I believe in you. This is worth it.
It welcomes more good things to happen, for you and the people you #GiveBig to.
Give what you have to give in the biggest way possible. You'll get more than you can possibly imagine in return.
