The real joy of gifting is in giving rather than receiving. Christmas of 2017 brought a wonderful opportunity to give the gift of time and volunteer service to an organization that brings a lot of smiles to little kids and adults alike, by providing them low cost and free gifts for Christmas.
As part of a team for a volunteering event organized by my workplace Bank Of America, I arrived at the selected local charity. As I entered through the front entrance, I saw a room full of men sitting on every side. Wearing a ragged appearance, they exuded a homeless mien. I couldn't see any of my peers there.For a split second, I was stupefied and wondered if had arrived at the right place. As my confused eyes wandered, they fell on the man sitting directly opposite to me. He gave me a warm smile and by gesture of hand showed me a door that led to a register. When I looked around I saw several of them were smiling at me. Perhaps they sensed my confusion. I felt slightly embarrassed that I somewhat froze when I saw them first, but managed to smile back and headed inside.
Several of my peers were already there. An elderly lady involved with the charity gave us directions for what needed to be done. After some initial confusion, we fell into a rhythm. Three hours later we had set up tables, spread table cloths, organized gifts by sections much like a store - a Christmas store.
It touched my heart to see toys that my little girl would love. My maternal instinct was to pick them up for her, particularly the Paw Patrol ones.These were toys that people of the same means as myself probably wouldn't give a second thought to before purchasing, but the fact that there were kids who could barely afford only that one toy for Christmas and perhaps the entire year was humbling.
I could imagine little feet walking in on Christmas Eve and their little eyes settling on something that would bring immense happiness despite all the hardship their little lives had already seen. I could see all of those toys and books disappearing into very worthy hands. The charity sold them at a heavily discounted rate prior to Christmas and gave free toys to kids who visited on Christmas Day.
Among the toys, we also arranged a table with a stack of book bundles. This one I was particularly proud of as myself and two others spent an hour in the chilling cold of an unheated warehouse, while it was 26 deg. Fahrenheit outside ( -3 deg. Celsius), sorting and bundling the books from a humongous box.
I learned while working there that the men I had seen were actually homeless and living in a hostel that the charity was managing. The other side of the building had a similar hostel for women and kids who were looking for shelter from the bitter cold.Some of the men moved around inside while we worked, again giving us wide smiles.
I left that day - a little more humble, a little more enriched - my gift in turn.
As part of a team for a volunteering event organized by my workplace Bank Of America, I arrived at the selected local charity. As I entered through the front entrance, I saw a room full of men sitting on every side. Wearing a ragged appearance, they exuded a homeless mien. I couldn't see any of my peers there.For a split second, I was stupefied and wondered if had arrived at the right place. As my confused eyes wandered, they fell on the man sitting directly opposite to me. He gave me a warm smile and by gesture of hand showed me a door that led to a register. When I looked around I saw several of them were smiling at me. Perhaps they sensed my confusion. I felt slightly embarrassed that I somewhat froze when I saw them first, but managed to smile back and headed inside.
It touched my heart to see toys that my little girl would love. My maternal instinct was to pick them up for her, particularly the Paw Patrol ones.These were toys that people of the same means as myself probably wouldn't give a second thought to before purchasing, but the fact that there were kids who could barely afford only that one toy for Christmas and perhaps the entire year was humbling.
I could imagine little feet walking in on Christmas Eve and their little eyes settling on something that would bring immense happiness despite all the hardship their little lives had already seen. I could see all of those toys and books disappearing into very worthy hands. The charity sold them at a heavily discounted rate prior to Christmas and gave free toys to kids who visited on Christmas Day.
Among the toys, we also arranged a table with a stack of book bundles. This one I was particularly proud of as myself and two others spent an hour in the chilling cold of an unheated warehouse, while it was 26 deg. Fahrenheit outside ( -3 deg. Celsius), sorting and bundling the books from a humongous box.
I learned while working there that the men I had seen were actually homeless and living in a hostel that the charity was managing. The other side of the building had a similar hostel for women and kids who were looking for shelter from the bitter cold.Some of the men moved around inside while we worked, again giving us wide smiles.
I left that day - a little more humble, a little more enriched - my gift in turn.
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