The terrific point about volunteering at a soup kitchen or perhaps a meals pantry would be the proximity to these you're assisting. My Mom Marie Bilodeau, who ran the meals pantry at our church, returned house every week with private stories in regards to the folks she helped. Her experiences constantly reminded me about a book I study in college referred to as Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. The book had a profound impact on my view of your notion of philanthropy since it named to process any system of charity that necessarily insulates the gift-give from the receiver.

That is not to say that we don’t want checks written or canned goods dropped off by people today who under no circumstances meet these whom they assist. And I’m not labeling the attending of a dinner benefit aimed at raising funds for the poor “a bad thing”. Rather it is to say that we really should usually at the least try to lower the distance involving us and these we help. It is actually additional comfy to attend a charity banquet than to assist bathe the homeless like did Mother Teresa. The vision for which I am arguing is, for that reason, a single that injects a ministry not only of items but of folks, namely a ministry of presence.

So I’d prefer to commence a project named The Gift Card Project, where the gift is not as much the monetary donation however the person himself, namely YOU. I’d prefer to challenge persons (myself incorporated) to carry with you constantly various $5 or $10 gift cards for local restaurants like McDonald’s or Burger King and preserve your eyes open for all those who will need enable. It is actually wonderful how many people today around us are actively soliciting assistance through your weekly stroll into Walmart or whilst leaving the gas station.

The challenge of The Gift Card Project is definitely the string attached to the gift card - to have a real conversation together with the person to whom you're giving the gift card. Ask them how they may be doing, what has brought them there. Your ministry of presence is worth more than the money itself.

My long-term purpose is to operate with restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King to create custom gift cards that, when cashed in by an individual who's homeless, enable the person to return later that day for another meal.

The Gift Card Project helps the homeless in a practical way though also reminding them of their very own dignity, which is not depleted mainly because of their current state. Pivoting out of poverty very first demands a person to believe in that dignity. That is certainly the actual objective of The Gift Card Project.

Let’s encourage and understand from each other. And I’m curious about your encounter with this challenge. Please let me know What has been your encounter even though partaking in “The Gift Card Project”?