The fantastic thing about volunteering at a soup kitchen or maybe a food pantry would be the proximity to those you will be assisting. My Mom Marie Bilodeau, who ran the food pantry at our church, returned residence every week with personal stories about the people today she helped. Her experiences usually reminded me about a book I study in college known as Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. The book had a profound effect on my view on the notion of philanthropy since it called to job any program of charity that necessarily insulates the gift-give in the receiver.

That is not to say that we don’t want checks written or canned goods dropped off by persons who never ever meet those whom they assist. And I’m not labeling the attending of a dinner benefit aimed at raising revenue for the poor “a bad thing”. Rather it truly is to say that we really should often a minimum of make an effort to lower the distance in between us and these we help. It's far more comfortable to attend a charity banquet than to assist bathe the homeless like did Mother Teresa. The vision for which I'm arguing is, for that reason, 1 that injects a ministry not just of things but of people today, namely a ministry of presence.

So I’d like to get started a project named The Gift Card Project, where the gift is not as considerably the monetary donation however the person himself, namely YOU. I’d prefer to challenge folks (myself integrated) to carry with you all the time many $5 or $10 gift cards for local restaurants like McDonald’s or Burger King and maintain your eyes open for all those who need support. It is wonderful how a lot of people about us are actively soliciting assistance through your weekly stroll into Walmart or even though leaving the gas station.

The challenge of The Gift Card Project is the string attached towards the gift card - to possess a real conversation using the particular person to whom that you are providing the gift card. Ask them how they're carrying out, what has brought them there. Your ministry of presence is worth more than the cash itself.

My long term objective will be to work with restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King to create custom gift cards that, when cashed in by someone who is homeless, enable the person to return later that day for a further meal.

The Gift Card Project assists the homeless within a practical way when also reminding them of their own dignity, which can be not depleted due to the fact of their current state. Pivoting out of poverty initial demands a person to think in that dignity. Which is the genuine purpose of The Gift Card Project.

Let’s encourage and study from one another. And I’m curious about your practical experience with this challenge. Please let me know What has been your knowledge while partaking in “The Gift Card Project”?