Act of Kindness – Week #21!!

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” James Matthew Barrie

  “I’m so hungry I could eat…a whole elephant!” My siblings and I grew up watching 101 Dalmatians and using this line to our parents in a joking way! I am so grateful that there has not been a day in my past 27 years of life that I was truly “so hungry”. Thanksgiving is right around the corner where the normal is to have a huge meal (or two) with your family. We all know that we have plenty to eat every single day. I have to be honest also that I cringe now when I hear someone say, “I am starving”. There truly are hungry people in our world and even right around us. Being aware of this fact should make us think before we speak about our hunger, and I hope it also encourages us to do something to help those who are truly hungry!

*The act of kindness this week...show kindness by supporting a food drive to help feed the hungry!! 

  I still remember when I was a little girl going to my older brother Josh’s boy scout meetings since one of my parent’s was still at work or had something else scheduled so my sister and I were unable to stay home and had to tag along. I also remember going to Josh’s Pinewood Derby’s where he raced a little wood car that he and Dad made together! My brother did not become an Eagle Scout, but I personally know some boys in my church who are currently in boy scouts. I also attended an Eagle Scout ceremony last year for a friend at church!

  “The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness. For over a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes — and, through over a century of experience, knows — that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.” www.scouting.org

*My experience with the act of kindness….There are several local food drives and ways to help feed the hungry in America and in other countries as well. “Scouting for Food” is the food drive that I would like to share with you today! November 15, 2014 marked the 30th year that Boy Scouts of America scouted for food! It is the largest single-day community food drive in the St. Louis area. On November 8, my husband and I received a plastic bag on our front door with the details of the food drive. We have received and participated in this food drive each year since living in our home! Some people probably go out and buy canned goods, but we like to clean out our pantry instead! We planned to use the canned goods, but we want to gladly share the food that we bought for ourselves also!

  Here is a little background on the food drive: “Scouting for Food is the largest one-day food drive in the St. Louis region. Started in 1985 by the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Scouting for Food has expanded to other councils across the country. More than 30,000 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers annually help the needy as they collect approximately 2 million cans of food during the Scouting for Food drive. The Greater St. Louis Area Council has collected more than 49 million cans of food during the 29-year history of the drive. Items collected serve approximately 500 pantries within the Greater St. Louis Area Council, which includes the St. Louis metropolitan area, southeastern Missouri, and southern Illinois. Scouts in the St. Louis area take donations to fire stations where Scout leaders sort and box the food. Sunset Transportation Inc. of Sunset Hills provides vehicles, equipment, volunteer drivers and solicit the assistance of additional volunteers from trucking companies. Sunset Transportation coordinates all logistics for the food collection, which involves transporting boxed food from more than 40 area fire stations to the St. Louis Area Food Bank. The Food Bank distributes the canned goods to more than 500 area food pantries throughout eastern Missouri and southwest Illinois.” http://stlbsa.org/activities/events/scouting-for-food/

  Here are the results of the food drive this year: “Thousands of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts performed a good turn for the needy Saturday when they gathered 1,811,354 food items during the 30th annual Scouting For Food drive. After distributing over one million bags to residents last weekend, 30,000 Scouts, leaders, parents and volunteers returned today to collect the bags filled with canned and non-perishable food items. Food in the St. Louis area was taken to local fire stations, where donations were sorted and boxed. Sunset Transportation, Inc. of Sunset Hills provided vehicles, drivers and equipment to transport the boxed food to the St. Louis Area Foodbank. The Foodbank will distribute the canned and non-perishable food items through a network of more than 500 partner agencies In southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, Scouts take donations directly to local food pantries. Within 48 hours of the Scouts’ pick-up, the first donations are on food pantry shelves, ready to feed the hungry.“I am humbled each year by the generosity of our community,” said Ronald Green, Scout Executive/CEO of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. “The incredible amount of food donated today will provide many needy people with food for months to come. We are very thankful to all who donated to Scouting For Food.” http://stlbsa.org/blog/2014/11/15/scouting-food-collection-day-set-saturday/

  Scouting for Food gathered 1.8 million food items to help feed the hungry! Praise the Lord! This is one of those intentional acts of kindness where you might not be able to do a lot by yourself, but teamwork makes a huge difference…you just need to do your part!!

Please comment below with your own experience with this act of kindness! I would really enjoy hearing about it!!