Today was truly a day to be thankful for! Aurora said at least 6 times that passing out meals, gift bags, & jackets, today, was the best experience of her life. We made 100 plate lunches, consisting of turkey that we fried at home, and generous donations from several area restaurants. I did not think we would encounter enough people to get rid of all of them. In just 2.5 hours we passed out 100 meals to people living on the street and in shelters near Convention street and Florida Blvd. Many of my friends and family asked why we didnt just serve at a soup kitchen. Most shelters have waiting lists and all of the shelters in Baton Rouge are full and turn people away each evening. 3/4 kitchens were close on holidays. We wanted to offer them another form of assistance instead of assisting with something that would take place with or without us. Of course the shelters and kitchens can always use volunteers and I would encourage anyone to look into signing up! I wanted Aurora to see first hand that a single person can make a difference and to be a part of the entire process from start to finish. Hopefully one day when she feels the urge to make a change, she wont feel overwhelmed or second guess herself into passivity. So many people do not donate, do not recycle, do not vote, because they view themselves as a tiny drop of water in an infinite ocean. So many have the mentality that there is too much wrong with the world to bother. Today 7 people were able to brighten the day of 100. Thanks to the generosity of Christine Gilmore Dixon, her mom, Sean Donovan, Serops Cafe, Rice & Roux, The Grill, & Honeybaked Ham, we arrived at camps where everyone was bundled up quietly resting and before we left they were socializing, eating, and laughing. We did not have to partner with any organizations, making a difference in everyones day took surprisingly little effort. Several people mentioned they missed the lunch offered by St Vincent de Paul and were wondering how they were going to eat tonight and that they believed god brought us to them. Seeing grown men hug my husband in exchange for a plate of food and how thankful the children were for used jackets was extremely humbling. Thank you, Melisa Abdollahi-Rad, Vincent Milligan, Karen Romaire, and Andrew Strickland for offering your time. Now that we know what to expect and how much food we need, we can organize something on a larger scale that we can all contribute to. I hope after hearing this positive report, some of you will be inspired to team up with us and make this a regular occurrence. We listened to life changing stories from people of all walks of life, stories about where they were from and stories about how they got where they are today. This thanksgiving I am thankful for the light we saw in every smile, reminding us that we dont need an elaborate home or fancy car to have a joyous spirit and for the opportunity to learn that a tiny pebble can make many ripples! Sorry this is so long, but today could not have turned out any better.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 23:52:27 +0000
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