We are so grateful and overwhelmed with joy with how many people have surrounded this mission with prayers and support!
We have a group of folks who make sandwiches and pack the lunch bags at the kitchen in Green Pines Baptist Church every Saturday morning, just before handing them out so that they are fresh. One of them could not make it this Saturday, so she and a friend put together the sandwiches and brought them by! A big thank you to Mary and Peggy for making the sandwiches and for all the support and prayers for the ministry, as well as Pat who comes to help, cutting up the lettuce and tomatoes and surrounding those we reach out to with prayer! We so appreciate Tanya as she faithfully comes each week to put the lunch bags together and hand them out! She is an integral part of what we do each week! A few weeks ago, we were gifted beautiful cookies, different snack packs, nuts and an Easter ham from Deb and Linda.
We are grateful for everyone who has come out for the Bible Study we hold prior to the outreach, who pray for those we encounter, and who have joined us to love on and get to know those we meet each Saturday. Thank you Marvin, Ray and Tanya who come out faithfully each week! Each week, we are visited by others who have had the mission put on their heart. We know they can’t come every week, but are so grateful when they are able to come and connect through their love, prayers, gifts and talents! We are so grateful for this community that has come together to love and pray for all those we meet!
There are so many ways to support the mission! We have been blessed with multiple donations of really nice, gently used clothes, blankets and shoes. I had someone come up to me last week and share how out of place they felt when around others as they pointed out that most people took a hot shower that morning and put on clean clothes and they were aware that they had not showered in awhile and their clothes were dirty. We had some nice dress pants and shirts for that individual, along with an offer to take a shower and to wash their clothes. I came away this week with 4 large bags of clothes to wash for 4 different individuals! We are thankful for the donations of laundry detergent and fabric softener and for those who have volunteered their time to wash blankets and clothes!
I remember taking one of the blankets back to one of the men we have gotten to know. He was sitting in a chair and we put one of the blankets around him. He had a huge smile and said it had been awhile since he smelled a freshly laundered blanket, and loved that smell! It took him back to a point in time when he was doing well. We had another woman we have come to know come by to wash clothes. She has a favorite cloth jacket that she wears. When I got it out of the dryer and wrapped it around her shoulders, she melted. She pulled the jacket close to her, wrapped her arms around her body and just relaxed for a moment in the clean, warm jacket.
We had an amazing lady take one of the Mom’s we have come to know, shopping at Wal-Mart for items that she and her baby needed. Prior to that, she brought a very large suitcase and stuffed it full of baby clothes, diapers, wipes, a blanket and pillow she crocheted, and much, much more! Thank you Carlysta for all the love and support you surrounded this Mom and baby with!
A full size mattress was donated that we were able to take to a fellow who was not only homeless, but helps others to get connected to resources! He was finally able to secure housing and we were able to move the mattress into his new apartment!
We are very grateful for Melissa Hart O’Neal for her beautiful paintings that she gifts in exchange for a donation to A Hand Up. Her paintings are beautiful and put together with love and a lot of incredible talent! My 10-yr old son saw one of her nature paintings and was drawn to it. We have it framed and he says every time he looks at it, he feels very calm! Visit https://www.instagram.com/melissaonealart to see a compilation of her artwork! The donations have allowed us to come alongside the individuals we meet, bring them a lunch bag or buy them lunch and get to know them on a one-on-one basis to learn what type of resources they need and how we can advocate on their behalf.
We have several others who have contributed on a monthly basis and have given what they felt called to give to support the outreaches mission, and we are so grateful for their hearts and actions! There have been over 28 people who have directly benefited from the love that was put on their hearts! We are excited to share some amazing news later on today that came out of those donations!
We were asked to speak at a Rotary meeting and received wonderful suggestions on how to receive assistance with volunteers! The next week, we spoke to a women’s group at Green Pines Baptist Church, and while we spoke, they decorated the lunch bags we gave out last week. The women brought large boxes of chips to put in the bags, along with financial support to assist with the perishable items that make up the sandwiches and that we hand out!
It’s these small moments that continue to build, that mean so much and really warm my heart and the heart of those we serve. We are told constantly how grateful folks are that we bring them something healthy to eat, clothes and blankets to wear and keep, an ear to listen and someone to advocate for them when they have lost their voice and motivation. This is people helping people, and it comes in all different forms and types! It comes in prayer, a smile, someone’s time, donated goods, financial contributions and most of all – LOVE.