Giving

Yesterday was my Wednesday at the food bank. My task was to help process the donations that came in the previous day. I was assigned two batches of envelopes.

I sat down in the office chair at the white plastic table. I grabbed my batch of envelopes and started ripping them open. Under the florescent lights of the back office I began my journey through the seconds, minutes, and lives of the people who took the time out of their lives to mail these letters.

You can tell a lot about people from the way they pen their names, the checks they use, or whether they want to be recognized for their support. These little pages of aid do so much to help the people in need of food. You wonder how much these patrons know.

Some are a little crumbled. Maybe it was the post office, maybe the envelope was lost and found under the seat of the donors car just in time to get it to the people who need it.

Some of these notes of caring bring a smile to my face. Vibrant checks with flowers and characters. Some thought enough to write notes or carefully place those stickers. Almost as though they knew I'd be processing these by hand, and that I needed that holiday boost.

These people are taking the time out of their lives to give what they can to help. I think the most touching are the single dollars placed in the envelope. Most are anonymous.

People helping people. It's a wonderful thing.