It is More Blessed to Give than to Receive

Image courtesy www.facebook.com. 

Today I went with Jacqueline's Grade 4 class to the Salvation Army Church.  We had a short tour of the building and then it was time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.  Jacqueline and I, along with three other students, followed one lady to a room where we sorted mittens, tuques and scarves.  Six boxes lined the wall, half marked USED, half marked NEW.  We sorted the items of clothing accordingly.  One girl enjoyed her work so much she started singing "It's time to tell the world about Jesus".  It was music to my ears!

We moved on to the toy room to check out what was going on there.  Students were sorting donated new toys.  Dolls, cars and other items filled every table top.  It looked like everything was under control so we made our way to the kitchen to see what was going on there.

The five of us washed our hands and then dug into the large boxes of donated foodstuffs in the kitchen.  Some students sorted chicken pieces.  We sorted canned and boxed items.  Soup cans, spaghetti sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, Kraft dinner, peanut butter, cereal, crackers, cookies, coffee, drinking boxes, rice and flour lined the shelves.  We had such a surplus that we had to refill boxes with items that we couldn't fit on the shelves.

All of the students worked hard.  All of the students were eager and willing.  No one complained about being tired (although one said he was hungry, given all the food that we were handling).  We all started to get a small sense of the enormous need here in Brantford.  And we all started to feel the joy of helping others.

I was proud of the Grade 4's and I was happy to be a part of the experience.  I hope to do it again next year!

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

Image courtesy http://salvationarmy.ca.