Its time to give THANKS.....

[Hazard]

The holidays are rolling around quickly and we all get caught up in the festivities and the stress of shopping but we sometimes forget those who are less fortunate than us.

Last year I tried something I havnt done before..... I stepped out of my comfort zone and called up a local church and asked them if I could volunteer on thanksgiving day to serve the homeless.

It was a rewarding experience..... There were families and elderly who physically couldn't cook, couldn't afford a meal, or even had no family to celebrate with. Giving them a nice meal and company on a big holiday made all the difference and put a smile on their face. I've already signed up this year and I'm bringing two others with me.

If you donate time or food - post about it here and let us know! Maybe you can help inspire others to do the same!

~Haz~

[RaginCajun]

i remember you doing that Haz. i normally donate food to different places and there are food drops all around town. just the other day i gave a bum a beer and he offered me some peanuts, it was the damnedest thing! continue to inspire haz!

[almostgone]

Generally we call our local food pantry semi regular and see what they are running low on/ need. Since the economy tanked, charities have really had to bust @ss to provide assistance to those in need.

[Joco71]

That's Awesome!!

[GirlyGymRat]

The holidays are rolling around quickly and we all get caught up in the festivities and the stress of shopping but we sometimes forget those who are less fortunate than us. Last year I tried something I havnt done before..... I stepped out of my comfort zone and called up a local church and asked them if I could volunteer on thanksgiving day to serve the homeless. It was a rewarding experience..... There were families and elderly who physically couldn't cook, couldn't afford a meal, or even had no family to celebrate with. Giving them a nice meal and company on a big holiday made all the difference and put a smile on their face. I've already signed up this year and I'm bringing two others with me. If you donate time or food - post about it here and let us know! Maybe you can help inspire others to do the same! ~Haz~

Just today I saw a double amputee with a sign that he was a homeless marine. Is it better to give food or money? A lady and her son stopped and passed him some cash.

[Hazard]

Just today I saw a double amputee with a sign that he was a homeless marine. Is it better to give food or money? A lady and her son stopped and passed him some cash.

I don't give money very often. I see a lot of homeless people in my field and most take the money and use it on drugs

[APIs]

The true virtue of "giving" is to do it & then not tell anyone about it...

[Hazard]

The true virtue of "giving" is to do it & then not tell anyone about it...

OR

You can share a story and hopefully inspire others to good.... Which is what this thread is intended to do

[kelkel]

Haz, I'm very impressed with all this! Unless, of course, it's a condition of probation or parole.....







Come on, that's funny.

[derekkpapa1]

Good for you guys.
last year a good family friend who has and would do anything for anyone was done and out and struggling financially so a few of us went out and bought a bunch of toys,clothes and other stuff for his kids for xmas.
we went to his house few days before Xmas and left stuff there for him.
we saw him few days after Xmas guy almost came to tears (very proud guy). Never did tell him it was us, I don't think he would have taken the stuff but it did feel good doing something for someone who could control his situation.

[Hazard]

Haz, I'm very impressed with all this! Unless, of course, it's a condition of probation or parole.....

Come on, that's funny.

I said it last year and ill say it again..... BG was my inspiration to start doing it. Hopefully I can inspire one more

[austinite]

I gave DSM my turkey.

HAZ is my turkey.

On a serious note, thank you for sharing, Haz. Very nice of you to help. You're a good man.

[marcus300]

Well done Haz, I salute you that's very nice of you

[Sfla80]

My wife and I talked about doing this...but will just have to be on a normal day. My job just started opening on thanks giving. Worked 12 hours last year....this year will probably closer to 14.

[Times Roman]

The holidays are rolling around quickly and we all get caught up in the festivities and the stress of shopping but we sometimes forget those who are less fortunate than us.

Last year I tried something I havnt done before..... I stepped out of my comfort zone and called up a local church and asked them if I could volunteer on thanksgiving day to serve the homeless.

It was a rewarding experience..... There were families and elderly who physically couldn't cook, couldn't afford a meal, or even had no family to celebrate with. Giving them a nice meal and company on a big holiday made all the difference and put a smile on their face. I've already signed up this year and I'm bringing two others with me.

If you donate time or food - post about it here and let us know! Maybe you can help inspire others to do the same!

~Haz~

Most of us take what we have for granted. This is a fact. I see it all the time. People bitching over stupid shit. Complaining about what amounts to nothing. I've lived in several countries where starvation and poverty are not uncommon. Skinny/dirty kids on the street, begging for coins so they can have their first meal in a couple of days.

I've seen kids get busted up, young girls forced into prostitution, and people living in mud huts.

I've seen people kill stray dogs to feed their families.

People at work, knowing I'm covering for three key positions, often ask me if everything is ok; if I'm ok. I smile and ALWAYS tell them it couldn't be better.

Why? I'm living in fvcking paradise! No snipers are shooting at me. No one is trying to blow me up. I can put a nice roof over my families head, good food on the table, provide an education for my children.

I am very thankful to be living in paradise.

........and you should too!

[BG]

Hopefully I can inspire one more

Awesome buddy ! Its a great thing to do and I hope some stories are added to it this year. We just volunteered last night , our local church's each one day a week feed , hair cuts and take in the local homeless. I was speaking with a 20 year old kid last night, was in foster care his whole life and his foster father just died. It humbling to say the least and they really appreciate the time we take. As Haz said, give it a try every one, very few things feel better.

[BG]

My wife and I talked about doing this...but will just have to be on a normal day. My job just started opening on thanks giving. Worked 12 hours last year....this year will probably closer to 14.

Any time is great ! Many people do it on the holidays, its the "normal" days that need help.

[almostgone]

Any time is great ! Many people do it on the holidays, its the "normal" days that need help.

Good point, BG!!! Charities will be very greatful for the support.

[Igifuno]

Very inspiring.. Haz is a good dude. The wife just did a food bank last week and I'm going back with her in December

[Hazard]

Any time you take away from your own personal time to help someone else is awesome. Most of us hardly hold the door for someone let alone actually going out of our way spend hours helping out at a shelter. I'm guilty of being lazy on my days off. I work so much that all I can think about is rest. I'd like to be a little more involved tho and I'm doing it more and more. It's great to see my family following in my footsteps also. I've kind of lit a spark.... That's all it takes

[BG]

I would just like to put it out there if there's people that dont have the time, or dont want to do charity work hands on, but do have the financial means this is a great way. My wife and I are part of this great program. We sponsor a child and its incredible. You get correspondence with them, see their progress and its just a simple monthly payment. We wanted our money to go directly to work, some times through church we wonder what its being used for , so this is part of the way we tithe.

We get updates, letters and pictures. It truly changes a life SO MUCH. One person we are friends with actually met his sponsor, 7 years after he was finished with the sponsorship. The kid was able to come here on a visa to go to school and looked him up. The kid would never had been educated enough to get the visa if not for the sponsorship. Face to face, directly from the heart he was thanked, incredible.

Sponsor a Child - Sponsoring a Child

[BG]

Also.....Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating — four stars — for 13 consecutive years, placing Compassion in the top 1 percent of all charities.

[almostgone]

I would just like to put it out there if there's people that dont have the time, or dont want to do charity work hands on, but do have the financial means this is a great way. My wife and I are part of this great program. We sponsor a child and its incredible. You get correspondence with them, see their progress and its just a simple monthly payment. We wanted our money to go directly to work, some times through church we wonder what its being used for , so this is part of the way we tithe.

We get updates, letters and pictures. It truly changes a life SO MUCH. One person we are friends with actually met his sponsor, 7 years after he was finished with the sponsorship. The kid was able to come here on a visa to go to school and looked him up. The kid would never had been educated enough to get the visa if not for the sponsorship. Face to face, directly from the heart he was thanked, incredible.

Sponsor a Child - Sponsoring a Child

Ahh, that is great, BG! Discussing this with the wife now.There are so many children needing help. Charities like this help give an "identity" to those that would otherwise be invisible.

[BG]

Awesome!

[--->>405<<---]

I would just like to put it out there if there's people that dont have the time, or dont want to do charity work hands on, but do have the financial means this is a great way. My wife and I are part of this great program. We sponsor a child and its incredible. You get correspondence with them, see their progress and its just a simple monthly payment. We wanted our money to go directly to work, some times through church we wonder what its being used for , so this is part of the way we tithe.

We get updates, letters and pictures. It truly changes a life SO MUCH. One person we are friends with actually met his sponsor, 7 years after he was finished with the sponsorship. The kid was able to come here on a visa to go to school and looked him up. The kid would never had been educated enough to get the visa if not for the sponsorship. Face to face, directly from the heart he was thanked, incredible.

Sponsor a Child - Sponsoring a Child

looks like this could be a really good thing to do. i am gonna check it out too. $38 is really not a lot of money, i prob throw that much change into the basket in my kitchen every month and it would be a lot better to use it to help someone who really needs it and would actually benefit from it.

[Hazard]

This is exactly what was intended when I made the thread. That's awesome BG!

[Times Roman]

I would just like to put it out there if there's people that dont have the time, or dont want to do charity work hands on, but do have the financial means this is a great way. My wife and I are part of this great program. We sponsor a child and its incredible. You get correspondence with them, see their progress and its just a simple monthly payment. We wanted our money to go directly to work, some times through church we wonder what its being used for , so this is part of the way we tithe.

We get updates, letters and pictures. It truly changes a life SO MUCH. One person we are friends with actually met his sponsor, 7 years after he was finished with the sponsorship. The kid was able to come here on a visa to go to school and looked him up. The kid would never had been educated enough to get the visa if not for the sponsorship. Face to face, directly from the heart he was thanked, incredible.

Sponsor a Child - Sponsoring a Child

I will say this. After reviewing your recommended charity, they seem to have an excellent financial performance rating. This means for those that don't want to open up the little chart that I made, that almost 85 cents of every dollar is spent on the actual programs and services that it delivers - or about 15% on administration (aka "overhead").

[BG]

82%......Trustworthy Charity


Currently, over 82% of every dollar you give goes directly to program activities helping children in our programs. We commit to you that this will never, ever drop below 80%. This is one of the highest percentages for an organization like ours.

[Iceberg]

Every year we collect food with cub scouts. 6 years now.

[BG]

Every year we collect food with cub scouts. 6 years now.

Are you old enough to be on here ?

[Iceberg]

Are you old enough to be on here ?

Lol. My kids are in it.

[Hoggage_54]

I would like to give thanks for this:

[Skinticket]

I can't stand the holidays things are just so hectic and crowded, and the traffic uhhh I think I might take a vacation lol

[songdog]

Good job Haz

[bass]

very noble of you Haz! and thanks for sharing, it is sure encouraging.

[kelkel]

I would like to give thanks for this:

I keep watching thinking something else will happen?

[bigpapabuff]

Do a Toys for Tots run every year.

[Creech]

Very inspiring thread. Now I feel guilty!

[bass]

I keep watching thinking something else will happen?

you just killed it! I can't watch anymore

[GirlyGymRat]

Very inspiring thread. Now I feel guilty!

Even the smallest effort is appreciated by those less fortunate. You'll come up with something