Helping The Less Fortunate

The little picture says:  Helping Others.  How I
can make a difference in my community! 


I don't know about most of you folks.  But there aren't too
many things that give me more pleasure and satisfaction, than
knowing I've helped someone that really needs helping.

So many times, I've been on a 'project' trying to help someone
in need and geezer will say "You're packin' them food and they're spending the money they DO have on drugs and alcohol"  :-(  Weeeeeeeeeelll that may be so...but way too often... the kinds of people "I" help...are not the kinds of moms and dads that are going to be fixing roast, carrots and potatoes in the oven for supper ANYWAY and they have kids that are hungry. 
So while I may be even kinda aiding in their ability to live a low life, so to speak.  I'm also putting good hot food in the tummies of the kids that really...in all honesty...should be taken AWAY from them. 

I had worked and worked with a really needy family a couple of years ago.  I just got a call from one of the schools that the kids just didn't have clothes fit to wear...and the friend that called was pretty sure they had little or no food.  And she was wondering if I could help...or help her find them help.

Sooooooooooo here I went....Little Sharon Hair Mighty Mouse...out to save the day. 

When I pulled up in front of this family's house I thought "OH my GOODNESS!  Do I have the nerve to even go KNOCK ON that door?"  It was a very tiny house...but looked just like something off of a really scary movie that someone would come upon in a woods on a dark stormy night.

But I was there and it was obvious they were in need of major help...so I got out and walked slowly to the door...When mom came to the door...I could see they really had virtually nothing...no furniture...many windows were out...holes in the floor...but mom was smoking when she came to the door and had a cell phone in her hand.  :-0   I was not surprised....because I'm a professional fruit inspector...and I was already assuming the worst....so SO sorry to say.
I was thinking..."I"M GOING TO BE ON THE 6PM NEWS...BECAUSE GEEZER IS GOING TO KILL ME IF I HELP THIS WOMAN"   And then this little squirt of a dirty rascal came out of no where and he just ran to the door and said "hi"....really meek and quiet. 

The mom told me she had no electricity, and no running water...they really had virtually nothing but a partial roof over their head and partial walls.  SOOOOOO I did what any smart little rascal would do with a good brain in her head...I called Bro SHAWN ...hahahahaha   
I told him of the situation and that I was going to go buy a big bag of burgers and take them some chips and cookies and several things that didn't need refrigeration or need cooked...so they'd have supper and snacks for later....but I said "I'm really way in over my head on this one...could you possibly go talk to her and then a few of us get together and see how the church can help?"  He said "I'm ON it...I'll get back to you"   Bro Shawn is so much like 'me' when it comes to helping the hurting...if he wasn't so young...or I wasn't so old...you'd think we were twins in some ways.....

But we were able to make a major difference in the life of this family and I was SO thrilled.  I ran back and forth for days...taking them cooked meals and this and that and I posted on facebook and people started donating items for the kids...and volunteering to help repair some of the holes in the house....

One night about a month later...the mom and a couple of the kids came to church and they had been coming off and on since we started helping them....and they set down right in front of me on this particular night.  The little boy that I had met on that first day at the door...looked at me when he set down and I said "Hiddy DO!"  He smiled and set down and he set there a minute and he turned around and he said "Are you the lady that brought me the chili?"  I said "YES!!! I AM ...did you like it?"  He said "Yep...You got some MORE?"  and OH my GOODNESS I just MELTED...I thought "THIS IS EXACTLY WHY....we should be doing things like this for the destitute and even just the really needy....We can't help what some parents do...but you never ever know...when you will make a big difference to even one small child.....

I FINALLY got to go back to church last night...I had been telling the ones that were calling that I had planned to be back this coming Sunday...But I got to thinking I wanted to make a 'dry run' on Wednesday night when there wouldn't be so many there in case I fell on my face on these goofy crutches ... So off I went....And Bro Shawn was telling that we at Weaver Creek may be about to get involved in the new "Over The Bridge" Ministry at Brookport.  He's going to be preaching there next Tuesday night and he asked us to come and see what it was about and then we'd hopefully want to get involved.  They are feeding an average of 100 needy families every Tuesday night at "Over the Bridge" and I told him after church that I hope we DO get involved in that...because that's right down my alley...I may not get to go next Tuesday...because getting around right now is a major ordeal for me....but I hope Weaver Creek jumps in with both feet on this ministry....

Well...I've gone too long today...and I also want to post a little story I saw run through the newsfeed yesterday.  It's such a warm and fuzzy story....

I hope many of you will start looking for opportunities to help people.  I DO REALIZE we have to be very careful.....I was in line at Big John's Grocery one day and the woman ahead of me had bought $47 worth of groceries and when she went to get out her food stamps....her little book was EMPTY.  :-0  So she said she'd have to leave the groceries and come back another time.    I was right behind her and only had a gallon of milk...and I didn't want to embarrass her...but I paid for my milk and rushed out to catch her....I was going to give her $47 and let her go back in and just pay for the groceries and act like she just remembered she had the cash.....But just before I caught up to her...she opened the door to an almost brand new looking CADILLAC and picked up a fur coat off of the drivers seat and threw it over to the passenger seat.....I just kept walking...and I kept saying "THANK YOU LORD...for not making me move any faster to catch her than I was moving..."   :-)  So you just never know....There was a name on her license plate....so I called someone that was in a position to know everybody in town....and told them what happened...and she said "Well HOW DID SHE GET FOOD STAMPS ANYWAY?  SHE works at ALLIED"  :-0   (that's a huge plant on the out skirts of our town)   I WAS FURIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That I almost gave this deceitful woman $47....I told Geezer about it later and he said "I try to tell you...but you just won't listen"  :-/

This has been a bird's eye view of the katydid....and I'm soooooooo glad you stopped by today....peace and love from us to you and I love you all gobs and gobs.....

Here's the story I found on facebook yesterday....this is SUCH a warm and fuzzy story!

The woman on the left is a mother from Miami who was so desperate to feed her hungry family that she was trying to steal food. The woman on the right is Miami-Dade County Police Officer, Vicki Thomas. 

Officer Thomas was about to arrest Jessica Robles but changed her mind at the last minute. Instead of arresting her, she bought Robles $100 worth of groceries: “I made the decision to buy her some groceries because arresting her wasn't going to solve the problem with her children being hungry.” And there’s no denying they were hungry. Robles’ 12 year old daughter started crying when she told local TV station WSVN about how dire their situation was: “[It's] not fun to see my brother in the dirt hungry, asking for food, and we have to tell him, ‘There is nothing here.’" Officer Thomas says she has no question that what she did was right: “To see them go through the bags when we brought them in, it was like Christmas. That $100 to me was worth it.” But Officer Thomas did have one request: “The only thing I asked of her is, when she gets on her feet, that she help someone else out. And she said she would.” And guess what? The story gets even better. After word got out about what happened people donated another $700 for Jessica Robles to spend at the grocery store. And then best of all a local business owner invited her in for an interview and ended up hiring her on the spot as a customer service rep. She started crying when he told her: “There's no words how grateful I am that you took your time and helped somebody out. Especially somebody like me.” And to think it all started with one veteran police officer trusting her “instinct” instead of going “by the book”.