Season For Sharing

[HK3-]

Every year my side of the family adopts a family or gives to a charity instead of buying each other presents. This year we adopted a local family who has an 11 year old son and a 1 1/2 year old daughter. The mother is out of work due to having surgury on her arm and the father has been doing side work while still looking for a job. I met this guy through a friend who employees him part time and he is a hard worker. He had mentioned the lack of money was going to be an issue for Christmas this year. After my wife and I went shopping for the two kids and wrapped the presents I called him and told him what we had done. The best part is when he drove over to pick up the gifts. He kept thanking us and telling us how much of a mental load this was taking off of him and his wife not having to tell the kids Christmas was going to suck this year.

Share your story if you have one!

[pnoon]

I know this thread had Xmas in mind but my story has to do with Thanksgiving. My wedding anniversary is 11/25. Usually my wife and I spend a night or two in a nice hotel and treat ourselves to a fancy dinner out. This year we decided to stay home and eat in. Instead, we took the money we wuld have spent and made a sizeable donation to the San Diego Food Bank. While it wasn't for anyone in particular, I'm sure it helped.
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[HK3-]

Nice of you and your wife Peter.

[forgop]

My wife and I started going to a different church about a year and a half ago and have a small group we meet with after the morning service. Last year we adopted a family who live in a rather small house with 2 kids. The wife barely makes enough to pay the bills and was under a constant cycle of deciding whether they would go without water or electricity for a couple of days from one paycheck to the next. The dad isn't even 40 I believe and has been battling a very rare form of cancer and unable to work.

We periodically would have different people just leave food, diapers, clothes, etc. for them at their door. We also took up a collection and put together some clothes/food/money I think ended up over $1,500 for Christmas alone. We've continued to make a monthly contribution to them over a year later and they've been forever grateful. The wife said it would mean more for her if we would do Christmas for another family rather than go all out for them like that again. It would be easy for a lot of people in that position to just take another huge contribution this year, so I think it really shows how much we've touched them over the past year plus.

It's a shame there are families struggling with decisions over food or utilities while a husband/father of 2 young girls is dying, but that's just reality for a number of people out there today.

Also, our church has what is called a generous bucket that everyone is just asked to put $1 in every Sunday, which on average collects ~$5k/week and is used to help people get out of living in their cars and other dire need situations.

I do like the idea of getting away from the giving within and we're doing it much more modestly this year for sure. I may propose to adopt another family next year because there's a lot of people hurting a lot more than we are.