I Can, Can You?

We have a wonderful Bishop. He is a humble, enthusiastic, spiritual, compassionate man. In December he shared his childhood experience of having a wonderful Christmas because of the generosity of others when his family was in need. He felt humbled and touched to now be the one, as bishop, who would deliver the generosity of others to families in our ward this Christmas to help them have a special Christmas too. There was something about what he shared, or maybe my heart was just more open, that touched me in a different way than ever before. I felt so emotional all day and had this huge desire to do more. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for my own material blessing. Of course there are lots of things I want, but very little that I actually NEED. Like everyone else, our budget is tight to meet all of our financial goals and needs, and we do give, but I wanted to give more. After talking with Byran, we decided what more we could do as a family, and did it, even the kids participated. It wasn't a ton, and pinched a bit, but it was a good-feeling pinch! Especially Christmas morning when Byran reminded me that somewhere, someone was enjoying Christmas a little bit more because of that pinch. IT. FELT. GREAT. And right in a way that I can't even describe.

Since then I have been stewing and stewing over how to give more and make more of a difference than I have in the past in our own small way. We set a goal to put aside a little money each month to be able to give some extra again at Christmas this year. I have also come up with something else to build on little by little throughout the year. I like the idea of keeping that awareness and gratitude for my blessings and giving to others on my mind all year, not just at Christmas.  This idea will make only a tiny impact, but with a little help, maybe it can make a bigger difference.

Here's my idea:

I've contacted our local food bank to find out what items they need the most, and have registered as a Food Drive. I have set aside a box in my storage room labeled "I CAN" and am adding at least one item a week from the list when I do my weekly shopping all this year. By this time next year I should have at least 50 items to donate to the Food Bank. Not much, but built over the year in a way that is budget friendly, it is a whole lot more than nothing come the new year. I'm excited to involve my kids  in this project too.

This is where it can make a bigger difference:
I will post the items needed at the beginning of the month on my blog, and if you choose, you can have your own box at your house to add to throughout the year. Next December, my local friends/family are welcome to drop their boxes off at my house and I will deliver them to the food bank, or you can yourself. My far-away friends and family can do the same project at your home and find a place in your area to donate the items to as well. Not that I have a million or even 20 readers, but even if just 5 of you joined me, by the end of the year we can have over 250 items to share with people in need. How exciting would that be?!

So, will you join me?! We CAN make a difference, one can at a time!