The young woman looked tired as she approached my desk. With blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, she carried her toddler on her hip. She said she needed help.
She told me how she, her husband and their three children were stranded in Atlanta, far from their home. She needed gas money to get back home and she needed food for her children. As she talked, she tried to keep from crying. Hearing her story – and those of others who frequently visit where I work – is the hardest thing I deal with in my job. As a non-profit on a major road in a large city, at least once every couple of weeks someone stops at our door and needs help.
Our official stance is that we partner with a local ministry that provides assistance to those in need. But unofficially, my heart breaks when I hear their stories. I know that some of them have questionable intentions. But, my job is not to judge. I try to give a listening ear, give them information and do what I can.
Usually I end up feeling crummy and inadequate. I hold back my own tears and hide behind my professional mask.
But today, even though I wasn’t able to give the young woman all the help she needed, I hope to help people in need during this holiday season.
Do you hear that? That's the sound of a "virtual bell" ringing. FlyLady (an organizational mentor that I mentioned in an earlier post) is hosting a Salvation Army Online Red Kettle. The donations collected will be used to help those in need this Christmas. Her Kettle is just like those you see when you're out shopping.
If you'd like to donate, just click this link. Her goal is $10,000, which seems huge! But I would love to know that the money collected will play a small part in bringing hope to families this Christmas. As the Salvation Army says:
“When you put money in my kettle, expect change.
Expect those who have lost everything to find help and hope.
Because the money donated to my Online Red Kettle will change lives –
for the better.”
If you give to the online kettle, pleave leave a comment below.
