Love in a cardboard box.

John 13:34-35

A new command I give you, Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

A couple of weeks ago, our homeschool group had the opportunity to lend a hand at the local Food Net Food Bank in our community.

The kids were very excited to be a part of something that would mean a great deal to so many people.

We helped sort food into boxes that were to be picked up, and brought to nearby distributing locations.

I was very impressed with the hard work that came out of these little ones.

Whatever they were asked to do, they did with a smile on their face and without complaint.

It may look like it wasn't that big of a deal, placing cans and boxes of food inside carboard boxes, but there is so much more that goes within those cardboard boxes that can't be seen with the naked eye.

When I was a teenager, my mother, sister and myself lived in the housing projects.

My mother was a single mom, who was very sickly, so we lived on government assistance.

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday for four years, my uncle would show up at our door with a box of food for us.

It had come from our local community food drive.

My sister and I were always excited to see what was in the box.

We would recieve everything we needed for our holiday dinner and sometimes a little extra to help fill in the gaps within some hard times.

We never doubted that our box had God's hand placed on it, especially when we would find the chocolate cake mix and chocolate icing inside.

That definitely was a gift from God straight from Heaven!!

We knew that someone had taken time out of their busy schedule, to prepare that box just for us.

We also knew, that someone who may or may not have been in need themselves, had given a simple can of green beans, a box of instant potatoes, or a cake mix to their local charity organization, to help give a family like ours a hot meal to eat and to make memories around, for the holiday.

That cardboard box was filled with more than food to fill our bellies.

That cardboard box was filled with someone's love and time!!

If it weren't for those boxes delivered to us for each holiday, we may not have been able to have the traditional dinners that come with those special holidays.

Isaiah 58:10

If you give some of your own food to feed those who are hungry and to satisfy the needs of those who are humble, then your light will rise in the dark and the darkness will become as bright as the noonday sun.

When we were told that this field trip had been planned for our homeschool group, I immediately signed us up for it.

I was excited and honored, to be able to be on the other end of that box, and I felt it important to show my children how to be a blessing to others.

It felt wonderful to be the one putting the food in the box for that family in need.

You never know who that family could be.

It could be the family whose father recently lost his job and hadn't had the opportunity to find a new one.

It could be the elderly widowed woman who lives by herself.

It could be the family who simply can't afford an extravagent meal for the holidays, because all of their hard earned money has gone to putting a roof over their heads.

It could be that single mom who is struggling to put food on the table all by herself.

It could be that military wife who is at home alone with her three small children, whose husband is fighting for our country on a foreign soil.

It could be any of us.

At one time or another, we have all had our hard times and have been in some sort of need.

What a blessing it was to be a part of putting love in a cardboard box!

 It's wonderful to know that there are organizations like the Food Net Food Bank, where you can be a blessing and receive a blessing all in one place!!

Christmas is fastly approaching, and the need is great!

If you would like to help out in anyway, please contact your local food bank or click the link below for more information:

http://www.foodnetacadiana.org/

Donations are accepted year round!

On behalf of our homeschool group, I'd like to thank the people at Food Net for their hard work, and for allowing our group to partake in such a great blessing.  I'd also like to thank Carlie Faulk for arranging the fieldtrip and providing a great opportunity for our kids to get involved with helping our local community.

Have a blessed holiday season!