the simple life
Yard Farmer
My husband and I are on the Board of Missions at our church.
We do alot of work through that, from raising money to send some young girls to school in Africa to donating school supplies to children in need here in the United States.
We support local nursing homes through donations of new bedding, sweaters,jackets,socks slippers,etc.
We do that as an annual drive, it was my idea and now I am bogged down in it every year but I started it so I will continue until someone else wants to take the reigns.
Its amazing what people will give.
There is one home in particular that people just seem to be dropped off and forgotten about.
Its a very sad place and the people don't have anyone to visit or bring items like, new socks or whatever.
The nursing home is a private small place and they run on almost no money, the residents are sent there after all else fails and the owner doesn't want to send anyone away.Only one family stays in contact.
They have the barest of necessities.
On top of the items we collected, the Board of Missions gave me $2000.00 to go shopping for the stuff they needed.
I drove home one night with so many pillows in my car I thought I was going to get pulled over. I could barely see.
We had gone to so many stores trying to get the amount of items we needed on the list that while I was waiting for the sales clerk to come back after checking the stockroom that I figured I would just sit on one of those display beds, next thing I know my husband is standing there laughing, I had layed down and zonked out.
It had been a marathon shopping expedition, in all fairness and I haven't napped in a store display bed since.
We were able to purchase new pillows, comforters,blankets,sweatshirts,socks,games and stuff like that.
We also get a group together every spring and fall and do the yard work for elderly or disabled.
We plan the annual drive for the womens' shelters every year and collect,sort and deliver the donated items.
My daughters head overseas every year to build houses in an impoverished barrio.
They also helped to build a community center there and next year work begins on a rundown orphanage.
My daughters have also been to Lousiana and Kentucky with a volunteer organization.
They spend their spring breaks doing volunteer work through college.
Its called the spring break alternative where you go somewhere to volunteer instead of doing something else.
My son is weighing his options and trying to decide where he could best serve.
We volunteer at the food pantry and a local charity that collects baby furniture,clothes,backpacks etc. and we clean and sort it and fill the orders that come in from agencies that represent the families.
My husband does the pickups at the local cleaners once a week that cleans all the coats for free and he drives the truck to pick up all the items that are collected at drive centers.
Our youth group has an auction to support a homeless shelter every year and we participate in that, donating items and whatever else they need done.
That auction does very well.
I can't really remember everything off hand. Some stuff is the stuff that everybody does, the walks for hunger and things of that nature.
We donate money when we can but its usually more hands on.
The money at those big charities just seems to go "somewhere" that I am never really sure about.
Although when I got married instead of doing favors I donated money in each guests name to a cancer center in Boston.I left a place card at each setting letting them know.
I mean how many matches, candles, candy or whatever do people need and I didn't want to waste my money on something most people don't even save.
Having said that, I never ever pass by a needy person on the street without giving them money.
I don't care what they do with it, they need it for "whatever" and if I have it to spare , its theirs.
I don't dwell on it, hopefully they are going to get food with it, if not, its not really my business after I drop it in their hand.
I feel that nobody who has all their mental capacities is going to choose to live that way, so either they have a drug, or alcohole problem, are mentally incapcitated or are really having some sh**luck.
I don't judge.
Other than that,unless its the food pantry, I don't usually give money, I give my time.
We do alot of work through that, from raising money to send some young girls to school in Africa to donating school supplies to children in need here in the United States.
We support local nursing homes through donations of new bedding, sweaters,jackets,socks slippers,etc.
We do that as an annual drive, it was my idea and now I am bogged down in it every year but I started it so I will continue until someone else wants to take the reigns.
Its amazing what people will give.
There is one home in particular that people just seem to be dropped off and forgotten about.
Its a very sad place and the people don't have anyone to visit or bring items like, new socks or whatever.
The nursing home is a private small place and they run on almost no money, the residents are sent there after all else fails and the owner doesn't want to send anyone away.Only one family stays in contact.
They have the barest of necessities.
On top of the items we collected, the Board of Missions gave me $2000.00 to go shopping for the stuff they needed.
I drove home one night with so many pillows in my car I thought I was going to get pulled over. I could barely see.
We had gone to so many stores trying to get the amount of items we needed on the list that while I was waiting for the sales clerk to come back after checking the stockroom that I figured I would just sit on one of those display beds, next thing I know my husband is standing there laughing, I had layed down and zonked out.
It had been a marathon shopping expedition, in all fairness and I haven't napped in a store display bed since.
We were able to purchase new pillows, comforters,blankets,sweatshirts,socks,games and stuff like that.
We also get a group together every spring and fall and do the yard work for elderly or disabled.
We plan the annual drive for the womens' shelters every year and collect,sort and deliver the donated items.
My daughters head overseas every year to build houses in an impoverished barrio.
They also helped to build a community center there and next year work begins on a rundown orphanage.
My daughters have also been to Lousiana and Kentucky with a volunteer organization.
They spend their spring breaks doing volunteer work through college.
Its called the spring break alternative where you go somewhere to volunteer instead of doing something else.
My son is weighing his options and trying to decide where he could best serve.
We volunteer at the food pantry and a local charity that collects baby furniture,clothes,backpacks etc. and we clean and sort it and fill the orders that come in from agencies that represent the families.
My husband does the pickups at the local cleaners once a week that cleans all the coats for free and he drives the truck to pick up all the items that are collected at drive centers.
Our youth group has an auction to support a homeless shelter every year and we participate in that, donating items and whatever else they need done.
That auction does very well.
I can't really remember everything off hand. Some stuff is the stuff that everybody does, the walks for hunger and things of that nature.
We donate money when we can but its usually more hands on.
The money at those big charities just seems to go "somewhere" that I am never really sure about.
Although when I got married instead of doing favors I donated money in each guests name to a cancer center in Boston.I left a place card at each setting letting them know.
I mean how many matches, candles, candy or whatever do people need and I didn't want to waste my money on something most people don't even save.
Having said that, I never ever pass by a needy person on the street without giving them money.
I don't care what they do with it, they need it for "whatever" and if I have it to spare , its theirs.
I don't dwell on it, hopefully they are going to get food with it, if not, its not really my business after I drop it in their hand.
I feel that nobody who has all their mental capacities is going to choose to live that way, so either they have a drug, or alcohole problem, are mentally incapcitated or are really having some sh**luck.
I don't judge.
Other than that,unless its the food pantry, I don't usually give money, I give my time.
