VOLUNTEER

This is where you will find me most Monday afternoons. For the past several months, I have been volunteering at an Assistance Ministry around the corner from my house. They do amazing work and do so much of it for so many people that have very urgent needs. They will take donations and they have a full re-sale store. You can find many great, affordable items in good condition. The clients who they serve get vouchers for clothes or other items they can use in the store.

This is the other end of their building. The bar that was there is gone, and now they have the entire shopping center. This part of the ministry is the food pantry, which takes donations and distributes them to the needy. They also have a career and education center, which helps clients with job placement and interviews or getting GED/ESL/tutoring.

This room is their sorting room. All clothes end up in large bins and this past week, I spent my time hanging jeans and tagging other clothes to get ready for sale in the shop. Since Monday was also the first day of school here, this was the emptiest I'd seen the parking lot and store since I started volunteering.

Volunteering is an amazing experience, and I am humbled every week when I work there and see others in need. Most of us in this country have SOOOO MUCH! We rarely appreciate it, spend all our time trying to acquire more and then quickly get bored with it.

Do some spring cleaning and find a local assistance ministry near you to donate your gently used items. There are many people out there who would be very blessed to have things that have sat in your closet for months or even years.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: To instantly brighten your day, just start counting your blessings.