charity

Recently I was complaining about the fact that I have to help my daughter do community service as part of her grade for school.

I was wrong.

Last night Jane was on the phone with her friend, and he wanted her to join him and his family at The First X-ian Church where they would be handing out toys to children whose families couldn’t afford them.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I wasn’t excited about about waking up at 6.30 on a Saturday Morning, but Jane was insistent. The four of us bundled up, and went to the donut shop. I bought nine dozen donut holes and another dozen donuts. We arrived at the Church and saw a sea of umbrellas.

The kids went up a rear stairwell, and entered the room where the gifts were being given. As children arrived they would say their age, and then a toy ticket was issued, the kids would go to Santa and he would give them an age/gender appropriate toy. Some kids left with play dough, one lucky girl left with a bicycle.

Mr. G walked up and down the line handing out donuts to kids who asked, “Are they free?”

I took this video, and started to narrate it, but when I tried to say that these would be the only gifts that children in my community would get this year I choked up a little. So I didn’t narrate much, or well. I was busy trying to not cry in public.

I’m basically a selfish person, most of us are, and I give begrudgingly, but I give. This time it was because my daughter asked me to.

*If you sent me children’s toys this year this is where they ended up. I know it’s not the best PR in the world, but it’s a good thing, so thanks for having sent them.