Friday, December 16, 2016

Use Your Words: The Work of Angels

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

Use Your Words | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I’m using: angel ~ humanitarian ~ work ~ city ~ serve ~ wart
They were submitted by Diane of On the Border.

                          
There are people in need everywhere. In your citand in mine. I live in the outskirts of a city. It used to be a small town in its own right but the city annexed it long before I moved to the midwest. It's an area where I really didn't think there were many families who were struggling. How wrong I was. I know there's a lot of talk of those who apply for and receive assistance who don't need it. These people are a wart on the nose of society. But they are also few and far between. Most people who accept relief truly need it.  

There are people here, in my little corner of the world, who provide it. These are the people I want to tell you about today. Although they reach out at this time of year, it is a year long project. The amount of preparation is astounding.

The project is run by the area Business Association. The association has a number of committees, including the one for this charity. As a businessman and member, my husband has served on this committee for years. 

It starts with a relationship with the school system. The families they serve are recommended by guidance counselors at the schools. These are the people who can identify children who could benefit from the service. They speak privately with the parents and go forward only with those parents' permission. Sadly, each year the number of families grows. This year the committee had the daunting task of serving about 320 families including around 775 children.

The plan is to provide each family with food they can prepare themselves over the holiday season. They all get a turkey, a ham, staples, and all the ingredients for the rest of the meal. 

But that's not all. Not even close. There is a room full of donated clothing. Families can pick and choose whatever they need. Additionally, each child is "sponsored", the committee finds someone who is willing to purchase personal gifts just for their "sponsored" child. This year there were 66 children not yet assigned a sponsor with just a few weeks left to go. A mass emailing was sent out by the committee and by the end of the day all were covered.

Oh, there's more. On the day that the families come in to do their pick up, volunteers are on hand to take the children into a separate room (no parents allowed) where there are gifts they can choose from in order to have something to give to their parents. There are tchotchkes of course, but there are also hundreds of practical gifts too, like toaster ovens and waffle irons. All bought with the donations, carefully chosen by the kids, wrapped and sent home.

There are activities through the year to raise funds for this cause. And committee members, like my husband, will sit in front of grocery stores accepting food and monetary donations. He's spoken to local groups who have small grants available. Donated clothing is gathered as well. They have to secure a large space to store the nonperishable food, clothes, and gifts. As time winds down they work feverishly to get the clothes hung, the food packaged by family, the gifts set out on tables.

The whole project culminates on "distribution day". This is the day when the families arrive, go through the rooms for clothing and gifts and get their food. I always bake about 12 dozen cookies and send them with my husband for the workers. They spend all day there making sure each family, and every person in it, has everything they need. It's a small gesture of appreciation on my part, but Hubs says that they actually look forward to it.


Pistachio Toffee Lace Cookies, giant buttery thin and crispy lacy cookies. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #cookies

Pistachio Toffee Lace Cookies
Pistachio Toffee Lace Cookies, giant buttery thin and crispy lacy cookies. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #cookies


On "distribution day", which was this past Saturday for 2016, so much is accomplished. For my husband and the rest of the committee, it's another year of successfully doing the humanitarian work of angels to serve those in need. For so many recipients it brightens, even makes, their holiday season. 

One year, on distribution day, a father who had picked up food, clothes and gifts with his children refused to leave until he had gone through that entire building and hugged each and every volunteer.

That one gesture pretty much says it all.


Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

Pistachio Toffee Lace Cookies
©www.BakingInATornado.com

 
Ingredients (makes about 25 giant cookies):
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup quick oats
2 TBSP flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped shelled unsalted pistachios
1/4 cup toffee baking chips

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
*Cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
*Drop batter by rounded teaspoon onto cooking sheets, leaving plenty of room between cookies for them to spread.
*Bake 8 - 10 minutes, they will spread and brown.
*Remove from oven. Allow to cool completely (about 10 minutes) before carefully removing from parchment paper.
*Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between the cookies.

18 comments:

  1. I am sobbing, seriously so amazing and the fact that kids get to pick out gifts for their parents. SOBS!!!! beautiful, so beautiful. Kindness, generosity, and love make all the difference in a person's life.

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    1. I just love how they make sure all the bases are covered for these families.

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  2. These lace cookies are some of my favorites!! I'm baking today so will try making them. I only have salted pistachios but what the hey. Thank you. I love the community outreach you shared. We adopt a family each Christmas and make their entire Christmas for them - from tree to food to gifts and it is all done anonymously -- which makes it such fun (like Santa!)

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    Replies
    1. I hope you like my twist on this cookie. We loved the pistachios and the toffee, let me know what you think.

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  3. This is amazing! Inspiring. I love to hear about the good things people are doing for others. We need it now.
    And your use of the words was fantastic! Well done!

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    Replies
    1. I agree, with all that's going on in the world right now that seems so frightening, it's good to remember that there are caring people among us as well.

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  4. Hell yes every year there are more and more people who need help, even though Tim and I have done it hard our whole married life we have been lucky that we have not needed help from the government. Life can be so hard at times and making ends meet a real struggle

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    Replies
    1. I truly had no idea how very many people just in our part of the city are struggling.

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  5. I remember a person coming to my workplace from the United Way and telling us 75% of the people lining up for food giveaways at the local food pantry are EMPLOYED. We should all think of that at this holiday time - Karen, you've outdone yourself this time. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately just because someone's employed and does a day's work does not mean that they are making enough to be able to feed their family.

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  6. Well, this one brought tears to my eyes. I am not surprised in the least that your married to a man who is such an advocate of helping others. Two peas in a pod!

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    Replies
    1. It is so worth the effort. I love seeing what this group can do.

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  7. LOVE this post! I remember your telling us about this project, you made pinwheel cookies, among many others!
    It's frightening how the number of receiving families increase.
    I have so much respect for people like your husband. It's not that they have too much time on their hands. However they choose not to spend it in front of the TV but to get involved in doing such good things.
    I also love that you get to do what you like doing and participate with tons of yummy baked goods.
    Thank you and all the families who help out, I know you're making a difference in many people's lives!

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    Replies
    1. Projects like this are the reminder that we all need that giving not only matters, but feels great.

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  8. I think that your husband and his merry gang are wonderful. What a great project! Working families struggle so much. I remember in the early days of our marriage when the kids were little it was often a struggle to put Christmas under the tree. After working hard all year long it was a bitter disappointment to not be able to give the kids everything they wanted...and we were the lucky ones!

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    Replies
    1. I agree. We all struggle at times, when the opportunity to help others arises, we should take advantage of it.

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  9. well poop. I wrote a long comment but then had problems with my Google + account again. Ugh. Hopefully, you got it. If not, well the short version is that I loved this! Absolutely loved it <3 We do something similar here, and I like that your final 2016 Use Your Words post was to discuss something loving and kind. We need more of that in 2017!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad that you do something similar where you live. Truth is, in this crazy dangerous world projects like this provide some much needed balance.

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