A friend of mine recently shared with me that for Lent instead of giving something up she wanted to give away something to others so she started putting together bags of goodies to keep in her car to pass out to the homeless. I thought this was a fantastic idea and decided to put together my own snack bags for the homeless.
My first stop was to the dollar store to gather a few items for my bags. I picked up juice boxes, pre-packaged snacks, gum, a pack of combs, bandanas, and mittens. I wanted to give them more than just food so the combs, bandanas, and mittens are in hopes that they will get to be used over a longer period of time. Since then my mom gave me a bag full of trial size lotions and a friend donated toothbrushes and toothpaste that I will be including and I also picked up a jumbo bag of socks from Walmart. I then also threw in granola bars and apples that we already had at home.
Besides blessing them with snacks, I wanted to send spiritual encouragement as well. I printed out Matthew 6:25-34 and tucked them in each bag.
And because everything has to be cute, I tied baker's twine to close up the bags. I wonder if homeless care about such details but when I watch them carefully untie the bow I like to think that the anticipation of what is inside is just like a little kid opening up a Christmas gift. I decided they deserved some handmade details as well.
It's been just a few weeks that I have been doing this but I have already found so many people to give them out to. I would say there are not a ton of homeless people in my immediate everyday driving around neighborhood but I have found once you start looking for them they start popping up all over the place. I also believe that the simple act of being noticed can go a long way. It has been a real blessing to serve others.
