Remember The needy and Destitute this Holiday Season

[BigPapaDean]

I remember a game when I was in my te3ens that was madfe for little kids called, "Hit the Gopher on the head," and I sur4e do relate to t5hose poor nlil gophers! Lol! I'm not complaining but it seems every time I start raising my heade above the grounde ze3ro I get BOPPED on tyhe head! Lol!!! I remember sever4al years ago wondering what it felt like to be in thev shoes and lives of the homeless and downtrodden! I wondered how it felt to be and vfeel rejected eve3rydsay! People I am so close to being there its uncanny! i have had many thoughts like these and ended up living or seeing the experience happen. What I am saying is unless you been in these shoes you have no idea what its like! To me it5s a life le3sson and good for me to be humbled in this manner. No it5s not enjoyable but you do what you must. I have never stolen to survive bu7t i8n all hone3sty i might but I don't think its in me to do such! Friends and family I am doing ok but I do understand the feeling of being different. E#yes watch you very carefully when you walk by as if you are diseased or some such tyhing! To show2 you how bad my hyands are I will let y76ou read this with no editing! If you see a homeless person and even if you feel strange at least give the3n a war4m smile. My goal everydy is to make as many people I can smile! I love my Lord and wonderful Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the peace of God that passes understanding!

[DEEJAYKEG]

My wife has a saying: "We are all just one step away from the street."  That's not a warning of something that is about to happen but the understanding of how fragile our lives really are.  As the years have passed, I have become more disenchanted with the way that Christmas has been perverted by big business into a glorified shopping fest.  I now refuse to participate in an orgy of greed and self-indulgence.  I am no Scrooge but celebrate in moderation, these days, and, as important as getting gifts for those we know and love, we also give "gifts" to those we don't know yet still love.  A favourite charity for many years has been the Salvation Army whose befriending of the friendless, help to the poor and homeless and provision of companionship and hot meals on Christmas Day to the lonely elderly warms the heart.  We support them year-round and especially their Christmas Appeal, just launched.

 

So, people, please do consider supporting their work, this Christmas and beyond.

You'll find them here:

USA: http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf

UK & Ireland: http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf

Canada: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/

Europe: http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq %5Cwww_sa.nsf/vw-sublinks/AEF86859F933F7F180256D4B00469A20?openDocument

Australia: http://salvos.org.au/

[HarryWeezer]

Ditto on the Salvation Army. I manage an annual fund-raising effort that last year raised nearly $60,000. This money goes to our local Salvation Army, which screens applicants for help and sends food vouchers to the neediest families in a six-county region. I've worked with the SA for 27 years and there is no better organization to bring help to where it's most needed. Please don't pass by those buckets without dropping in what you can.

[Cavey]

Dean is there something up with your keyboard, what's with the random numbers and letters in your post.  Do I need to be employed by the NSA to decrypt. Lol

[BigPapaDean]

Cavey I honestly wish thats all the problem is, but with all the health issues I have acquired over the years my hands are effected by a bad case of gout and rhimatoid arthritis . This plus a pinched nerve in my neck and you saw the evidence of all that. Now I have leaRNED TO LIVE WITH IT BUT ITS NOT EASY !

[Cavey]

Fair enough buddy, I'm 34 and have started to get arthritis...  The winter can really hurt!  I wish you all the best, and I prepare to do battle reading your posts!  LOL

[DEEJAYKEG]

SgtHarryWeezer

Ditto on the Salvation Army. I manage an annual fund-raising effort that last year raised nearly $60,000. This money goes to our local Salvation Army, which screens applicants for help and sends food vouchers to the neediest families in a six-county region. I've worked with the SA for 27 years and there is no better organization to bring help to where it's most needed. Please don't pass by those buckets without dropping in what you can.

One of the best, traditional sights and sounds in our town centres, at this time of year, is the SA band playing carols.  They help us get in the real Christmas spirit, certainly.

 

They are, also, the only local church that has put a flyer through our door recently saying, "We're here for you".

 

In my view, they are the closest thing to saints walking our streets.  God Bless every soldier of the Lord!

[PimpedOutPete]

Great post Dean. One day a month I go down to a local homeless shelter and I make meals for all the unfortunate souls that don't have a home. It breaks my heart to see children there, and we usually go well out of our way to supply families with the tools and resources so they don't have to spend another day going hungry. Do whatever u can peeps.. Even if it's your time.

[WiZiD]

Well this touches home. Just a few days ago I passed by a man holding a sign "down on my luck". I was on my way to Walmart to just get a few things. On the way back I drove by him to make sure he was still there. I turned around and went to a Hannaford a bought a $50 food card,went back to him and gave it to him and wish him a merry Christmas. He thanked me and said this will really help him and his wife out. For the longest time once every other month or so it would just hit me that I needed to go buy someone some food. A family would pop in my head (weather I knew them well or not). And most of the time I did not know them well. I would go out and buy 3 to $400 in food including toilet paper, soap. detergent, you know the stuff we buy every week and I would just show up. I am telling you what a rush to see the kids faces of joy and sometime the tears of the parents saying "how did you know we were just talking about going to the food pantry because we were out of food" I just say that it must be Gods way that guided me to your family.

As I have said before "you get from life what you give"

[simplemod]

WOW!!! It really is touching to hear how you all help others in need. I have done some small things from time to time, never on a repeat like some of you. I do however give money to my employer every year for the Angel tree. However much money our plant raises, our boss/employer, will match it. Last year we raised enough to buy gifts and food for over 30 families. Our break room at work was loaded last year with a ton of stuff under our Christmas tree.

And Dean, it is extremely wonderful to hear that with all of your physical troubles with health, and living situation, that you still love GOD. I don't know how many times I've seen people lose faith because things aren't going the way they want them to.

I am far from a good Christian, but I am a firm believer, and always take the given opportunity to share what God has done for me and my family.

With all that said, ya'll are makin me want to go find a Salvation Army around here to give to.

[WeednFeed]

Hey folks, it makes me feel good to see so many XI members helping out. My wife and I always try to help out. She always drops by the local food bank with donations. Money and warm cloths are always welcome. If you see someone who needs a hand hold out yours.

Please remember this folks need help all year long, don't forget them. A few years ago I was wearing their shoes.

Weed

[Sweatnbullets]

Damn Good Ideas!  Being in Printing, I know what one step away means.. The internet is killing the Business of Printing.. slowly.

I wish I had alot of cash so i could help all the un employed I know. But I try and help them find work, Using.... The Internet.. ironic

[BigPapaDean]

Thanks my friends! I went to the local tavern the other night to have some coffee cuz they are open late. When I sat down between two guys at the bar one of them moved away from me and the other said hi! I don't have the opportunity to wash my clothes on demand and when I do hand wash them being that trhis is our rauiny season I have to hang them and they take about 4-5 days to dry depending on how heavy they are! I know why  he moved away but it still hurt even tho I may have done  the same thing! Like I say it5s been an eye opener to experience all this!

[BigPapaDean]

Bump!

[Shamu]

Bigmeandean

Cavey I honestly wish thats all the problem is, but with all the health issues I have acquired over the years my hands are effected by a bad case of gout and rhimatoid arthritis . This plus a pinched nerve in my neck and you saw the evidence of all that. Now I have leaRNED TO LIVE WITH IT BUT ITS NOT EASY !

@Dean: You also had me confused because I have seen other posts where you are very articulate and generally grammatically correct IE the "Respect" topic. Reading them reminded me of this thread, it's like two different people at the keyboard.

 

I had to come back and read this one.............. are you sure you do not have a split personality? 

[Joe Canadian]

I've read somewhere that Bigmeandean uses a netbook to surf the web. Pretty hard to type on those things even for a person without arthritis...

Cheers

Joe

[Shamu]

Perhaps callous but my charitable contributions for Christmas will be animal charities.

 

People should be able to help themselves............. in most cases.

 

One of my favorites;

http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-27/news/30447172_1_rescue-horses-inmates-care-ranger

[Damage_inc-]

thats the holiday spirit  helping  those big dum dogs..

 

[BigPapaDean]

Shamu

Bigmeandean

Cavey I honestly wish thats all the problem is, but with all the health issues I have acquired over the years my hands are effected by a bad case of gout and rhimatoid arthritis . This plus a pinched nerve in my neck and you saw the evidence of all that. Now I have leaRNED TO LIVE WITH IT BUT ITS NOT EASY !

@Dean: You also had me confused because I have seen other posts where you are very articulate and generally grammatically correct IE the "Respect" topic. Reading them reminded me of this thread, it's like two different people at the keyboard.

 

I had to come back and read this one.............. are you sure you do not have a split personality? 

Shamu I usually spend a lot of time proof reading and such, but here I felt like you as a reader should have a sense of how tough life really for people like myself and others much like myself! Even on some of the other post I had critics posting remarks about this or that but I have gotten where it doesn't effect me much anymore! No I am not a split personality but I do have depression issues where I can react either negative or shut clear down if someone pushes my button too far! It's not a pretty sight when I get really angry because my mind is sharper and I can turn anything you say around and use it to take you down! I hate that side of me except for the clear sharp mind! Thats my story and I am sticking to it!

[Shamu]

Bigmeandean

Shamu

Bigmeandean

Cavey I honestly wish thats all the problem is, but with all the health issues I have acquired over the years my hands are effected by a bad case of gout and rhimatoid arthritis . This plus a pinched nerve in my neck and you saw the evidence of all that. Now I have leaRNED TO LIVE WITH IT BUT ITS NOT EASY !

@Dean: You also had me confused because I have seen other posts where you are very articulate and generally grammatically correct IE the "Respect" topic. Reading them reminded me of this thread, it's like two different people at the keyboard.

 

I had to come back and read this one.............. are you sure you do not have a split personality? 

Shamu I usually spend a lot of time proof reading and such, but here I felt like you as a reader should have a sense of how tough life really for people like myself and others much like myself! Even on some of the other post I had critics posting remarks about this or that but I have gotten where it doesn't effect me much anymore! No I am not a split personality but I do have depression issues where I can react either negative or shut clear down if someone pushes my button too far! It's not a pretty sight when I get really angry because my mind is sharper and I can turn anything you say around and use it to take you down! I hate that side of me except for the clear sharp mind! Thats my story and I am sticking to it!

Please understand my "sp;it personality" comment was in jest and followed by a Smiley for emphasis of it not being serious. It's just that I took notice of the differences in the posts.

 

In reading this reply and other posts I can only admire your tenacity. A sharp mind is not unusual when angry because your awareness also raises along with the anger. Sort of like a defensive mechanism for the body. Using an old saying the one possible drawback is that sometimes the mouth goes into gear before the brain is engaged. Obviously not the case here.

 

Have you seen the Dragon Speech Recognition software being advertised of late? I wonder how good it is or if anyone has tried it for a non biased evaluation. I can see it as handy if it really works well. A person could work in Word and then copy and paste the result in forums and other social media like Facebook. It could be a great tool for some people who are otherwise cut out of social networking.

[simplemod]

Bumping it up again.

I thought of this thread today, and also the scriptures where Jesus said I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, and so on.

I went to town today and saw a guy holding a sign " FAMILY IN NEED. Will do any kind of work. any help accepted"

I went and talked with him a few minutes. He said he had a 5 month old baby at home and had just lost his job and was having trouble finding work. So I gave him the number to a local church pastor who's church provides a food bank.=, and a few dollars.

It really tore me up to see this guy today, but I'm glad I did, and got to help him out a little.

[Shamu]

simplemod400

Bumping it up again.

I thought of this thread today, and also the scriptures where Jesus said I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, and so on.

I went to town today and saw a guy holding a sign " FAMILY IN NEED. Will do any kind of work. any help accepted"

I went and talked with him a few minutes. He said he had a 5 month old baby at home and had just lost his job and was having trouble finding work. So I gave him the number to a local church pastor who's church provides a food bank.=, and a few dollars.

It really tore me up to see this guy today, but I'm glad I did, and got to help him out a little.

The unfortunate thing is that there are too many phony panhandlers / beggars out begging that may well be better off than you. Begging in many cases is a profession, even phonies using wheel chairs or having their kids or dogs along to generate sympathy. I will not give even a penny to a street beggar. Of course growing up in a city you do acquire some street smarts.

 

You did the right thing by referring him to a social service type of facility. More people should do the same instead of giving money.

[BigPapaDean]

This post is probably in my opinion is one of the most important I have ever posted! Primarily because of the extenuating circumstances economically speaking! People as is always the case make sure you use the utmost caution and safety devices at your disposal when dealing with these sorts of situations! But having said that there is no more rewarding feeling than knowing you helped someone who truly needed your help and understanding! Nice post simplemod!

[simplemod]

very true dean. as far as the cons go, I usually dont fall for sob stories, but this guy looked and sounded legit.