Feel Good Friday – Reaping the benefits of a little generosity

You have not because you ask not James 4:2

Ms. Mable and her gardening class.

I have the pleasure of overseeing a summer day camp for youth 5-13 years old. We rely heavily on donations, volunteers, and grant funding to keep our programs going. One of my co-workers recently received an unexpected gift while shopping at Home Depot.

Ms. Mable, as the kids call her, wanted to hold a gardening class with the kids. The weather had been too hot to take them to our community garden plot. The alternate plan was to assemble the kids in a classroom and have them pot a plant. However, we didn’t have supplies for this project.
When you have a burning desire and passion for something, you find a way to make it happen.

Remember I said we operate on volunteers and donations. Ms. Mable is a Volunteer and a grad student intern, which means she does a lot with a little. She was so passionate about this project that she went to Home Depot with her own money to purchase supplies.

At some point during her shopping she talked to a manager at the store. As she explained to him what she was doing, he pulled a gift card from his pocket and gave it her. He also added a few dollars of his own money and gave her a discount on a few bags of potting soil. Ms. Mable was so excited that she did a “happy dance” in the aisle of a “praise dance.” 

When she returned to our community center, the first thing Ms. Mable said was, “God is good.” She walked in with a big smile and big bags. The excitement she felt was evident and contagious. This excitement also transferred over to the kids as they worked on their projects.

Ms. Mable’s $20 and the generosity of a store manager touched the hearts of the kids in our program. The kids didn’t know how we obtained the supplies. However, every one of them was excited when they showed their project to their parents at the end of the day.   

It was such a “feel good” moment to see thing fall into place as they did for Ms. Mable and the kids. She was not shy about sharing her idea with the store manager and asking for a little help.

What has been your experience with generosity?