A few weeks ago I received an invitation from a friend, to volunteer at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. I jumped at the chance, not only to see this incredible place, but more importantly to show my youngest son how easy it is to make a difference. I wanted him to realize how the small gift of time can have a huge impact.

I did a post on the history of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank last spring and in the process learned about this incredible facility that provides 42 million meals a year to the 1 out of 6 people who suffer from hunger in Los Angeles County. However, this was different, this was an opportunity to spend time with my youngest son and show him by example how great it feels to help.

We arrived, watched a video about hunger in Los Angels and learned that children, who suffer from hunger, receive their only meal each day at school. As a result, they have no food over the weekends. Hunger is a foreign concept to my son and yet, I could see him trying to process the facts. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, packs and prepares weekend backpacks filled with food so that children will not be hungry.

The “I Love Lucy” assembly line began and about 15 of us started to fill the backpacks. An hour and a half later we were told that we had fed 711 children. My 12-year-old beamed, and asked when he could come back to help. I had wanted to show him by example but he actually showed me. Our small gift of time working together to make a difference for others was actually a gift for us.

We gained way more than we gave, which for my son, was food for thought.

Charity Matters.

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