From time to time, I am blessed with opportunities to serve my community outside of my normal capacity. Today was such a day.
SWAG Is In The House!
I received a call that Open M was doing their Mountain of Food giveaway but was in need of more volunteers. I quickly called my Executive Assistant, who values volunteering and giving back as much as I do, and met her at Open M. To my surprise, she brought her 3 kids and her brother with her. Dressed in our SWAG shirts, we all got to work, even the youngest of us (she is 8 years old), and we didn't stop until all of the cars had left the parking lot.
Why Does It Matter?
At SWAG, one of the core values is giving back. There are lessons we learn from giving back...
Sense of pride in our community. Regardless of where you come from, you should have pride in your community. Community is defined as a group of people who live, work, play, and pray together in a specified region. Those are the ones who will have your back and care for you and love you. Whether you are from the slums, or the suburbs, acknowledge where you come from. It's part of your story.
Keeps us humble. There is always someone a little worse off than you and in need of some help. Don't pass up an opportunity to be a blessing for someone else. Many of the people who were driving through the Open M parking lot weren't there for themselves. They were picking up food to deliver to families who don't have a car and can't get food. Don't judge them. We are all only one bad choice or mistake away from being in their situation.
Appreciate hard work. It is not easy to load a cart of food into someone's car repeatedly for hours. But at the end, the feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming. Your body is sore, but your heart is full knowing that you did good for someone else today.
Never pass on your chance to be a blessing to someone else. Community service matters.