#52Tuesdays: Change Someone's World This Holiday Season
#52Tuesdays: Change Someone's World this Holiday Season
Written by: Eden Estabrook
The holiday months of November and December invites people. Thanksgiving kicks off the season with an attitude of thankfulness and instills a desire to give back some of what we have (#GivingTuesdayCLT, anyone?). December helps bring it home with a season of gift-giving and time spent with loved ones that reignites the November giving-back mentality.
With so much out there, it’s hard to know where to start. In a large city like Charlotte, it’s easy to feel like you’re barely scratching the surface with your efforts. Rest assured, every effort makes a difference. I’m sure of it. Here’s why:
The insightful Dr. Seuss once wrote, “To the world you may be one person; but to one person, you may be the world.”
With this inspiration in mind, a small group of people at my church decided to spread a little bit of love during their Friendsgiving gathering. The idea was simple. We’re all going to the store to buy food for our Friendsgiving anyway. Can everyone buy a little bit extra to donate to a food bank? The 65 lb. pile of food given to Loaves & Fishes says yes, they could.
I know what you’re thinking. 65 lbs. of food isn’t that impressive when you think about the hundreds, maybe thousands, of pounds of food that are cycled through an organization like Loaves & Fishes every day. But, it’s 65 lbs. more than they would have had without us. Even if it’s just one person who benefits from this contribution, that could mean the world for that one person and it makes the effort of buying, collecting, and delivering completely worth it.
If we can make use of our Thanksgiving, what about Christmas? With Christmas parties occurring regularly, can we apply the same idea to a group Christmas party? With an upcoming Christmas party, the group is asking each other to bring donations to benefit a local youth crisis shelter, The Relatives. With SHARE Charlotte’s online platform, passing along a list of wish list items to attendees and inviting them to bring one to a party was easy. And you know what? We may only get enough for one person. But, may that never discourage us from putting in the effort. Because we may not be able to change the world, but we can change the world of one person. That alone, is worth it.