Giving of What You Have

Sinners are always wanting what they don't have,

the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

Proverbs 21:26

It is hard to believe, but we are already advancing into August, and soon the summer break will be over.  September is just around the corner, bringing with it the start of school.  Yesterday a friend in Arizona posted pictures on Facebook of her kids already in back-to-school gear.  The stores have long been in back-to-school mode, and this last weekend, we had a Tax-Free Weekend in Virginia for school supplies, clothing and shoes.  

I live in the Beulah neighborhood of Chesterfield County, right next to the Bensley neighborhood to the east of us.  These two neighborhoods are the poorest of the entire county, and no where is this more clearly reflected than in the local schools.  Beulah Elementary and Bensley Elementary students are so poor, many of them can barely afford clothes to wear to school, much less the required backpack filled with school supplies. The average elementary school pack with required goods costs $50 or more - far too much money for the average family in this neighborhood.

Enter Beulah United Methodist Church, situated right smack dab in the middle of the Beulah/Bensley area.  Every year, the mission team and the staff pile empty backpacks on a table in the foyer, along with the school supply lists for grades K-5.  Two weeks ago, 32 backpacks were put out, and 32 backpacks disappeared by the end of the worship services.  Soon those bags, filled to the brim with crayons, paper, pencils and more, will be returned to the school in time to be given to needy families during late August registration.  I have five backpacks sitting in my living room, waiting to be transported to Bensley Elementary.  The need is so great, I wish I could give fifty instead of five, but I know that every little bit helps.

Do you have an elementary school near you?  A quick phone call to the administration will tell you whether or not they could use help in providing school supplies to low-income families.  Every aspect of life can be difficult in this economy.  For those of us can, there is a blessing in giving of what we have to help those who have less.