Be Merry and Bright

Welcome Holiday Season!

Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas will soon follow.  I hope this season will be one you can embrace with an open heart.  There is so much vying for attention throughout the holidays.  I tend to get caught up everything celebratory and all things that homey.  

But I know for so many the holidays are a reminder of what is not peaceful and gratitude is hard to come by.

Last week there was a picture in my local paper of scores of people lined up around the building of the Community Action House waiting for food. They have a food bank and many people utilize it on a monthly basis.  (The Community Action House is an organization that was formed decades ago to help fight poverty in the West Michigan area. Throughout the years it has joined forces with local churches, Hope College and the Center for Faithful Leadership to maximize their impact for the good. Click on the link to learn more about Community Action House and all the many ways they assist people.)

Trouble is no stranger in my home.  We've faced uncertain times before and needed the encouragement and help from others.  Every story is different but experiencing need is something many people live with every day.

This year I have created a new Christmas card design.  The inspiration is from the song White Christmas.  There is a lyric in the song that says, "May your days be merry and bright."

I started to think "What would being merry and bright look like?" 

Helping replentish the shelves at the Community Action House with food and personal items would qualify for  being merry and bright, right?  I have given to the food bank before and will continue to do so.  

But I had a crazy idea...what if you did it with me?

With every purchase of a set of 10 cards I will donate 2 items for the food pantry at the Community Action House.  My goal is to fill as many grocery bags as possible.  What a lot of people may not know is that a large percentage of children in the area use the free and reduced lunch programs at their school.  Their parents depend on them getting fed while during the school day.  When there is no school, there often is no breakfast or lunch for these kids.  That's why the holidays can be very difficult for many families and why I want to try to help keep the shelves full so families in need can care for their children.

This opportunity is obviously time sensitive so as many of you who would like to order a set of 10 cards (notecard size) with envelops I will gather 2 items to fill a grocery bag for the food bank.  If you place an order from today through December 6th I will be able to get your cards to you in time for them to be used prior to Christmas day.

A set of 10 cards is $15

Sharing your holiday wishes to those you love and helping people in need is a great way to be merry and bright. At the end of this initiative I will let you know just how much we were able to gather together.

Let me know if you would like to order a set!

May you be MERRY and BRIGHT!

Blessings
Randi