‘Tis the season of thanks and giving!

What do you think of when you think of Thanksgiving? Perhaps you feel thankful for many blessings. Maybe you are grateful for wonderful times with family and friends. Also, you are probably thankful for all the delicious food – turkey, ham, or a main dish with all the trimmings and scrumptious desserts. For most of us, we don’t go hungry. In fact, at Thanksgiving, we often have too much to eat and on most days, we have a cupboard that’s full of food. In contrast, that’s not the case for everyone. A friend who was adopting a child from an orphanage in another country told us that children there could not go to sleep unless they had a piece of bread in their hand. Then they knew they would have something to eat in the morning.

It was shortly after lunch and we were already munching on a snack. We felt sad, knowing that there are people today who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. We remembered that Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Excelsior was in the middle of their 14th annual weekend Packathon. Through the years, they’ve packed millions of meals for hungry people around the world. We decided to volunteer. We also wanted to find out more about why people choose volunteering as a way to give.

Heidi Busch, Operations Coordinator for Many Hands, Many Meals chaired this Packathon. The goal of the weekend was to have 1000 volunteers pack 350,000 meals to feed orphans in Malawi, Africa. We met Spence Cowan and asked him why he was volunteering. He said, “The question is really, why wouldn’t I do this? The funny answer is that my wife made me do it; but the right answer is that I wanted to do it and I’m glad to help out. I believe strongly in benevolence and giving and doing what we can. We’re not in a position to give a million dollars or anything close to that. This is a good thing for us to do. It’s good for the community. Helping people – it’s just a no-brainer for me.” Then we asked how long he had been there that day. Spence said, “Well, it’s almost 4 now and I’ve been here since 7:30 this morning.” We mentioned that people often say that when they give, they also get so we asked Spence what benefits he gets from his volunteering. He shared, “It sounds kind of selfish, but it makes me feel awfully good. It probably shouldn’t be that way. You should do it because it’s the right thing to do but it really makes me feel terrific.” Congratulations, Spence, and all volunteers – you exceeded the goal by packing over 352,000 meals!

Spence was right on when he listed some of the benefits of giving. The London School of Economics came up with what they called the “Happiness Effect” because they found that people who volunteered were happier. The Mayo Clinic lists several benefits including lowering depression, stress and blood pressure and that people gained a sense of purpose. The corporation for National and Community Service said that “Perhaps the biggest benefit is the satisfaction people feel that they are making a difference and how it transforms others’ lives and their own lives.” Also, other studies revealed that people who volunteer are more socially active and meet new friends and that they live longer! Those are certainly some significant benefits and reasons to volunteer. After we packed meals with a team for a two-hour shift, we added to the list of benefits that it is also lots of fun!

James Mathew Barrie said, “Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves”. What about you? What are the ways you want to give to bring sunshine into the lives of others and into your life?

Here are some suggestions: Decide how you would like to give. If you want a convenient place to pack meals for a two-hour shift, consider Feed My Starving Children located in Chanhassen. Their website is www.FMSC.org . Besides packing meals, there’s a variety of ways to give of your time, talents or treasures. We encourage you to find ways that are a fit for you and don’t let financial or physical limitations keep you from giving. There are many ways to give, such as praying for people and sharing a smile or a listening ear. ‘Tis the season for thanks and giving, so remember to be thankful and give – others will benefit and you will, too.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2018 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.