blessing bags

I love this movement. In NJ where we have lived, the poor are among us, but not visible. Perhaps NJ does a good job of serving our struggling people here or perhaps they stay in the shadows. I can't say, but recently we have been home hunting. Our son led the charge and observed that in our soon to be home state there are homeless people on the street. That is foreign to him. As we were talking about ways to serve this population I remembered "Blessing Bags" posted on FB. There are many ways to serve the struggling in our communities. You can run a feed the children food drive, collect food at the market for a local pantry, serve at a soup kitchen or volunteer with family promise that temporarily houses displaced families. There are so many great ways to help, but this is a great step you can likely take right now. Grab a big ziploc and stuff it with shelf stable things. You might have some great stuff right in your cabinet. Start with a water bottle, toothbrush, snack bar, etc... Write a short note of encouragement. If you have one, throw in a gospel tract like Daily Bread or Baptist Bread and the next time you encounter someone you can be a blessing as you demonstrate God's love to them. Guys throw it in your back pack and girls, hopefully you have a generous handbag. You don't want your treats to spoil. Large socks, wet wipes and other sundries are helpful too. There is so much joy in helping others. As parents, demonstrating and encouraging a heart to serve has always been a priority. God throughout His word encourages us to care for the needy. This is one easy way to do that. We will be doing this as well. Anyone had experience with this or have a suggestion of other great ways to serve the needy in our communities? Please share below.  :)

Psalm 41
Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

​Proverbs 19:17 
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what is given.