Chain Of Giving

Usually when we donate unwanted items to charity, we have no idea what kind of impact our gift will make.  We assume some good will come from it but we don't really see the people who benefit from our generosity.  Last year, a few of my colleagues decided to buy me a toy as a gag gift.  It was something very specific that related to a hobby of mine but I had absolutely no use for it.  They got a good laugh and then set the toy up in the office for a few hours.  After the novelty quickly wore off, they encouraged me to take it home.  I reluctantly agreed just to be polite and then placed the toy in the basement.

A few days before Christmas, I remembered the gag gift and figured it would be best to donate it to charity.  It was too late in the season to find a Toys for Tots drop box so I took it to Mass with me.  After services, I approached my pastor to ask if he knew of a deserving child who might want it.  He gladly accepted the toy because as luck would have it, a few people who volunteered at a charity for underprivileged children would be attending the next Mass.  I thanked him and then put it out of my mind.

While shaking hands with my pastor after Mass a few weeks later, he said my gift was well-received because it went to a child who had specifically asked his parents for that exact toy but they weren't able to afford it.  When the child opened his gift, not only was he amazed, but his parents were too.  I was pleasantly surprised by the news and told the priest, "That was God using all of us to make things happen."  A sense of comfort that had been absent for a long time filled my soul.  God's ways are often a mystery to me but on this occasion, they seemed very clear.

A chain of giving had been set up to bring a child and his parents some joy during Christmas.  For that moment to have happened, each link in the chain needed to do its part.  What if I had left the toy in the basement?  What if my pastor didn't take time to talk to me after Mass?  What if the charity workers didn't pass that gift along to a needy child?  Sometimes even the smallest efforts are the most important ones.  Perhaps there wouldn't be so much evil in the world if everyone did his or her part to help others.

Many years ago, a priest asked our congregation if we were doing enough to give to the poor.  He wasn't talking about making grand gestures but helping out in small ways.  Were there clothes we never wore just sitting in our closets?  If so, he recommended we go through what we had and donate the items we didn't use, adding that when we parted with our unwanted possessions, it would feel like a weight was lifted off our shoulders.  As a frequent user of thrift stores, I can tell you there were times when what other people donated helped me look professional during financially tough times.  Not only am I incredibly grateful to these donors, I find myself wondering who they were.

Each one of us has a part to play in the chain of giving.  What's critical to keep that chain going is for us to be mindful about those who are in need and how we might help them.