Oh how we all love this time of the year. Thanksgiving is right around the corner then Christmas time but what we all love to see on our bulletins and in our e-mails are the notifications about the glorious week called "Drop Off Week"! I truly love this time and this year I have been so blessed to drop my boxes off at Bayside Church this year. Now, this year was something incredibly different compared to last year because the people at Bayside were so welcoming and kind while the volunteers at a location I refuse to mention by name were rude and gave me some rude looks at my boxes. Why? Well, last year a good portion of my boxes were filled with 99 cent store items and the woman at the table gave me looks of disgust and well, looks of "Your boxes do not meet the standards of Operation Christmas Child". But this year, this year was different.
This year I was blessed with enough resources to donate 20 boxes, not all are shown right here because there were a few already in the car. But I am truly blessed that I was able to fill 20 boxes for Operation Christmas Child and it was by my donation that I felt both sad/glad at the drop off today because firstly they had to get two carts to bring my boxes in which was hilarious because they were shocked and I never thought that for 20 boxes they would need two carts to bring them in. But by the use of carts I was able to talk to the manager of the drop off location and he was quite emotional regarding the notes that I included in the boxes. He said that they make such a difference and that it is sad that some of the boxes that have come in to the drop off center don't have any type of note in there, not even a small one.
When I was talking to the lady who was helping move these awesome boxes to one of the carts, she was getting incredibly emotional about the amount that I brought in. I was so shocked because she acted like I brought in the largest amount of boxes she's seen throughout the entire week. It...it really made me feel sad because it was the Rocklin area. I'm not trying to stereotype or make a pre-judgment here but I've seen the people there, I have seen the amounts of money that they donate to multiple charities but when it comes to shoe boxes...the generosity fell a little short. I'm not saying they are greedy or "scrooge" and I'm also not saying that those who donate a few boxes aren't as good as the ones bringing in 500, but when a mere 20 boxes one of the largest amounts they've seen there: I just...I'm honored but also disheartened.
I'm so incredibly blessed to have been able to fill 20 boxes and this year really hit the spot as the volunteers were so kind and accepting of me in my blue sweatshirt and worn out shoes while other people were dressed in Macy's styled clothing and Nordstroms. These volunteers didn't let looks distract them from the mission of the organization and it was truly a breath of fresh air and a little spark of why I donate in the first place. Thank you Bayside Church volunteers for giving me a better experience than last year and making me feel like I'm really making a difference.
Happy Packing Everyone!
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