This holiday season, I volunteered to participate in the #LightTheWorld campaign by Mormons.org. The theme is to "Feed the Hungry" and it's up to us to decide how we plan the event. I personally suck at planning events, so I simply did what I thought was best - to buy the food myself and hand them out to those in need. I wanted to make it as simple, but meaningful as possible.
Feed the Hungry
Day one. For the first day, I decided to order 50 burgers from a popular fast food store in our area and then I plan to give them out to the street children in our neighborhood.
We spotted the area where the kids usually go to and that's where we handed the burgers. I don't want it to become similar to a political event like having banners with my name on it and then having a ceremony, no. I just wanted to give food and make them happy. After giving them food, this is the result: genuine smiles.
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| The kids after getting their free burgers. The others were too shy to be included in the picture. Their smiles are really amazing. |
Day two. I bought some groceries such as noodles, rice, eggs, canned goods, coffee, toiletries, and more to be donated to St. Rita Orphanage in Paranaque, Metro Manila.
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| I also made sure to bring my family along especially the kids for them to know what impact giving could do to other people. |
I wanted it to be a surprise so we simply went to the place and handed the goods. The orphanage is a non-government organization that currently houses 25-30 orphans. They do not receive government funding so they rely solely on donations, which is why I decided to help them out this holiday season.
We arrived one rainy afternoon at around 4pm. The kids were having a simple party hosted by a 3rd party organization. When we arrived, we briefly introduced ourselves to one of their volunteers. We met sister Esmeralda, the person-in-charge of the organization. When she saw us and heard our cause, we saw how happy and how sincerely thankful she was. When I saw her reaction (I really wished we were able to video it), I was almost teary-eyed. At that moment, I was truly glad and thankful I participated in #LightTheWorld campaign because I was able to see and feel what giving could do to you and it feels so wonderful.
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| Day 2: Visit to the Orphanage |
We're not allowed to take pictures of the kids, but here's a picture of my family with sister Esmeralda. Our meeting was very brief because she also needs to tend to her other guests, which is totally fine. I do intend to come back soon and hopefully get an interview. If you want to help out, you may check their website at
http://www.saintritaorphanage.ph/.
Day Three. I'm not even sure if I have to put this here, but I did anyway. On the 3rd day, since I still have a few bucks left on my budget, I decided to buy some cat food for the stray cats in our village. I see them go in our neighbor's trash every day to look for food, so today I decided to give them some proper cat food. They're quite easy to lure actually. Just leave food in a bowl and they'll eventually come. The bag is enough for a few days of feeding so I hope to make them full for the holidays.
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| Day 3: Feed the Animals. |
So that's my 30-day story of doing something for others. I have to say it has been the highlight of my holidays. I guess I have reached a point in my life where I easily get overwhelmed with the simple things I do to others. The feeling is incomparable.
This concludes my #LightTheWorld campaign. God bless Mormons.org for letting us participate in such a great program. You really have lifted my soul.
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