The Power of Generosity
Posted On: September 30 2008
Recently I was on the front lines with our team in Burlington, Iowa. I watched the volunteers distribute food, water and supplies to people who had lost everything in the Midwest floods.
We saw a lot of tears that day. People were really hurting. We saw families with small children still living in their cars. One father after another said he had lost his job to the flood. Others claimed they had lost everything they owned.
It struck me that the volunteers didn’t have to be there that day. They could have been relaxing at home, playing golf, or sipping ice tea in a restaurant. Instead they were perspiring under a mean sun.
A CEO of a major corporation flew in and handed out backpacks to kids. She even purchased a truckload of supplies for the distribution.
A mother was there volunteering, along with her two children. We ran out of stuffed animals for the children, so she found a local store and bought more.
One retired couple worked all day, despite the heat.
Only weeks ago we saw this same scene again, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. We had several distribution sites in Texas and Louisiana, stocked with supplies and staffed by volunteers willing to give their time to help someone else. Many of these volunteers were victims themselves. Yet they were willing to give to others in their time of need.
I was reminded again of the power of generosity, how it brings hope to people in need. I saw tears give way to smiles as children admired their new backpacks for school and hungry people ripped into bags before they left the site.
As I thanked the volunteers for their sacrifice, a number of them said, “No, thank you for giving us an opportunity to make a difference.”
It is this spirit of generosity that has enabled us to provide more than 100 tractor trailer loads of water, food, ice, and cleaning supplies to the recent hurricane victims. That is over 4 million pounds of life saving supplies. You played a big part in that. Your gifts to Convoy of Hope enabled us to tangibly help thousands and thousands of people in need. Your generosity is overwhelming.
We are now shifting our operations in the Gulf to help areas that, up until now, have been uninhabitable. Families are just now being able to go back to what used to be their homes.
Your gifts will have a lasting impact on the lives of these families. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for helping us send the message that someone cares.
Hal Donaldson
Convoy of Hope
Make a secure online donation.
Page 1 of 1 pages