The Connection
I decided to do a short video to put on You Tube that would highlight the needs of our local food pantry. I live in a small, rural Maine town, and many people are hurting right now. The goal was to interview the director while my seventeen year old son, Ian, video taped it. Seemed easy enough. So I fixed my hair and asked my son to get the camera and wait in the car.
“You want me to go in the food pantry? Ewww, no!”
Now, I really thought my kids were socially conscious, or at least human.
“Just get in the car, Ian.”
Just a mile down the road, we pulled into the parking lot. The doors had recently opened and the last of the line had disappeared inside. We walked past the dozens of people picking baskets of supplies. Ian just stared, and seemed uncomfortable.
Afterwards, I stayed to chat for a few minutes with the director while Ian went back with the camera to warm up the car.
When I buckled in, he didn’t move. Instead, he just looked at the food pantry doors and quietly said “Mom, I went to school with some of those kids. I know them.”
The connection was made.
We’re all in this together. Everyone knows someone in need… everyone. We just have to allow ourselves to see the connection.
Our monthly Together We Can Change The World Day is about joining together to make a conscious difference.
Please visit our website at http://www.togetherwecanchangetheworldday.com/ and scroll across available service projects and add your own.
4 comments:
Andrea:
Even though I've read your story before, and heard you tell it on the calls, I'm so glad to read it again. Ian is a wonderful young man, and I'm so proud of him for his willingness to step out into his community with his friends and collect food for the food pantry . . . Now he is helping his former classmates, and, his community.
Would love an updated YouTube video when your family gets around to it ;-).
Welcome to the T-Day blog!
Hi Tess and Big Z! Great idea, I just added the May T-day video. What do you think?
Hi Andrea and Ian~~~
Wow. This is an incredibly simple video, but so powerful to demonstrate what you are doing for your local Food Pantry, Ian.
As I kept seeing you drive by green donation bag after green donation bag, I got goose-bumps and my eyes filled with tears. It's not just because people are donating . . . almost every house participating, doing a small part to give to the larger community.
What I am most touched by, is you, Ian. You are a handsome young man, and you are doing something powerful to make a difference in your community. To have such an intrinsic and genuine desire to help others in this way at your age is such a compassionate gesture of goodwill ~~~You are inspiring.
I don't know what your Key Club is, but I aim to find out. I appreciate your courage to create your own video and tell your story. Thank you.
Thanks, Andrea. I went looking on your Boot Camp site, and when I didn't find the video there, I found it here! ;-) Awesome. I will show Big Z what Ian's up to.
From Big Z:
There were a lot of green bags. I'm going to guess there were 35. I wish I could've seen your eyes ;-). And, I'm glad you stayed on the road! I like what you are doing and I like your video.
(from Mom: We just watched your video, Ian. Thanks again for making it!)
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