What 400 Grocery Bags Taught Us About Love

We planned for 150 grocery bags. That felt ambitious — a stretch goal for our first Easter outreach. Then the sign-up sheet filled, the donations kept arriving, and by Saturday morning we were staring at 400 bags and wondering where they'd all go.

They went fast. Families from three neighborhoods lined up before the doors opened, and by noon every bag was gone. But the number isn't the story. The faces are.

The bag is just the beginning

A bag of groceries lasts a week. What lasts is being seen. I watched our volunteers learn names, hear stories, and pray with strangers in a parking lot. One grandmother told me it was the first time in years someone had asked how she was doing — and meant it.

Generosity is never about the size of the gift. It's about the dignity of the person receiving it.

Everyone can carry something

The best part? Half our volunteers had never served before. Teenagers hauled boxes beside retirees. A man who'd visited for the first time the Sunday before spent all Saturday directing traffic. Outreach isn't a department here — it's a doorway.

We're doing it again

Our summer pantry drive is already on the calendar, and we'd love your hands — packing, driving, or simply showing up with a smile. No experience needed. Just come.

Talk it over

• Who in your world could use practical help this month — and what's one step you could take?
• What's kept you from serving before, and what would make it easier to start?
• How have you experienced generosity that went beyond the gift itself?