It's the middle of September, and the air is getting cooler. The once green leaves will turn into beautiful arrangements of orange, yellow, and red before falling to the ground. A few short weeks after that, our ground will be scattered with gentle wisps of snow. For some of us, this change of the seasons is pleasant. We can now indulge in the luxuries provided by oversized sweaters and fuzzy socks. However, for others, the change of seasons brings about worry. In cities all around the country, you are bound to find people living on the streets. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports on their website (endhomelessness.org) that in January 2015 546,708 people were considered homeless nationwide. This is not only alarming but heart breaking. Living less than 100 miles from the Canadian border in the upper part of North Dakota, the temperature here drops below zero for most of the winter leaving people living on the streets scrambling to find adequate shelter. Learning more about these issues left my heart scattered in pieces. Feeling as if I needed to do something to help, I have teamed up with friend and fellow college student, Holly Tweed, to help gather needed items for the local homeless shelter in Grand Forks. From now until November 8th the two of us will be collecting items from the wish list below to donate to Northlands Rescue Mission, a shelter dedicated to helping people in need from 21 counties throughout Northern North Dakota and Minnesota. Food: Ramen, Canned Vegetables, Pasta, etc. (Anything that may be stored in a dry storage room.) I first met Holly the day after I moved to college, at the time we attended the same church and from then on have been inspired by each other’s words of encouragement and hope. Like me, Holly also runs a blog called Running on Coffee and Jesus (runningoncoffeeandjesus.weebly.com) and has a strong grip on her faith. Inspired by her previous mission work along I decided to contact her and start a mission together.
Throughout Grand Forks, we will have different drop-off sites at churches and non-profits willing to participate. If you can’t make it to a donation site or live far away, but still want to donate, email me at [email protected], and we will figure out a way to get your donations here. Thank you in advance for all of your generosity and let’s bless the people of Grand Forks with some new things for winter!
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"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." |