“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:3740
This has been the Year of Kindness for St. Luke’s. This week several members and staff had the opportunity to show kindness to over 400 families in the community surrounding the St. Luke’s Asbury Campus. St. Luke’s partnered with Feed the Children, the Lions Club and other organizations to provide a food box, an essentials box, an Avon box, and toys and books to these wonderful families! Vouchers for the items were handed out at Rancho Village Elementary to the families of the children attending. Volunteers filled the parking lot of the St. Luke’s Asbury Campus to help unload and set up the boxes and other items to be delivered. We even had some children from Rancho Village volunteer to help us fill bags with extra food that was donated. All of the volunteers were so happy to help, but especially the children. I heard several of them say how good it felt to be able to help.
It was easy to see that gratitude on the faces of the families who were with us that day. Several of them told us “Thank you so much for your kindness!” These families were truly blessed, but they were not the only ones. Looking around at all the volunteers you could see on their faces the many blessings they were also receiving as they helped the families. You could truly feel the presence of God flowing, blessing all those present.
The next day we had the opportunity to bless more lives with the leftover boxes and items. Several families from the community who had not received vouchers were able to receive this help. Teachers from Rancho Village also came and were able to collect items to help some of their students. We are also able to give a great gift to our United Methodist partners at Skyline Urban Ministries. It was several days of giving that truly blessed so many people.
I know for myself, the whole experience was very humbling and very much a blessing! To see 100+ volunteers working together to make this happen made me so proud to be a part of the St. Luke’s family of faith. We had the opportunity to be kind and we made the most of it! Volunteers, young and old, working together to share God’s love and bring hope to the world, or at least our little corner of it!
Lee Ann Simpson, St. Luke’s Asbury Program Ministry Assistant
