castle

It's no secret within my immediate family that I have issues with the doctrinal statements of The Salvation Army, among other things.

One aspect of their ministry that is outstanding and one which I support wholeheartedly is their charitable work within the communities that they serve. This was driven home again to me tonight.

Every year, the Salvation Army in Lowell has what they call a "Christmas Castle", which hands out food to families in need in the Lowell area. The food is donated by people and businesses in communities around the city.

Tonight, V, M and I met my parents at the castle and we joined in with about 20 other people to sort the food. Pasta, pasta sauces, canned soups, canned corn, other canned vegetables, breakfast products, canned fruit and dessert items, Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese and miscellaneous food items were all donated in abundance.

Over the next few weeks the food will be sorted into bags of various sizes for different sized families, giving those who have needs some basic food items. Whatever food is left over will be used throughout the year in The Salvation Army's various feeding programs.

This sort of thing makes you feel good that you can do something positive for others, while meeting a basic need. After we left the castle, I was talking to V and M, telling them that we are fortunate to have all of the nice things we do, food for our bellies and warm, safe places to live.

After we got to McDonald's (my parents wanted to treat the grand kids) while we were sitting around the table eating, V was asking my dad if there were going to be any other opportunities to help out sorting food or whatever. Hearing my daughter say this made me feel even better. It shows that, even at 10, my daughter has a wonderful, compassionate side to her personality. Hopefully this part of her will grow in the years to come. M wasn't as talkative about it but I could tell that he was impacted by what we did tonight as well.