Sunday, January 11, 2015
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Christmas 2014 - Part 2
Mister Bill, the owner of Outer Limits Preschool, so graciously gave us a classroom after school, so we could have the Christmas Party for the 21 Munchkins on December 22nd. :)
Miss Blanca helped me set up everything and we ended up lining the room with all the gift bags with the kids names being quite visible. Every time a child came in we sent them on a mission to find the bag or bags with their name on them. Oh how fun that was to watch and what joy it was to finally meet all the little Munchkins in person after all these months. :) Up to this point most kids were just names and ages to me. Oh my goodness were they ever so cute and the older ones were so grown-up already. The weekly backpacks are for children between the ages of 2 and 10 and we are very close to 1,900 meals plus as many snacks served already in only seven months. :)
Miss Blanca was so dear and provided trays of cookies, veggies and dip, and fresh fruit for everyone. She is always so thoughtful !! Thank you Blanca Dear !! :)
Miss Maggie volunteered to give each child a face painting, which was really cute also. Thank you for helping to make the party so special with your gift of art, Maggie !! :)
We decided that it would be too much if the Munchkins would open their presents right there and then, and that it would be very confusing with 21 kids and all those gifts. So instead I turned loose my camera and lots of precious pictures were taken. :) I can share those too, once my blog will allow it.
How can I ever reflect to you the gratitude the parents had during our little Christmas party for the backpack food every week and for helping to make Christmas special for their child(ren) ??!! I have learned that 40% to 60% of the children at the school live below the poverty level and that some of the parents had no idea how to make a Christmas for their Munchkins this year. Their gratitude was immense and at times it was hard to hold back tears. It was the first time that I met most of the parents too. :) I received many hugs that evening. :)
One of the parents, Maria, even came with a gift for me and letters their kids wrote. She works two jobs to support her kids and it really surprised me, it was so thoughtful of her !! :) Here is the letter from her 8 year old son: "Dear Karin, thank you for feeding us all year. Because you care we never go hungry and me and my sister love your pretty house. You were our guardian angel. Your friend Roman". His 10 year old sister wrote: "Dear Karin, thank you for giving us food. Especially the candy. We are very thankful! You are the nicest person we ever met. You are! Thank you for helping us when we really need food. May God bless you! Julissa".
Another mom, Mayra, made her own card with her own words for me and it was so precious too. :) Here is what she wrote: "Merry Christmas - Thank you so much for all you do for the kids at Outer Limits. Thank you for the time and effort in providing meals for us". And she had a sweet gift for me also. I wish I could bottle all this gratitude I received and send it to each one of you, my Elves, through the air waves !! :)
A lot of the kids were too small to understand who I was or what I had been doing for them, but after a little while and their parents explanations they warmed up to me and I got little cuddles while taking pictures together. :) Loved those lil' cuddles and hugs !! :)
This to me this is what Christmas is really all about. :) It is about helping each other, loving each other, sharing and caring for each other, and to make a difference in someones life. And a big part of it is for the Munchkins, and I am so grateful that you all helped me pull this off !! :) It was a lot of work, but my heart is full, knowing that we as a group spread a lot of love and light in these little children's and their parents lives this Christmas !! :)
Thank you each and everyone of you for having shared this experience with me in one way or another. :)
Hopefully we will continue together, as I always will need help with this and the backpacks !! :)
Sleep with the Angels !! :) And a great big THANK YOU ALL !! :)
Karin
Miss Blanca helped me set up everything and we ended up lining the room with all the gift bags with the kids names being quite visible. Every time a child came in we sent them on a mission to find the bag or bags with their name on them. Oh how fun that was to watch and what joy it was to finally meet all the little Munchkins in person after all these months. :) Up to this point most kids were just names and ages to me. Oh my goodness were they ever so cute and the older ones were so grown-up already. The weekly backpacks are for children between the ages of 2 and 10 and we are very close to 1,900 meals plus as many snacks served already in only seven months. :)
Miss Blanca was so dear and provided trays of cookies, veggies and dip, and fresh fruit for everyone. She is always so thoughtful !! Thank you Blanca Dear !! :)
Miss Maggie volunteered to give each child a face painting, which was really cute also. Thank you for helping to make the party so special with your gift of art, Maggie !! :)
We decided that it would be too much if the Munchkins would open their presents right there and then, and that it would be very confusing with 21 kids and all those gifts. So instead I turned loose my camera and lots of precious pictures were taken. :) I can share those too, once my blog will allow it.
How can I ever reflect to you the gratitude the parents had during our little Christmas party for the backpack food every week and for helping to make Christmas special for their child(ren) ??!! I have learned that 40% to 60% of the children at the school live below the poverty level and that some of the parents had no idea how to make a Christmas for their Munchkins this year. Their gratitude was immense and at times it was hard to hold back tears. It was the first time that I met most of the parents too. :) I received many hugs that evening. :)
One of the parents, Maria, even came with a gift for me and letters their kids wrote. She works two jobs to support her kids and it really surprised me, it was so thoughtful of her !! :) Here is the letter from her 8 year old son: "Dear Karin, thank you for feeding us all year. Because you care we never go hungry and me and my sister love your pretty house. You were our guardian angel. Your friend Roman". His 10 year old sister wrote: "Dear Karin, thank you for giving us food. Especially the candy. We are very thankful! You are the nicest person we ever met. You are! Thank you for helping us when we really need food. May God bless you! Julissa".
Another mom, Mayra, made her own card with her own words for me and it was so precious too. :) Here is what she wrote: "Merry Christmas - Thank you so much for all you do for the kids at Outer Limits. Thank you for the time and effort in providing meals for us". And she had a sweet gift for me also. I wish I could bottle all this gratitude I received and send it to each one of you, my Elves, through the air waves !! :)
A lot of the kids were too small to understand who I was or what I had been doing for them, but after a little while and their parents explanations they warmed up to me and I got little cuddles while taking pictures together. :) Loved those lil' cuddles and hugs !! :)
This to me this is what Christmas is really all about. :) It is about helping each other, loving each other, sharing and caring for each other, and to make a difference in someones life. And a big part of it is for the Munchkins, and I am so grateful that you all helped me pull this off !! :) It was a lot of work, but my heart is full, knowing that we as a group spread a lot of love and light in these little children's and their parents lives this Christmas !! :)
Thank you each and everyone of you for having shared this experience with me in one way or another. :)
Hopefully we will continue together, as I always will need help with this and the backpacks !! :)
Sleep with the Angels !! :) And a great big THANK YOU ALL !! :)
Karin
Christmas 2014 - Part 1
Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over and January is in full swing, it is time to catch you up on the Christmas we made for the 21 Munchkins at the Pre-school. :)
There is a lot to reconstruct and I will do my best to tell you all the stories. :) I might need to write this in more than one blog entry.
I'm so happy to share with you that enough donations came in, so I was also able to buy each child a pair of new P.J.'s too. It took quite a while to find all of those, each child had their own favorite character and wanted to sleep surrounded by him or her and then there were the sizes to find too. :) Of course there were again many Elsa's from Frozen. :) Such cuteness all around !! :)
My dear neighbor Dave kept bringing toys over he had ordered from Amazon, as each child received one big toy and then there many little surprises in the bags too, like stickers, crayons, coloring books, etc. Another day Dave came over again, because he had found some more toys at CostCo in addition to the ones here already. :) He's is the kindest man I know and always helping me out with this project !! :) Thank you so Dave and Linda !! :)
One of my long ago former employees, Mary (I call her Mary Mouse), has her own business Desert Rose Homeopathics & Herbals & she came up with the idea of me making a flyer, explaining what I do with the backpacks and my plans for Christmas for the Munchkins, along with a Wish List. She put a flyer in each of her customers paper bags when they made a purchase. One day I get a call from a really old lady and she mentioned the flyer from Mary and she wanted to help out, since her grandkids are well taken care of. She said it would be a very small amount. When she came by she gave me a check for $10.00. Judith felt so bad that it wasn't any more and I began to cry, I was so touched by her Kindness. She was quite happy when I told her that $10.00 will buy a huge box of oatmeal packets for the Munchkins for breakfast and off she went. It is stories like that I will carry in my heart forever. :) Thank you Judith !! :)
Another day Mary Mouse called and said that there was a lady in her shop who had lots of things for the Munchkins and food too and could she come over right away. I kept hearing the lady yelling in the background "I have A LOT". :) Debi and her husband Rick showed up with many, many items, like toys, books, etc., and a whole bunch of food to stuff in the backpacks too. Debi wanted me to know the story of how she got the money together to do this for the kids. :) She said that this year when she went Christmas shopping for her family and friends, she only bought half of what she normally would have and she used the other half to get items for the Munchkins. Debi donated so many wonderful things that made the gift bags so much more special for each child. What a joy that was and what a magical story !! :) Thank you Debi !! :)
I felt like Santa, checking the lists once and checking them twice and making sure that everything was here by the time we began wrapping the gifts on December 21st. :)
Trader Joe's donated a bunch of paper sacks so we could keep all the gifts for each child separate and could write their names on the front of each sack. :)
If you would have been a mouse, you would have been in awe of all the wrapping, cutting, taping, and admiring that was done that afternoon. :) We were nine elves and we got it all done in a little more than two hours. Plus, new friends made made and old ones were rekindled. :) Thank you so much for all the beautiful wrapping jobs Blanca, Lino, Inna, Orlando, Marilyn, Pat, Debra, and Jhan, and for bringing extra paper, ribbon, tape and scissors too. You all were awesome !! :)
I have many pictures of all this, but again, my blog won't let me connect to the server. If there is anyone who knows how this can be done, please help me out. :) You would have to come here though, as I am not computer savvy and can't explain things. I so would love to share the photos with everyone. :)
A number of wonderful ladies baked cookies to put into the gift bags and we had lots of candy that we added too. :) Thank you Lydia, Lupe, Barbara, Bertha and Elena for making such beautiful cookie baggies for the kids, they all went in the big bags. Thank you also kindly Pat, Debra, Cheryl, Denise, Sarah, and Inna for your baked goods and candy donations !! Breanna's Girl Scout Troop also many baked cookies and the girls decorated them so sweetly & they also put together baggies of candy too. It was all so cute to see !! :) Thank you so much, girls !! :) And Sarah, those candy cane reindeer were absolutely adorable. :) Thank you bunches !! :)
Here is a special Thank You shout-out to everyone else who helped in one way or another: Jerri & Andy, Carlos, Pat, Jhan, Maria, Debra, Bill & Iris, Jane, Judy, Martin, Julia & Drew, Elizabeth, Nan, Steve, Sadie, Jill, Mark & Patty, Cheryl, Alison, Martha, Audrey, Myrna, and the whole Winers & Diners Club. :)
Every time a donation check was in my mailbox I jumped for joy and had a huge smile on my face on the way home. It meant there was something else I could do for the kids, but I also kept some reserve for food for the backpacks too. :) I am soooo grateful for all your Generosity and Kindness to make this whole First Annual Christmas Project possible for the Munchkins. :) There is so much Goodness in this world, it's amazing !! Thank you each and everyone of you for helping me to make this possible !! :) May you always be blessed in all ways !! :)
Karin
To be continued with Part 2 ....
There is a lot to reconstruct and I will do my best to tell you all the stories. :) I might need to write this in more than one blog entry.
I'm so happy to share with you that enough donations came in, so I was also able to buy each child a pair of new P.J.'s too. It took quite a while to find all of those, each child had their own favorite character and wanted to sleep surrounded by him or her and then there were the sizes to find too. :) Of course there were again many Elsa's from Frozen. :) Such cuteness all around !! :)
My dear neighbor Dave kept bringing toys over he had ordered from Amazon, as each child received one big toy and then there many little surprises in the bags too, like stickers, crayons, coloring books, etc. Another day Dave came over again, because he had found some more toys at CostCo in addition to the ones here already. :) He's is the kindest man I know and always helping me out with this project !! :) Thank you so Dave and Linda !! :)
One of my long ago former employees, Mary (I call her Mary Mouse), has her own business Desert Rose Homeopathics & Herbals & she came up with the idea of me making a flyer, explaining what I do with the backpacks and my plans for Christmas for the Munchkins, along with a Wish List. She put a flyer in each of her customers paper bags when they made a purchase. One day I get a call from a really old lady and she mentioned the flyer from Mary and she wanted to help out, since her grandkids are well taken care of. She said it would be a very small amount. When she came by she gave me a check for $10.00. Judith felt so bad that it wasn't any more and I began to cry, I was so touched by her Kindness. She was quite happy when I told her that $10.00 will buy a huge box of oatmeal packets for the Munchkins for breakfast and off she went. It is stories like that I will carry in my heart forever. :) Thank you Judith !! :)
Another day Mary Mouse called and said that there was a lady in her shop who had lots of things for the Munchkins and food too and could she come over right away. I kept hearing the lady yelling in the background "I have A LOT". :) Debi and her husband Rick showed up with many, many items, like toys, books, etc., and a whole bunch of food to stuff in the backpacks too. Debi wanted me to know the story of how she got the money together to do this for the kids. :) She said that this year when she went Christmas shopping for her family and friends, she only bought half of what she normally would have and she used the other half to get items for the Munchkins. Debi donated so many wonderful things that made the gift bags so much more special for each child. What a joy that was and what a magical story !! :) Thank you Debi !! :)
I felt like Santa, checking the lists once and checking them twice and making sure that everything was here by the time we began wrapping the gifts on December 21st. :)
Trader Joe's donated a bunch of paper sacks so we could keep all the gifts for each child separate and could write their names on the front of each sack. :)
If you would have been a mouse, you would have been in awe of all the wrapping, cutting, taping, and admiring that was done that afternoon. :) We were nine elves and we got it all done in a little more than two hours. Plus, new friends made made and old ones were rekindled. :) Thank you so much for all the beautiful wrapping jobs Blanca, Lino, Inna, Orlando, Marilyn, Pat, Debra, and Jhan, and for bringing extra paper, ribbon, tape and scissors too. You all were awesome !! :)
I have many pictures of all this, but again, my blog won't let me connect to the server. If there is anyone who knows how this can be done, please help me out. :) You would have to come here though, as I am not computer savvy and can't explain things. I so would love to share the photos with everyone. :)
A number of wonderful ladies baked cookies to put into the gift bags and we had lots of candy that we added too. :) Thank you Lydia, Lupe, Barbara, Bertha and Elena for making such beautiful cookie baggies for the kids, they all went in the big bags. Thank you also kindly Pat, Debra, Cheryl, Denise, Sarah, and Inna for your baked goods and candy donations !! Breanna's Girl Scout Troop also many baked cookies and the girls decorated them so sweetly & they also put together baggies of candy too. It was all so cute to see !! :) Thank you so much, girls !! :) And Sarah, those candy cane reindeer were absolutely adorable. :) Thank you bunches !! :)
Here is a special Thank You shout-out to everyone else who helped in one way or another: Jerri & Andy, Carlos, Pat, Jhan, Maria, Debra, Bill & Iris, Jane, Judy, Martin, Julia & Drew, Elizabeth, Nan, Steve, Sadie, Jill, Mark & Patty, Cheryl, Alison, Martha, Audrey, Myrna, and the whole Winers & Diners Club. :)
Every time a donation check was in my mailbox I jumped for joy and had a huge smile on my face on the way home. It meant there was something else I could do for the kids, but I also kept some reserve for food for the backpacks too. :) I am soooo grateful for all your Generosity and Kindness to make this whole First Annual Christmas Project possible for the Munchkins. :) There is so much Goodness in this world, it's amazing !! Thank you each and everyone of you for helping me to make this possible !! :) May you always be blessed in all ways !! :)
Karin
To be continued with Part 2 ....
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