We have a partnership with a church a little further north of Florida City. This church was one of the first supporters of Branches when it opened it's doors about 16 years ago. Since then, their support has never ceased and actually only grown throughout the years. Early in November, they asked us to hand out flyers to all of our children and youth, (well over 100 in numbers) asking the kids what their favorite candies were, what size clothes they wear, what they wanted for Christmas, and who was someone in their family that they wanted to give a gift to. Now, I thought these flyers were guidelines for the church to take back with them to give them some ideas for 'a' gift for each child. I was wrong. The things that these kids wrote down is exactly what they got. They each got pants, a shirt, lots of candy, whatever gift they wanted and gifts to give their family members. And these overambitious children did not write down small things that they wanted for Christmas. One girl is learning to play the guitar from our pastor, so the church bought her an acoustic guitar. Another girl got a digital camera. I was shocked to see the generosity of these congregation members.
But, the gifts don't stop there. A graphic design company that has connections to Branches also did the same things for our kids. As did numerous families and organizations in the community. I couldn't believe the amount of gifts these children received. I know they were thankful and I know that this generosity is welcomed, especially in this time of our poor economy. But, what I couldn't help wonder is what the parents thought of all of this. I know they were extremely overjoyed to see the joy on their children's faces, but at the same time, I think I would feel a little slighted. These parents are migrant farm workers, taxi cab drivers, fast food service employees, fruit stand workers, etc. And that's IF they are lucky enough to have a job. Some of our families have 10-12 children living in a house built for 4. I can't help but wonder if they feel upset knowing they can't give these kinds of gifts to their children. Or, maybe they feel the love and joy of the Christmas spirit knowing their children can be provided for. It is a fine line, in my mind, of being upstaged verses thankful. Regardless, there's not much that our organization can do except thank God for people like these congregation members, these organizations that want to give back, these families that want to share their wealth, and for anonymous donors who give solely because they are moved by the Christmas spirit. Because of these people, it is truly a happy, blessed, and merry Christmas for our families down in south Florida.
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