Giving Back for Christmas

I had the pleasure of organizing the 3rd annual "Blankets and Burritos" this past weekend in Washington, DC. This event involves gathering a group of friends/family, making a bunch of care packages, and then handing them out to homeless people. We had four volunteers this year and were able to make up about 40 care packages which included: ham/turkey sandwiches, Hot Hands hand warmers, water, assorted snacks, granola bars, candy, cookies, etc.

While our volunteer work was a good deed, it was sad to see how many homeless people there were in DC. We literally were able to hand everything out in 30-45 minutes and were disappointed when we couldn't assist many others looking for food/water.

The biggest take away for me, is to not take your current life situation for granted. Especially with Christmas coming up, it is important to recognize and value what you have: your friends, family, a warm home to live in and food to eat.

I feel like it is really easy, especially in the DC area where everyone is driven and motivated to lead successful careers and lives, to get caught up in the competition and lose sight of what is most important. I think volunteer opportunities like "Blankets and Burritos" help those less fortunate, but also help to bring us back to reality. Even if it is for only 30 minutes every now and again, it goes without saying it was an eye opening experience.

If you would like to volunteer sometime in the future, please become a member our Facebook group: DC Volunteering Group

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Kevin