Matthew and Lily
We literally were overwhelmed with a huge donation of great new toys and other items on Saturday from FOUR year-olds, Lily and Matthew.
We work everyday at receiving donations from some very remarkable people, lots of them children, but this donation was overwhelming for us. It was overwhelming not only for the volume of the things we received but for how and why they came to us. We were so busy the day they arrived we really didn’t get to hear the whole story. We emailed their mother and asked for details. What we got back was the best email in recent memory.
” Dear GiftsToGive, Thank you so much for all you do for our community. You truly bless so many lives on a daily basis. We are very lucky to have you and all the volunteers who put so much effort into making the lives of others so fulfilled.
We were leaving Market Basket recently and I gave each of my kids a dollar to put in the Salvation Army Bucket. While walking back to my car, Matthew asked “why do we always put money in the red bucket and get to ring the bell mom”. I explained to my kids that there are children/families in the world who don’t have the money to buy toys or food. I told them that by donating that money they helped a family in need to put dinner on the table and that they were a hero in someones eyes because of it. I also told them that by donating their old and or new unused toys that they were providing them to children who do not or may not have any. Matthew’s response was “I want to help feed children and buy them toys”. We decided that the kids would color pages from their coloring books and sell them for any donation that people would want to give. Their older brother Nick gave them $20!
All in all, our family and friends helped them raise $274.00 that Matthew and Lily had a blast spending on toys/gifts to donate to GiftsToGive. Thank you again for all that you do.
Very proud parents of Matthew and Lily.
Heidi & JC”
GiftsToGive’s CEO, Jim Stevens said – ” Show me a great kid and most times I’ll see a great parent or two right behind them. This story is not about the “stuff”.. it’s about children growing up with a value system and that we all have a responsibility to each other. One can only imagine what kind of a community we would have if there were more children like Matthew and Lily!