‘When we see someone hurting, we want to help’
“Whenever I’ve been in need, people have been there to do for me. That always touched me. And although I’ve gone through some difficult times, it’s made me a better, stronger person. It’s given me a greater heart. Mike and I have been so blessed. When we see someone hurting and needing assistance, we want to do everything we can to help.
“This past Christmas, there was one particular family really down on their luck. The wife works until 8:30-9 at night at a storage lot in Houston. The husband had a good job, but he got laid off when COVID hit. He had just gone back to work, but they cut his pay and hours. They live in an old, one-room office trailer. They have a 9-year-old boy and three babies under 18 months. One of the babies is theirs, and then they’re raising a little niece and nephew.
“So when we heard about them, we decided to adopt them for the holidays. We got them things like groceries and diapers. But we wanted to know what the kids would like for Christmas. The mom didn’t want to ask for anything. She said the babies could use a sippy cup from the dollar store, and the boy could use socks. Of course, we saw to it that they had a good Christmas. And we’ve continued helping them. Our neighborhood even helped us get more clothes for the kids and gift cards.
“I like helping anybody in need, especially people I can really relate to because they went through something similar to me. There was a young woman recently whose house burned down, and she was left with nothing. I bought her a little Bible and devotional book, and gave her a gift card so that she could go get what she wanted. I gave a card with my phone number and explained that I’d also been through having my house burn down, and that she was welcome to reach out for anything she needed or wanted to talk about.
“I just get more of a blessing out of doing for others than I do people doing for me. I know this is the work that God’s led me to do.”
— Brenda Meredith
Learn about those in need and how you can help on the LoveThyNeighbor – Chambers County Facebook page, organized by Chambers County Judge Blake Sylvia.
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