We had lunch at a great Mexican Restaurant – Abuela’s off of NW Miltary – and we also had two (2) tickets for Alamo Grandstand viewing seats for tonight’s Fiesta Flambeau- night Parade. Our waitress was so sweet and attentive, so we decided to give her our Parade viewing seats in honor of Pay it Forward Day!

Went to go eat.a homeless guy was out side tables eating a cup of chowder.my husband got him a crab melt and fries.the young couple next to us as they were leaving got him a cup of coffee

I collaborated with a local food store and multiple allergy-friendly product companies to donate a full bag of food to 10 local families! http://bit.ly/2HW4m9z

I bought a woman’s older daughter lunch as she was in the middle of taking care of her newborn and couldn’t get to the counter to place the order.

Good afternoon. My pay it forward story is about my wife Jaimey and I would like to tell you her story.

Four years ago My wife and I moved to West Seattle, a small bustling suburb of Seattle. In our commutes between West Seattle and Seattle often took us under the bridges that connect the small island suburb of Seattle. Under these bridges is where the majority of the Seattle homeless population calls home. My wife was horrified of the lack of city involvement to help these people out. More often then not the city would close down the camps and gate off the only areas this population could stay dry. So one day, disgusted by the amount of left overs we were about to throw away after Thanksgiving dinner, my wife looked at me and said lets heat up these leftovers, make a bunch of individual plates, gather up all the clothes we no longer wear or would otherwise donate to Goodwill and take them under the bridge. Mind you it was already dark. I thought she was crazy, but gave in to her and said ok. And so we did. Walking into what looked like an apocalyptic zombie war zone my first thoughts were of our safety. But that fear would soon turn into one of the most rewarding nights of my life. As we hit each camp, the people accepted our food and generosity and rewarded us with their stories. Some tragic, but for the most part just their stories. And they all shared. What we leaned is this population of our towns, our cities, our country, only take what they need. If they don’t they kindly say no thank you and pass. They only eat what they are given and don’t ask for more. They don’t ask for money, they don’t ask for help and they don’t ask for favors. That sparked us doing it every so often. Anytime we had more food then we needed which would typically go to waste. A year later I had to relocate for employment and we moved to a small mostly affluent island 50 miles North of Seattle. As you can imagine there isn’t much homeless population on this island. We mostly spent the first summer fixing up our new home and landscaping. But by the time that first winter hit, the hole in my wife’s heart re-opened when she realized we once again were living like most American’s, taking our comfortable life for granted and completely oblivious to our neighbors in the larger cities who were much less fortunate than us. One day she cooked up a huge pot of soup and said come on, were driving to Mount Vernon. A larger Washington city with a very large homeless population. And again so we did. And we spent the evening handing out hot soup and sandwiches on a cold rainy night listening to their stories and accepting their overwhelming gratitude. This became a weekly event for my wife and the word got out and now every Friday she cooks up a pot of soup, gathers up whatever clothes and blankets she could get people to donate to her, and heads off to Mount Vernon where she spends the afternoons. Her story has been told over many dinners we often have with our friends on the island and recently a friend motivated her to start her own non-profit organization to help her gain the resources she needs and to reach more people living on the streets. She just published her first ever blog. If you have time please visit it. If nothing more than to just say hi.

Her organization is called Strength in Numbers and you find it at strengthinnumbersnpo.com

I am paying it forward by starting a school lunch initiative in Charles County, Maryland to assist students who can’t afford to pay for their school lunches or breakfast, to pay for their meals. I submitted the below story in our local newspaper to challenge others to select a school in our County:

It is quite unfortunate that many children are turned away in school lunch lines or provided a substandard lunch, such as a cold cheese sandwich, due to their inability to pay. I have found this to be very heartbreaking and unacceptable. As a disabled veteran and divorced mother of two college students, who of course were school-aged children, it pangs me to hear of children not being able to afford breakfast or lunch at school . It often makes me wonder if the sustenance these children get at home is substandard as well. If children are not nourished properly, they can’t think properly and their efforts in school suffer. This is why I am starting “The Healthy and Thriving School Lunch Initiative” to help those children, who are challenged in this way, to be able to obtain a balanced meal while in school. My intent is to donate money to ensure that children who are enduring the challenge of not being able to eat a healthy, balanced meal at school, do not have to endure said challenge any longer. I have started with North Point High School and I challenge others to select a school in Charles County, after coordination with the Principal of said school(s), to do the same. Children are our future, and we must ensure that they are supported in every way possible so that they can thrive and be able to help make a difference in our community, and inevitably in the world. Please work with me to ensure that this initiative continues and is successful throughout Charles County. Feel free to contact me via e-mail at: ccschoolunch@yahoo.com with questions or ideas to ensure the success of this initiative!

This Saturday I helped clean the house by cleaning the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room because my mom has been meaning to clean, but just hasn’t had the time, so I decided to help her out and it was all worth it to see a smile on her beautiful face.