I buckled my children into their car seats after a rainy day of delivering Thanksgiving dinners to families in North Fort Myers. On our way home, my son said these sweet words to my husband and me: “It feels good to do good, Mom.”
It’s been a tough season. Rising inflation, an uncertain economy, and a hurricane have all come with significant amounts of loss, conflict, setbacks, and challenges. For many families, it has felt like a major punch in the gut.
Overcoming hard times, though, builds resilience in us all. And we are grateful every day for our volunteers who make sure that nobody has to walk the journey alone.
Every time our volunteers host a child in their home, befriend a stranger through mentoring, or knock on a door to offer encouragement and support, it keeps that family strong. I think of one family in particular: Matthew, Shannon, and their three young children.
Shannon was eight months sober when the stress of the hurricane pushed her over the edge. It had been tough to make ends meet before, but the storm damage crushed her hope. She drove to the liquor store and bought a bottle to drink that afternoon.
Then, something she wasn’t expecting happened—one of our volunteers knocked on her door. Shannon was confused, and the volunteer looked her in the eyes and simply said, “I’m here for you.” When she realized the concern was genuine, it changed everything.
Shannon finally let her guard down and opened up about their family challenges. An authentic friendship formed between two neighbors. Later that night, Shannon poured that bottle down the drain.
This new friendship wasn’t promising to solve all of Matthew and Shannon’s problems, pay the bills, or replace their home. However, it gave them the emotional fuel to keep fighting for their family; to keep building resilience and strength.
Across Florida and nationwide, I see volunteers helping families in crisis turn their lives around. I see churches helping people find work before the holiday season, and providing job coaching and believing in people even when they don’t yet believe in themselves.
In dark times, we all have the opportunity to shine a light through our service. My son is right: it feels good to do good. There is still so much work to do, but together, I know we’ll get it done.
On behalf of Better Together, thank you for all you do. Happy Thanksgiving!
Megan Rose
CEO, Better Together
Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2022
