Written by Leesa Stephens – You should be completely tired of holiday music by now, but you still find yourself singing along with the store PA system.  All is “merry and bright” as you wrap up last minute gift buying.

Making your list and checking it twice… until the harried mother in front of you begins to dig frantically in her purse counting out one dollar bills and coming up short each time.

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It is decision time.  Do you help her out or look the other way while the sales associate begins to collect the items that she cannot pay for?

“I’ve got that,” you hear yourself say. The woman mouths a silent “Thank You” with big, tear-filled eyes, grabs her cart and goes on her way.

A warm feeling envelopes you as head to your car because you know that you have helped someone have a better day and maybe a better holiday. Then, as if a fog lifts from your eyes, you notice that are dozens of mothers like the one you just helped rushing past you into the store.  You see, as if for the first time, the senior adult couple struggling to put their groceries into a car that does not look like it will make the trip home.  And all of the children.  Can there be that many needy children?

Starting with Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season, our hearts often fill with generosity.  We tend to be more aware that our friends and neighbors sometimes struggle to have enough each month.

If you have the sense that you want to do something to help, then Good Samaritan Ministries would like to encourage you to give to help more than 900 Brown County families who suffer from the effects of poverty.

Good Samaritan Ministries has seven different hunger programs to assist those in need in Brown County. The Food Pantry provides grocery staples to families who may come once a month. Food for Thought distributes bags of weekend nutrition to more than 180 children each week on 12 Brown County campuses. The Deer Project partners hunters and area processors to provide lean venison that is distributed through the Food Pantry. The Pig Project purchases pigs from the Brown County Youth Fair to process into ground pork that will be shared through the Food Pantry. The Homebound Program works with other helping agencies to deliver boxes of nutritious food for senior adults who are at risk of malnutrition, Homeless boxes are available for homeless/transitional living clients that contain items that do not need to be heated or refrigerated. The newest hunger program, the Mobile Food Pantry delivers boxes of food to individuals living in remote areas of the county who cannot come in to the GSM offices due to health, financial or transportation limitations.

Good Samaritan Ministries also operates a Resale Store.  Donations of gently used and gently worn clothing, shoes and household items are sold at very low prices.  The proceeds from the Resale Store go to support the operations of the ministry.

End-of-the-year gifts are all tax deductible and can be a great way to wrap up your holiday blessings by being a blessing to others.  You can donate online at www.goodsambwd.org or mail donations to Good Samaritan Ministries, PO Box 1136, Brownwood, TX 76804.

Will you be a blessing to someone this holiday season?