So many people are ready, willing and obedient to give. They will empty their closets, drawers, toys. When they go to their parents or grandparents, they will return with loads to donate. The giving of stuff has never been a concern. All people need is a little time to load their car with the plenty they have to share. Almost every Monday the Grace Klein Community front porch is filled with donations from the previous weekend. Pretty much every single day someone shows up to give something. Generosity is clearly understood in the concept of the Give and Take Room.
But, sometimes the taking is not so easy. Remember when we were five years old and our mamas taught us to share? We always split the cookie and our friend got one half and we got the other half. Or we had one bike and we took turns riding it. We intellectually understand that to share requires giving and taking. Yet, for some reason, the taking can be so difficult.
Common thought processes…
Save that for someone with less than me. I don’t need anything. How could I take from the give and take room? I have money to go buy what my family needs. Isn’t that stuff old and gross? The give and take room doesn’t have what we need.
Today, consider turning your mind upside down on the concept of the Give and Take Room.
1. We all have something to give.
(Those pants are too big because of weight lost, my kid reads more advanced books now, my husband doesn’t wear ties anymore.)
2. We all need something.
(Cardboard for a science fair project, stationary for thank you notes, a black pair of shoes for an unexpected funeral.)
3. Our hearts are open to sharing.
(Our mindset can change. A Give and Take Room means that my family gives and takes. We contribute to the needs of other families and they contribute to the needs of my family.)
4. If we have money and don’t use it to buy stuff, we have more money to give away for Kingdom purposes.
(Most families spend a minimum of $100 a month on clothing. $1200 saved in one year would cover the cost of 40 food boxes that each feed a family of four for a week.)
5. Our family needs stuff from time to time.
(We all say we don’t need anything, but our coffee pot breaks and we go to the store and buy a new one. We don’t think about checking the Give and Take Room where three coffee pots were donated a few days before and better than the one you originally had.)
6. Kids grow and always need new clothing.
(Why not trade clothing instead of constantly spending money to replace wardrobes that only last a few months. Kids grow fast and those pants we bought last week are already “high waters.”)
7. The stuff from the Give and Take Room is not old and gross.
(Many of us are the givers of that donation room and 95% of the items given are not old or gross. And if an old or gross item sneaks into one of the donation bags, we get rid of it. No one wants old or gross.)
8. The Give and Take Room may have what we need AND what we want.
(We encourage all Grace Klein Community members to email a list of what you need/want to [email protected] and then take a few days to pray for the items you need/want to show up. The majority of the needs requested are donated right before the need is requested or a few days after the need is requested.)
9. Every used item is new to you.
(Any new item becomes old the first moment you use it. Imagine going to a free yard sale or thrift store and taking whatever you want. The concept actually exists and is open to you. Drop off what you don’t need and take what you do.)
10. We can help more people if we use the Give and Take Room instead of labeling it for “poor” people.
(Wherever we are sitting right now, we have to get it out of our minds that this room is only for poor people. If we all share, we all have more resources to give away. Let’s share some loot.)
We brainstormed about how to demonstrate the amazing clothing that is ours for the taking from the Give and Take Room and decided to ask a few community friends to model some of the clothing that they have taken from this amazing share room.
Check out how good they look in these shared clothing items. They won’t have to use their time or resources to go shopping because they found their clothing in the Give and Take Room.
Ali saved time and she was able to use that time to make some craft items she donated for an upcoming yard sale fundraiser for Kwathu Children’s Home. Some of the money she saved, through trading, will help send a mission team to Belize next week.
Joel and Gayle have been able to stretch their resources to help cover storage costs for books and technology equipment that will soon be shipped to the Leadership Experience for Beats and Books, an outreach that includes music and literacy.
