Gilly and her 30th PB &J sandwich.

Kids making PB&J

Kids getting ready to pack the sandwiches.

A friend of mine, has started her own charity organization. Part of it, she helps feed homeless women and the other is to loan to help women start their own business. I was proud she was doing something so generous. This is her site www.ChicagoCAN.org

Last Saturday, we woke up and after breakfast, we started making 70 PB&J. I ran to Costco and bought the supplies. We were to supply PB&J, juice, and bags of chips for 70 women. Greg had soccer so he couldn't help at the beginning, so it was just Gilly and I for awhile. Gilly started off being all excited... because costco didn't sell Goober Jelly, we just basically spread one bread with peanut butter and the other side with grape jelly. By the time we were doing our 30th sandwich, the novelty of making PB&J was wearing off for Gilly. I had to encourage her to keep going on.. and finally I asked her.. "Gilly, we are dropping the food at tita's around noon. Do you think this will be someone's lunch or dinner?" She answered "dinner." Then I asked her how often does she get to eat PB&J for dinner. She whispered "never".. and I added "can you imagine those ladies having no choice but to eat PB&J for dinner. It suddenly dawn to her how sad it was... and how lucky she was. That did it, she quickly picked her cheerful spirit and started spreading the peanut butter on the bread again.

Greg came home to help us with the remaining and finally our Oma(german for grandma) came to finish the last 4 sandwiches. Oma needed her beauty sleep so it was excusable that a 73 year old lady comes over at 10 a.m.

Happily Greg and Gilly help pack the sandwiches being careful to not squash them... and then we trodded up to Tita's house to deliver the food. She later took the food to Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's soup kitchen in Chicago).

The kids wants to do it again and I would not hesitate to let them do it. I think they have learnt how lucky they are to have what they have... and to learn how to help those in need. We all at any time can be in the same predicament.

Did it cost alot.. No.. we spent about $53 and that included 2 unopen bottles of Peanut butter and grape jelly that could feed make another batch of sandwiches.