The Gift
Touch Someone's Heart

Each member of the Brookings First United Methodist Church was given a gift by an anonymous donor. The congregation was instructed to take the gift and touch someone's heart by December 25, 2009.

Once you've your gift to touch someone's heart, please write us, call us, or e-mail us with your story. Do not include the recipient's name in order to protect their anonymity. Your name will also be kept anonymous.

Also, if you are the recipient of someone's gift, and wish to tell how the gift touched you, feel free to submit your side of the story here.

The stories will be posted on this page. Come back and find out how your fellow members used their gift to touch someone's heart.

Submit your story by:
    - E-mail to
The Stories
Posted 12-31-09
For our "Gift" we decided to add enough to purchase the $125 cooking package for the solar ovens that will be sent to Haiti!
We were worried that we would not get to use our "gift" before the end of the year. we ended up going through St Peter, MN, and stopped at the econo foods. At this business they had bags for purchase that contained various foodstuffs that would be donated to the local food pantry for those in the area. The bags were $10 each, so we bought two - choosing to double the "gift". We will never know the lives that we have touched, but we know that it will make a difference.
Posted 12-29-09
I gave mine and my husband's to a couple who are jobless, searching for new employment. They turned around and bought the gifts they needed for the bus driver, the teacher and the $3 gift exchange their daughter needed at school, and another exchange gift needed at a christmas party.
A friend added his gift to mine so I phoned the high school to see if there was any student athlete who needed some help with either fees or lunches while at meets. I ended up dontating to the debate team to cover some miscellaneous costs (sometimes a student needs a tie) and also to a wrestling student who works everyday after school to help his family make ends meet and has a hard time covering his own costs.
We pondered and pondered what we should do with “The Gift.” As others have expressed, there are so many people and places that need help, especially during the winter. We explained the rules of The Gift to our grandchildren, and they wanted to be a part, too. So along with The Gift funds we all donated to the Backpack Project. I shudder to think of the children, yes, even here in Brookings, SD, who are hungry more often than not.

Thanks so much to the giver of “The Gift”. Our awareness level of those in need is so much greater than before. It was a humbling lesson. We are so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to remember what Christmas is really all about. We are so blessed.
Posted 12-28-09
Our search for the best choice of a person to receive 'the gift' led us to a young lady who is new to Brookings. She is pregnant and facing the prospect of being a single mom. We pooled and added to our family 'gift money' and arranged to meet the expectant mother and a family member. We delivered 'the gift' and told them about FUMC and the Harvest Table program. They were very thankful for 'the gift' and the Harvest Table information.
We used part of our Gift and gave it to our newspaper man and the other half to the building fund. What a wonderful idea someone had!
We were "challenged" by the gift and what could be done with only $10. There was much discussion as to what to do with the money. The trouble is there are so many ways, so many people and so many organizations to donate to. We decided that we would help someone locally. There is a lady in our town who is recently widowed and raising her two teen age boys. She herself has recently suffered a slight stroke and is at home recuperating. Needless to say we added to the $10 and bought a turkey and all the trimmings so that a Christmas meal could be enjoyed. She was very pleased and appreciative with the gift.

Thank you to the donor for challenging us and making us see outside our everyday life.

Thank you also, for the new family tradition.
Our family pooled our money and added some of our own to give to a friend who is a single parent. She struggles monthly to make ends meet and currently is facing the added burden of mounting medical bills. I dropped our Gift, wrapped in a package, at her home on Dec. 23. When she returned home from work, she immediately called to express her gratitude. She said the Gift was like an angel had answered her prayers because all day at work she had been worrying about her finances. She had no money - not even a dollar in cash - and her car's gas tank was running low and she had hoped to buy a few more groceries for the Christmas holiday. She said the Gift brought tears to her eyes and she wanted our family to know how very much it meant to her. That truly was one of my best gifts this Christmas.

Our family wishes to express our heartfelt appreciation to the anonymous donors who prompted this exercise in generosity and kindness. "May God bless us, everyone."
Dear United Methodist Church family, we have run into financial difficulties this year and have fallen behind in our pledge to you. After considering several options for our "Gift" money, we have decided to give it to our building fund at FUMC. We also pledge to make up the money we pledged and were unable to honor this year...hopefully in the next year or two. Merry Christmas.
There is a single father in our community with three small girls who I admire because of his drive, his ability to make ends meet, to live within his means and to keep his daughters clothed and smiling. I added to my gift and put it all in a card, signed it from Santa and mailed it to this special father. Thank you for this opportunity. I will never forget it as touched my heart while touching a family's as well.
This gift was in fact, a "gift" to our family! Our girls really enjoyed giving their money to the Humane Society. My husband and I used ours to give to the cleaning woman at his job who sends almost everything she earns to her family in Mexico. She hasn't seen her sons in 5 years and she calls them once a week. So my husband gave the money to her to make extra long phone calls to her family over the holidays. It was the best part of our entire Christmas and has reminded our family again of the absolute power and joy of giving. Thank you!
My "Gift" has been given to not only touch someone's heart but the concept of the "Gift" has greatly touched our hearts. Thank you to the donors for instilling in us the true gift of Christmas and helping us assure that Christmas comes to everyone this year, reminding us, as Pastor Teri said, that a "Gift" is so much "more" than a box. I have given my "Gift" and "more" to help 2 other young givers of this "Gift" defray the high costs of mailing their "Gift" of stuffed Christmas stockings overseas to those in our armed forces spending Christmas away from home this year and to add to another young giver's "Gift" of baby necessities for a family anticipating the birth of a baby in the midst of a loss of job. Further embracing this spirit of giving, we also brought the "Gift" of Christmas to the residents of area assisted living and nursing homes on Christmas night, visibly touching their hearts through song. Thanks for helping both us and the recipients of this "Gift" find Christmas this year.
my dad and i put our money together and gave it to someone who was out of work to help with food, gas, or anything else they need.
Posted 12-24-09
I used the gift to buy flowers for a neighbor lady who is going through a divorce. She has a young boy in 1st grade. I know this simple gift will help her get through this difficult time in her life.
Our family used The Gift first to buy a new winter coat for a young sixth grade boy in Garden City, Kansas. And the rest of The Gift went to buy food gift certificates for four men from Advance who no longer have family in the area. Thank you to the anonymous donor for your kindness and generosity. I pray that this kind act has helped everyone in our congregation celebrate the true gift of Christmas.
A group of us were looking for someone deserving of 'the gift.' Through working together we found a single mother with 2 children that was living in abject poverty. She literally had nothing. We shopped for clothing and households goods. When 'the gifts' were received the mother commented, "I now have HOPE!" Her comment touched us and made us realize the real meaning of giving at Christmas. Thank-you for giving our group the opportunity of using this seed money to make a difference in someone's life!
Our family decided to help the furry “someone’s” this Christmas. Wal-mart donated $20, we pooled our money and came up with $50 and we added another $40 of our own money. We gave $30 to a friend whose horse got caught in some barbed wire fencing despite the surgery, but she had lost too much blood and died. With the other $80, we went shopping for the Humane Society. We were able to purchase 125 pounds of cat litter, 75 oz of dog treats, 28 cans of cat food, 16 rolls of paper towels and enough detergent to wash 264 loads of laundry.

God created all creatures, great and small and there is nothing more precious than the unconditional love an animal gives.

Thank you to the donor who allowed this to be possible! May everyone have a safe and blessed Christmas!
The hard part of the "challenge" was not locating a worthy cause to pass the money on to (Haiti Solar Oven Project), but the other part--"warming the cockles of someone's heart." Three individuals came to mind who deserve thanks for what they've been doing without any expectation of reward. I've given homemade bread and a personal thank you to two of the three so far. One of the persons, a downtown businessman has provided a welcoming hangout for teenage boys for over twenty years--all three of my kids plus a son-in-law sometimes still stop in whenever they've been in town. I hope that my visit with him fulfills the last part of the challenge--he was completely dumbfounded at my appreciation of something that he thought nobody (possibly including himself) had noticed. I'm thankful that someone pushed me into doing something that I should have done long ago for all those who have helped me out over the years.
I overheard a conversation between to young ladies I know and one was hoping to win a basket raffle so she could use the gift certificate in the basket to buy a new fishing pole. She said she always has to share a pole with her brothers. She did not win the basket, so I used my money to buy a fishing pole for her. It is black with pink on it and perfect for a young lady that loves to fish. Happy Holidays!!!
I gave my "Gift" to help a friend with medical costs for a chronic illness he struggles with.
I gave my Gift to a young mother with three children that found out her insurance would not cover the cost of the prescription she needed for her child. I "just happened" to be at the pharmacy at the same time.
I gave my gift to a friend from college who has been out of work for several months. His wife has medical problems so my heart went out to them. I had a nice visit with them this week and they were very appreciative of the gift. I added to the gift by doubling the amount and I gave a food item. My employer gives each employee a turkey at Thanksgiving and I still have my turkey from 2008 so I decided to give my new turkey to my friend and his wife who could make better use of it.
Posted 12-23-09
Our family gave The Gift to the Domestic Abuse Shelter and the Humane Society. I also gave The Gift to one of my coworker's in which her husband came down with a form of cancer. It really brightened my day by sharing the gift with her family as we have worked together for 10 years. She told me she wished she could buy her husband's health and that would be the greatest gift anyone could give but this gift was also pretty special. I know I warmed her day and we have that special bond. I also sent The Gift to one of my classmate's who had a baby 13 weeks early and has all the medical bills, stress of having to go back to work, and praying that her child makes it. With God, everything is possible and I know her son will grow into a beautiful little boy. Children are a precious gift from God. This gift has touched so many lives during this Christmas season. I am sure you have been blessed by hearing all the stories that have come from your warm generosity. There should be more people like you in the world as everyone needs a little help now and then.
I took the ten dollars and added quite a bit to it. I bought a Walmart gift card for my friend and [his] family. My friend got laid off a while back, and I have to imagine it is difficult for them to manage all the bills even though his wife still is employed. They have two kids, and unemployment compensation can't be much. I wrote them a letter, thanking them for all their friendship throughout the years, and put the gift card in the letter. They have been great friends of mine, and have been very generous to me throughout the years. I would have never given this gift without the ten dollars to get me motivated. It made Christmas meaningful for me.
Thank you for the gift. From our family of 4, I was the only one that was able to get to the church that Sunday. However, we matched the $10 from each family members and donated it to the Harvest Table.
It is said that it is more generous to give than to receive, but in this case the GIFT we received was the seed for extending our charitable giving. We found this "seed" a challenge, because there are so many possibilities -- thus we hung on to the $10 bills for a while until we could find what seemed right for us. One day, after reading the listing of delinquent real estate taxes in the newspaper, a familiar name came up -- a person who had once been a neighbor, has had a troubled life and is now a regular visitor at the Harvest Table. We paid the $48.12 tax bill and donated $100 to the Harvest Table. The generosity of those donors who planted the seed, has greatly increased our awareness of the needs of those around us. It has been a heart-warming, humbling and joyful experience for us.
We gave our gift to a local family in need because of illness.
Our thanks to the donor.
We combined our gift as a family and by working with our son's teacher we were able to get a winter coat and snow pants for a child that needed them and mittens for another.

Thank you for the opportunity to share a gift.
We are a family with two elementary school children, and we had a hard time deciding where to use our gift. There are so many people and places that could use the money so we finally settled on buying meals at a fast food place as that was our kids choice. We arranged with the manager to anonymously give our gift to the next customers that came in, while we sat near the front of the restaurant to watch the reactions. I would estimate that roughly 8 people had lunch with ‘the gift’ that day. Some of the recipients were very excited by this good fortune and others were very quiet. There was one middle aged woman with her teenage daughter who excited asked about who to thank, and an older gentleman who remarked that this was his second free meal this week. They all walked out with broad smiles on their faces. That in itself was a great gift.
Our search for the best choice of a person to receive ‘the gift’ led us to a young lady who is new to Brookings. She is pregnant and facing the prospect of being a single mom. We pooled and added to our family ‘gift money’ and arranged to meet the expectant mother and a family member. We delivered ‘the gift’ and told them about the FUMC Harvest Table program. They were very thankful for ‘the gift’ and the Harvest Table information.
I missed the Gift service, but I donated a HyVee gift card and cash for someone who has a need this Christmas! Thank you for the opportunity!
We combined our money and bought items for the Harvest Table.
We contacted a teacher at one of the elementary schools to ask if there was a child in need of a warm winter coat. Yes, there was. We pooled our money together as a family and purchased a coat, hat and gloves for this child and delivered it to the school office. I only know that his mother came to the office upon being told her son had something to pick up and she was very surprised and grateful. We are hoping that this child has a warmer winter and more fun on the playground making snowballs with nice, warm gloves!!!! Thank You so much for allowing us to touch someone’s life with THE GIFT.
My wife and I gave the gift money to an individual that we knew Would appreciate the gift. The gift was a card from a local supermarket That could be used as needed for grocerys or food from the food court.
THANX so much for the gift
Posted 12-22-09
Thank you for "The Gift" and the opportunity to touch someone's heart. We have decided to put our gift back into the Advent folder to help those who are in need in Brookings. Thank you to the anonymous giver who gave us all a chance to give back to someone.
I gave to a young mother with 2 young children and a large basket, well filled at the grocery store.
A year ago a gentleman gave me tickets to a movie asking that I give them to somebody who perhaps could not go to movies because of the cost. So I gave his tickets to a family of four; 2 parents and 2 children. They loved it as they saw "Hotel For Dogs". About a month ago they asked if I ever got tickets to movies because they hadn't been to a movie since and I told them I hadn't. So, when I received "The Gift", I immediately knew what I wanted to do! I was able to add to the Gift and buy 2 movie gift cards as the family has now grown to 7! They now have five children, which includes the 3 cousins they take care of, plus the aunt, uncle and their 2 children that they watch over. They were thrilled to receive the cards and said they were excited to see the next "Chipmunk" movie! Thank you for this opportunity to see God at work in our neighborhood!
Over the last week, two families have been pondering how to use this special gift. We decided to pool our money and matched it. We decided that we wanted to give a well deserved family in the area with a tight budget a fun night away together. We called the Ramada, that has a special waterpark, in Sioux Falls and explained about this special gift and that we wanted to purchase a room for the family. In speaking with the manager and explaining our situation the manager indicated that she could help by paying it forward and upgrade the room to a suite, provide all the wrist bands for the waterpark and give a $25 gift certificate for the restaurant that is located in the hotel.

Thanks so much to the giver of “The Gift”. We are so gratefully for this wonderful opportunity to remember what Christmas is really all about. God Bless.
We were not in church the Sunday the gift was distributed, but we wanted to be a part of this wonderful ministry. Our funds were sent to a young single mother with three children. This mother was diagnosed with leukemia three years ago, had a stem cell transplant, suffered a stroke resulting in partial loss of eye sight and many other complications. Her devotion and concern for her children is an inspiration as she continues to struggle with her health. Thanks for the GIFT to our church family...so many lives have been touched.
For several years now a member of our congregation has been fixing bikes that were left on the curb in the spring. Along with another gentleman, these two have been taking the bikes to the SD Indian Reservations and teaching the kids how to fix and maintain their two wheeled gifts of mobility.

These men figure the epidemic of obesity and diabetes which is decimating the people of the Reservations could be significantly curbed by helping the Indian kids get active.

In the same vein, these men have been scrounging up baseball equipment, and soccer balls, basket balls, footballs... responding to requests from Indian leaders for athletic equipment. What is more, these two white guys have been instrumental in helping people on several reservations develop ball leagues.

The epidemic of obesity and diabetes on the reservations and off, has been linked to too much TV and not enough physical activity. Others believe it could also help with their struggle against alcoholism and suicide.

Our family has donated our "gifts" to these men and their courageous effort to increase physical activity on our SD American Indian Reservations.
What a wonderful concept and motivator! I baked loaves of oatmeal yeast bread and delivered them to 6 families with meager incomes. I got so caught up in the fun of giving, I also gave cut flowers to individuals in assisted living and nursing homes. It was a heartwarming experience for me, but the lasting effect will be the visits with the people and the ongoing feelings and need they evoked. I was truly blessed by "The Gift". Thank you!
We had recently heard one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" tell his story about the needs of South Sudan. He has been in America since 2001 and is currently a student at SDSU. He is the founder of the project "Rebuilding South Sudan through Education". He recently returned to his home to oversee construction of a school building.

We chose to add to our "gift" to provide funds for a sewing machine so the local women can make school uniforms for their children and to provide funds for a micro-business. This will help girls wear uniforms as they attend school and see a future for themselves.
My sister and I pooled our money and also added to the gift. We purchased 7 bags of groceries and donated them to the Food Pantry. They were very grateful for our donation.

Thank you to the donors for giving us this opportunity to help people in need. Happy Holidays to all!!
After a few days of thinking about what we wished to do with the money we received, my husband and I shared our thoughts with each other and discovered that we independently had chosen the same recipient—The Domestic Abuse Shelter. In choosing the Shelter, we each expressed our desire to assist children as being the deciding factor in our choice. We therefore added some money to the $20 and sent it to the Shelter. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to participate in this experience.
We pooled our money as a family. We contacted Social Services to get in touch with a needy family. We put money with the gift we received in church to buy groceries for a holiday meal and some extra groceries and snacks for a single mother with two small girls. We also bought the girls warm pajamas and bedtime story books and bought the mother some warm slipper socks and bubble bath. We are thankful for the opportunity to put "The Gift" into action in our community. Thank You!
What do we (my wife and I) do with $20.00 that came to us out of the blue? After some deliberation, we contacted the Habitat for Humanity Office to find out if some of our Habitat friends may be in need of funds for Christmas dinner. By adding to the $20.00, we were able to provide two families with funds for groceries that should make their Christmas more enjoyable. Thanks to the donor for giving us the nudge to do something meaningful for Christmas.
Posted 12-21-09 or before
My son chose to give his gift to his birthmom. We decided to make a scrapbook for her with pictures from the first 5 years of his life with additional pages so she can add pictures later. It will be fun to hear her reaction to this!!!
When sharing about The Gift with friends who are not members of the congregation, they were touched and wanted to contribute. Our combined anonymous gift went to a single woman who is undergoing chemotherapy following lung cancer surgery. Giving is contagious!
What a wonderful idea! I gave my gift to my daughter. She had surgery this week and will not be able to work for some time. She needs more surgery soon and has no insurance. She is so grateful and wants to thank everyone involved. With God's Blessings...
I decided to double my gift and donate it to C.O.L.E.'s foundation. C.O.L.E.'s Foundation currently offers encouragement, support and prayer for children and adults who face cancer and other serious and life-threatening illnesses. I became aware of this non-profit organization after following a little boys illness journey on his caringbridge website. I have also decided to "adopt" a family through this organization and will now be their prayer-partner.
My husband and I decided to “inflate” our gifts. Purchased two $50 HyVee Gift cards and put in the envelopes with the original $10.00 GIFTs! (in case the recipient needed “cab” fare to get to HyVee). Took to Brookings Social Services which was very pleased to have this opportunity to GIVE to two families in need of food.
When we first received the gift at church Sunday, I could think of lots of people and groups that could use the money. But I didn't want to hurry into this. I wanted to invest some of my self, some of my time, into the gift. So I prayed about it and put the envelope in my Bible.

Several days later it came to me. Before I moved to Brookings, I had a wonderful neighbor. When his wife needed to be moved to a nursing home, he and I would visit her. I would bring my autoharp and he and I would sing for his wife and the others on her floor. He loved to sing. He helped me out in so many ways over the years. When I led a prayer group at our Methodist Church, there were Sundays when no one else showed up but him. He was there every Sunday! He is now in his 90's and is in a Watertown nursing home. I had thought of driving up to visit him but was putting it off. I am presently out of work and have not been doing extra driving because of the cost. It came to me to use the money for gas and for some delicious cookies like the one's his wife used to bake. Last Thursday I brought my autoharp and drove to visit him in Watertown. We had the greatest time!! I sang lots of old songs and hymns. He remembered the words to most of them and we sang and talked and laughed. It was such a blessing to hear him sing! He sounded great! The other residents enjoyed the music as well. I know for sure that my heart was blessed! I hope my friend's was also.

My deepest gratitude for those that gave us this wonderful opportunity to give this Christmas. Thank you!
We gave to a young person at a nursing home. I put a little with it, and gave her a gift card.
I have pondered for hours about what to do with The Gift. I thought of the Harvest Table. Always in need. I thought of the Humane Society. Always in Need. I thought of going to Social Services and have them select someone in need. My final decision though was the Abuse Shelter. I can't imagine having to be in such a place this time of the year. I am not a wealthy person but I am rich in love of family and God. I am truly blessed to have this church home and church family. I too have matched The Gift as I was inspired by the person buying the young family a meal.
After church that Sunday I came home & told my husband (he doesn't attend regularly) about "The Gift". He was very impressed by it. He started thinking of ideas so I thought I would let him come up with the idea but several days passed and he hadn't mentioned anything. So I took the money & bought a little something for the choir director & 2 pianists who shared such awesome talent with us for the cantata. But he had come up with an idea, too, he bought gift cards for 2 children of a friend who's family never seems to have very much. Both of us were touched by the donor's generosity & appreciated the "nudge" to share with others outside of immediate family. THANK YOU
As a married couple we combined our $10 gifts to make $20. We purchased $180.00+ of canned goods, baby items and soap which we donated to the Harvest Table Food Pantry.
What a thrill to have the opportunity to spend something on someone special who really needed a lift this time of year. The person I am talking about is in her 50's and is shunned by her family because she has some problems. Her family has treated her like she is someone they never want to see. I have a grandchild, who is her nephew, and she helped raise him when he was small as my son died and that boy spent many hours with her. Now years later, this boy has nothing to do with her anymore and I know she will not be invited to any of the family gatherings. So when I received the Gift I knew immediately that I should do something to make her Christmas special. We went to lunch and there were gifts for her and she felt really special. It gave me a special feeling and one which I should have had anyway, but the Gift made it more special and put me in the mood to help someone else. She came immediately to mind when I received the Gift and it has been fun to do. Thank you!
I gave some of my Gift money to the Brookings Humane Society and some of it to a family in Tracy who had a baby boy born 13 weeks too soon and only weighed 2 pounds and had so many other complications. I also gave some of my Gift to a friend's daughter who is dealing with cancer and had a very large tumor removed. So with the Gift, God's care and everyone's prayers, hearts will be warmed this season.
As we sat at coffee last Sunday in the basement of the church discussing what to do with the Gift we had been given during the service, thoughts turned to one of our own members who quietly does so much in our church--teaching classes, helping with youth activities, helping SDSU students, helping Native Americans through a bicycle mission, is a friend to many--and so much more. He has a chronic illness with many medical costs. Five of us combined our gifts to send to him to help defray some of these costs and to say thanks for what he does for others.
A man in his 60's who is a guest often served at Harvest Table, delivers papers for a living. We have gotten to know him as we helped at Harvest Table on various occasions. He supports a wife, step-daughter and close friend with his meager earnings and often has to come to the church to ask for assistance for money for gasoline. Four of us "pooled" our Gift money to buy him a gas card. This gift gave our family an opportunity to discuss the needs of others in our midst and reminded us of how much we have and how little others have. We are grateful to the giver for reminding us to help others in less fortunate circumstances.
We gave our Gift plus extra to Teen Challenge!
We doubled our Gift and gave two gifts...one to the Food Pantry and one to the Harvest Table!
My Gift money went to Heifer International!
We extended our Gift money and gave it to the Solar Oven Project!
One of my students at MMS shared with our counselors that they were having a hard time for Christmas. A single-parent is raising three daughters and shared with them that they may not be able to do Christmas this year. When I found out I spoke with the counselors and myself, my wife, and my mom put our money toward helping with presents. Thanks to the church for helping to make a struggling family even closer at Christmas.
After much soul searching. After getting over the selfishness of wanting to see a reaction. Our family has decided to make a donation to the My Neighbor program. Thanks to the donor, we will choose a different or maybe the same place/person to help our world either locally or worldwide. There are so many choices but all of this is making us so aware. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity.
We as a family pooled our gift together and added to it and bought food for a college student so she could have food during the Christmas break. Thanks for the opportunity to give twice this holiday season.
Our GIFT along with a donation from our family went to the Brookings Regional Humane Society. It is truly enjoyable to give to someone unexpectedly! God Bless!
I gave my gift to a person that had no money. That same day another person that had almost nothing gave me a cake she had baked from scratch. I was humbled and somewhat embarrassed by my lack of creativity.
My wife and I have decided to continue giving so that the gift will not only continue, but will grow.
As a family we pooled our money, matched it, and gave it to the Brookings BackPack Project. We have two children in school who are very aware of the fact that there are children in school who don’t have as much as they do, so they were excited to give the “Gift” to kids in their school. It is a great lesson in giving for our children!
My spouse and I pooled our "gift", added $50 to it and shared it between a person who had some illness and to help this person pay some bills and the other recipient is a sight impaired person, that was savings toward a "GPS" pocket device, that would vocally indicate where he/she was at when taking a walk. We checked with the Lions Club to see if additional funds are available to help purchase this rather expensive device. Thanks to the Gift for helping make our Christmas a lot better.
We received a card today with $10.00 in it from our daughter. We went to the grocery store and bought the makings for a ham dinner for a family that belongs to our church. They have three small children. They were transferred to our area about a year ago and about two months later, the company closed, leaving them without a job in an region that is currently experiencing an unemployment rate of 10 to 15%.
We gave our gift to a single mother of twins who just lost her job.
We decided that we would supplement each of our $10 gifts with $90 of our own. We called it our reverse tithe.

Two $100 Walmart gift cards were donated to needy families.
I used my gift for the “Drive-thru Difference” that Life 96.5 promotes. I printed the letter from the website then I went through the drive-up at a local fast food place. I had to wait a little while because there wasn’t a line. There were a couple of young men in the truck behind me. It was great to see the look on the face of the girl at the window. I couldn’t see the reaction of those behind me but I felt blessed being able to give someone this anonymous gift. Thank you for the opportunity.
My extended famly pooled our money (and added to it to double it) and gave it to a family at Head Start. None of us know who the family is which for me adds to the meaning.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to give. It is a wonderful opportunity to get outside of ourselves. Brookings and beyond will be greatly blessed due to this opportunity.

It is now our responsibility to continue this next year as well as during the year! God Bless!
I gave "The Gift" money to a woman who recently returned from overseas, has three children and was recently in a car accident. She was going to use it for warm clothes for her family.
Our family pooled our money to give to a project in Ethiopia called Care4kids.
This project will help buy clothes, toys, school supplies, and medical supplies to the orphans who will be housed in a new orphanage called Acacia Village.

This Gift is a fantastic idea. Thanks!!!
Those of you attending Pastor Teri's Advent Sunday School Class heard her tell about a couple without heat during the last cold spell -- and the runaround they were given (in spite of Teri's help). It seemed like maybe they could use a little unexpected joy during this beautiful season. Another member and I used our gifts, added a little extra and sent a $50 gift card to them.. Thank you for encouraging us to "think outside the box". Christmas Blessings to all of you!
Thank you for the opportunity to "pay it forward". My husband and I played Santa today by purchasing gifts for a single mom and her three children. We were thrilled to add to our gift so that this family could have a real Christmas and to let them know that someone cares.
I added to the gift and donated it to a Mother and her 3 children , for diapers and milk . She and her husband are separated, and she has no job.
What a wonderful gift I received on Sunday. Each day this week I have been thinking about how to pass the gift on. On Monday I received a request from Heifer International about two small boys living in Malawi who received a cow from Heifer and now are able to earn more than $100 monthly from milk sales. Because of the impact this made I'm sending a check to help buy another cow for another boy.

The more I thought about it, however, I also wanted to help someone closer to home. I know our church has an "emergency fund" that our pastors use on a daily basis for the needs of people in our community. So, I am also sharing some of "The Gift" to help replenish our emergency fund. Thank you for helping us to take the "Advent Conspiracy" seriously.
The gift was very interesting. I imagine there were people who struggled with finding someone to give it to. I had a different problem. I know of so many people that need a hand that I had to consider who to help. I decided to give it to a family that lost a daughter to cancer this year. I have donated to them before, but I sent this anonymously. I know $10 is not a large sum, but I wanted them to know that others care about them. Thanks for the opportunity to share with them. Happy Holidays
A friend and I put our money together and donated it to the Abbott House in Mitchell. An anonymous donor at the Abbott House matched our gift which brought the total to $80!
We pooled our money together - my fiance, his brother and myself - and purchased Children's Books and donated them to the SDSU Kindergarten. They are doing a study this past few week on Jan Brett so we added to their collection. I am going to school to become a teacher and thought about how I would feel receiving a gift for our classroom. It was a great honor to help out a school we have been attending, and sharing joy to others.
My brother and I put our money together and thought of the idea to buy Christmas gifts for my boyfriend and his friends who were recently deployed to the Middle East. We went to WalMart and bought Christmas stockings and filled them with lots of christmas goodies and candies and games. We wrote each person's name on their stocking and plan on mailing them tomorrow so they get there by Christmas. This is their first Christmas away from home and we know they will appreciate some holiday spirit being stationed so far away. Leaving so close to Christmas was very hard for all of them, so this gift will most definitely touch their hearts. Please keep our troops in your prayers this holiday season. God Bless America!
Thank you for the challenge to find someone who might enjoy something extra for Christmas. We first decided to match the gift so more could be purchased. Checking Wal-Mart we found the Project Joy tree and gift had been taken down. We discussed options to include the Food Pantry, Domestic, Abuse Shelter and Salvation Army, all entities that could help someone in need. Finally we decided to use our Gift money to buy presents for foster children as we discovered that they only receive one gift from Santa as there is limited funding. The agency also tries to arrange that each birth child of the foster parents receive one gift. We felt this was a great opportunity knowing of the trauma foster children already likely experience and the potential loneliness at this time of year. Thanks for the great concept and opportunity.
Our family of four pooled our money and gave it to a family in Meckling,S.D. who lost their house in a fire. They have absolutely nothing as far as possessions . They need everything, most of all our prayers. A special thank you to the people who donated this money and may they be richly blessed.
I left my gift at the church office Yesterday Dec15, I had gotten a Hy-vee gift card, So Teri if you know anyone that comes to the Harvest Table, or anyone in really need for it. And Thanks to the Donor that gave it.
Not being from your congregation, we were moved by the Register article to pass this idea along through our family that will be gathering for Christmas. We are giving a monetary gift to each of the six families coming to town and they will be instructed to come up with an idea as a family and report back to us. (And the gift grows and prospers!) This will give them a chance for family communication while they drive back to their homes in ND, MN and IA. We love the idea of how this gets adults and children to think outside of themselves and open their minds to the many creative possibilities of giving. Thank you for this gift of ‘opportunity’.
My son used his gift to pay for the car behind us at a fast food place.

The rest of our family took our gifts and a little more and made a donation to the Brookings Backpack project.

Thank you for the opportunity and the inspiration to share Gods grace in such a fun and meaningful way! Have a blessed Christmas.
I selected a young girl [nurse] in the project where I live. She has two small children and no visable daddy and was quite impressed with the GIFT. In a way I wanted her to know that this was no membership drive. I had introduced myself to her when she moved in so we were acquainted. [she is a Wesleyan]. She volunteered her church was attempting this type of gift.
I would like to donate my gift to the Harvest Table expenses. It seems like a good place to put it and I know the people who benefit will enjoy food, warmth and the feeling of love. Thank you for the nice gesture of the gift. It will be interesting how these gifts will touch many hearts and souls.
Merry Christmas!
I gave my gift to the CASA program and received a gift in return which I then gave to someone else. This Christmas Season, Wink's Jewelry wants to give back to the community by supporting CASA and after I gave to this cause, I received a beautiful beaded bracelet which I gave to the Harvest Table Christmas celebration so a child could chose it for their parent!
My newspaper delivery man is in his late 50s or early 60s. He is not very well dressed, missing about half of his teeth, but conscientious in his work. It would appear that he is not too many steps away from being a street person. I gave my gift to him. He was very gracious and appreciative. It was a gift to me!
An email had been circulated amongst local teachers asking for any used pots pans that were still in good condition for a family who had none. A family of five put their "Gift" money together and bought this family brand new pots and pans.
Four of us pooled our gifts and will give it to the Mark-It company to be equally matched and then given to the Back Pack Project.

The Mark-It company is the business created by the Marketing II class at the Multi. They sell and create business ads throughout the year. The students complete all aspects of running a business. They chose a community service project for December. They will match any donations given to the BackPack project. The match comes from the profit margin they make through their business.

So, we doubled your/our money, and it almost equals taking care of one student for half a year.

Thanks, as always, for your work and service.
After receiving my "gift" at church on Sunday, I went to a local restaurant for lunch. I met an acquaintance who had lost his wife earlier this year from cancer. I knew he had bills to pay and two children to support. His manufacturing job had reduced hours, so money was tight. When I finished lunch, I went to pay for my bill, and then mentioned to the manager of this restaurant of the "gift" from the church, and that I wanted to give him this gift plus $10 of my own to help pay this families bill today. The manager said he would do this, AND also pay the remainder of the bill so the family would not owe anything. I then began to pay my own bill, and the manager said that mine was also free courtesy of the restaurant because of what I did for this family.

What a joy to give, because you will also receive this joy of giving.
I took my gift and gave it to a single mother in our community. This mother is currently a student and works part time providing for the family. I know this gift will help them greatly during their first Christmas together. Thank You for this experience that you have given me.
We were happy to combine our gift with others and contribute the bounty to a member of the congregation who is in need. Thanks to those who whose thoughtful forsight inspired this endeavor.