Thanksgiving Thank Yous

If you are anything like me you like for things to feel complete. Certain foods require a side of coffee, birthdays should include time spent with parents and close friends, questions need to be answered, and results of big events need to be shared. Right? :-) We recently posted an article about our upcoming Thanksgiving Meal Kit give away where we planned to provide a turkey and all the for a tradition thanksgiving meal to 100 Kittrell families. This is the follow-up story. 

The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving we had 93 families scheduled to pick up a food box at Harvest View Church. More than 70 families were in attendance! As they sat in the HVC sanctuary listening to Christmas music while waiting for their names to be called, a church member sat and talked with them. Some shared their troubles. Some shared their joy of just getting hired for a seasonal job. All were covered in prayer. In a 2 hour time frame, during the crazy busy week of Thanksgiving, on a Tuesday night right before everyone leaves town to visit family, more that 70 families in our community were given bread for their bellies and their souls. That's kind of a big deal! 

So, to all those who volunteered in any way and to those who made donations, the "thank you" messages we received are for you.


"Thank you all for your generosity. :) Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! :) "

"Thanks.. Love you guys and if you're not helping nobody else.. You are definitely helping me... "

"Happy Thanksgiving " And thanks for everything 🎉"

Thank you, again, for the food. It was a true Godsend. I just moved to Murfreesboro and it's taken everything to move and set things up. I'm still trying to get set up, like getting the heat/air working. Thank you all so very much....it meant a lot to me. :)"


"Hi Jessica. First of all, thank ya'll so much for the Thanksgiving box. I was able to fix Thanksgiving dinner, even though it took me two days, cause I have to take frequent breaks between activities. Anyway, i was able to take dinner to my 85 year old father's house in Nashville, with both my sons and their children, so my Dad got to see his daughter, his only two grandsons and his only two great grandchildren. It was a good day."

"thank all of you for the food for thanksgiving it turned out so well , it was tbe first time in a long time i had all four of my kids an their families an a few friends that had no family to share our blessings with. It did my heart good to see them enjoy it so much . But now it all gone an nothing was wasted it was either eaten or taken home so i thank all of you from all of us for a wonderful thanksgiving .from the holder family an friends to all of you with helping hands."

*Food* for Thought

With the holiday season fast approaching it’s easy to get caught up in making our Christmas lists, planning family gatherings, and stocking up on stretchy pants for all the over eating we intend to do, but what about those who don’t know where that next meal will come from? Recently, at Jesus’ Helping Hands, we had visitors from Feed The Children. For many years we’ve been blessed to work with these fine folks and they wanted to spend some time with us meeting some of the families and children we serve. As we drove around the Kittrell community talking with various families there a few questions that each parent we talked to were asked. Is food a struggle for you? Do you ever run out? Do you ever go to bed hungry? Do your kids ever go to bed hungry? How would things be for you without the food pantry?  And if the questions alone weren't enough… there had to be answers…“I go to bed hungry but I never let my kids. Sometimes we run out and have to ask for help. I use coupons and a calculator to get 2 weeks out of my food stamps. If it weren't for Mr. Reed I don’t know what we would do.” We were only able to visit with a fraction of the families that regularly receive food from JHH, but I imagine more than we would like to think have similar struggles. What a reality check right? As bad as life can seem at times how often have you gone to bed hungry (without being on a diet)? How often have your kids had to share a lean cuisine just to have something to eat for dinner? How many of us wonder if this will be our last holiday season with our families? Recently we received this message from one of our regular families: "I have been really sick an my daughter is here with wayne an i, we really need help this month i have nothing all our money has been for gas an boost an ensure they think the cancer has returned want know for sure till next week . But i was wondering if we could come in the morning my fever broke last night an i can bring my daughter with me she lost her job to come help me an wayne . It seems the holidays are harder every year but we have faith to get us through them i got four people adults here an i cant pay them an they are taking care of wayne an me , please keep us in your prayers an we would line to come for your holiday services i dont know if this is going to be my last holiday , but can we come in the morning . I want u to know you have really made a difference in our lives an we would be honored to come to your service if u will pri nt me up a schedule i cant remember yuesterday anymore , i am scared i am not afraid to go but i dont want to leave wayne an he is my strength . God bless you an your good heart it means so much. Linda wayne i got four adults an three kids but we not alone , they can eat so much an my daughter with my guide ce can cook . Hope this finds you an yours well ...." 

Need to soak in that for a minute?

This month Harvest View Church will be joining forces with Jesus’ Helping Hands to provide a Thanksgiving meal kit to 100 Kittrell families. This kit will contain all the fixins for a traditional Thanksgiving meal from the turkey all the way to the pumpkin pie. We love this annual opportunity to partner with our home church where volunteers serve them coffee, sit and talk and pray with families as they wait to get their food box, and then help hand out the boxes. This meal may give them happy bellies, but what an incredible opportunity to show them love… to show them Jesus. Dinner rolls are great, but the bread of life is greater.

Overdue Update

It's funny how we start things like this with the best of intentions but as life happens they fall by the way side. We've been hanging onto a few things for a while now with the intent of sharing them, and what better time than a rainy windy day to remember how much we sometimes need "rain".

Each week we serve any where from 15 to 25 families, which may not seem like much, but for a mostly family run ministry open one day a week to pass out boxes and being on call the rest of the week to help provide and pick up massive amounts of food to distribute to other agencies, it's a pretty big undertaking. From the outside looking in, one might think the folks we serve are always grateful for what they are given but that's just not the case. Of course it isn't their approval or gratitude we seek in this ministry but it's is a sacred delight when we receive it. Here are a few cards and gifts we received from Thanksgiving 2014 to just last week. We hope you find as much encouragement in these simple gestures as we do. Enjoy!

Below are texts from one of the ladies we help. She has a few grown children and one that is disabled and lives with her. There's very little editing (only to remove names and phone numbers). This wonderful lady has been with us since she was diagnosed with cancer. We have seen her go through the treatments and now navigate the trials and sicknesses that follow. She is a great reminder of why we do what we do at JHH and also at Harvest View Church.

L: the juice an drinks have been a life saver for me its hard for me to eat withe those nine teeth cut out but Wayne an Ed love the variety we get from you I make a lot of stirfrys . but we really thank all of you its been hard an you have made it bearable we thank God for you an people like you that have hped us in many ways. May God bless each an everyone of you for walking with us I was cancer free 2/years the #8th day of April couldn't have done it without the prayers .faith. An help from your hearts thank you so much we are truly blessed to have y'all Our testimony 

you are all the help we get an appreciate it more than you know. I may be in centin8el with my hip replacement . just keep us in your Pryers please.

 I will I wish I could remember how to get back to your church. We would love to visit. We don't know a lot of people. But I can honestly say I have never felt so much love an fellowship. It did my heart so good . right now we don't have nice tings to wear an I have been trying for a while just to get W's new glasses an it seems we take two sreps forward an the devil knocks us back four. But through all we have endured its been people like you an your church that has kept us strong we have each other an 5he kindness an carding that has been shown by you an it gives you hope an faith that it could be worse an we thank God for people like you an your church. You have brought us through some rough times. Some days all I can do is drink the drinks we get from you o5herwise I couldn't afford anyes you are thought of everyday. 

 Not one day has sent by I haven't cried my eyes are sore tears of joy .sadness. An depression. To behind graterull. W can't get glasses on Tenn care but because I got med8care an Tenn care they pay for mine . I want go get cause I can't get Hus. I am sorry talking you4 ears off bu5 nonoby want to hear it. But like W says mom we gonna make it an we hav3 keep us in you4 prayers as we will you in ou4s., 

The Little Things

We've all heard at some point that it's the little things that matter most. How true that can be. It doesn't necessarily take a sonnet or a thank you note the length of a small novel to express your feelings or your thanks. Sometimes it's about taking a minute to write a short heartfelt thank you like the following messages.

We received the first one from a young mother of 3 who receives a food box and baby supplies on a monthly basis. Thank you K.J. for your "Thank You"
" Mr.Joel you have been so wonderful and careing and loving . You have helped my family so much . You remind me so much of my grandpa, Happy father's day"

The next message is also from a young single mom of 3. Thank you N.N. for your "Thank You."

"thank you very much for helping me an my children..it means so much. without your help i dont know what i would do..you're a very special man in my book...god does make good men and you have a good heart..thank u so much for helping me an my kids..happy fathers day to a wonderful and caring man.."

Making a difference, one family at a time.

TBT- The Hand Loading Days

Frozen boxes, freezing rain, and long lines of cars. These classics were taken in 1999 passing out cases of frozen goods in the parking lot of the Campus Twin (another throw back) opposite Fred's on Middle Tennessee Blvd. It always seemed to be cold when we did something like this... but at least those biscuits stayed frozen!

Hand Written Thanksgiving

This sweet note comes from a couple whom we also have the pleasure of attending church with. They are such a great example of selflessness. A friend of Sue's came up to one of our staff members at one of our Thanksgiving Basket giveaways to tell us what a small world it is. She told us that she had called Sue, knowing of Sue and Ole Man's struggles with money, earlier in the evening to tell her that she had heard of place giving away food baskets for Thanksgiving. She had offered to bring Sue along so that she might also get a food basket, but Sue turned the lady down and said that she had already made a commitment to help with a ministry at church that night. Of course when the lady arrived at Harvest View Church, where we were distributing the baskets, the first people she saw working were Ole Man and Sue.

I'm sure it almost goes without saying that Ole Man and Sue went home with their own Thanksgiving meal after helping that night, and fast forwarding a year and half later Ole Man and Sue are doing better financially and haven't needed as much assistance with food.
 Don't you just love stories like this?

Texting- The new Thank You note.

Sometimes in ministry one is amazed by the things people say and the way they act, and sometimes that amazement even comes from something good. At Jesus's Helping Hands we use call, voicemail, and text to schedule times for families to pick up their food boxes. We recently received the following text from a lady who has been receiving food for some time. A medical condition impares her ability to work making her available (although with limited means) to raise her 4 grandchildren. It's moments like this that remind us what a difference a box of food can make. "Jesus' Helping Hands) I want to thank everyone there that is involved in this organization. It really means the difference on alot of days as to having just enough to eat or having another dish with dinner. So i do want you ALL to know that the effort and love you all put forward is truly appreciated in out home.. now that we only have one income, it is almost impossible to have enough food after the bills are paid. And sometimes just getting the bread or the fruits and vegetables is really nice because the perishable goods always run out before the end of the month.. Again THANK YOU JESUS HELPING HANDS :-) J.C. and my family.. Just to let y'all know how much y'all mean to us." Thank you J.C. for this thoughtful message and for reminding us of why we do what we do.