Bags of Love Gratitude Lunch

There are so many wonderful people in our communities throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan that give generously to Bags of Love in both their time and of their material resources.

After seven successful years of building Bags of Love for foster children, the Ryley Seventh-day Adventist Bags of Love chapter, together with the Camrose Seventh-day Adventist church, hosted a Gratitude Lunch honouring its many supporters. Bags of Love has quickly grown to a point where there are numerous organizations across the province and beyond that have chosen Bags of Love as their “charity of choice”.

In many cases, we had received donations without ever having face to face contact. This Gratitude Lunch gave us an opportunity to meet and thank in person the many people involved with making this one of our most successful outreach projects. Approximately 60 people attended from 20 different towns and villages, representing all sorts of denominations, organizations and occupations.

Highlights of the event included the amazing meal put on by the Camrose SDA Church, the presenters sharing their testimonies from all aspects of Bags of Love, and being able to show our supporters our setup for organizing donations and building Bags. We also provided a treat of donated material to our many quilting guild guests.

It was just wonderful to finally have the chance to meet some of these people for the first time and thank them in person. Also, it was exciting for them to meet other people who's passion has been Bags of Love as well. We are blessed for sure.

One thing we hadn't counted on at our Lunch was that, along with other donations, just over 200 quilts were donated to Bags of Love in ONE afternoon!!!!! We were in awe of the generosity of these wonderful people.

So, a quick recap. Six years ago we covered 4 Child Service offices. Now, thanks to our supporters and our sister Bags of Love Ponoka, we cover 22 Child Service Offices! Plus we are still able to reach out to new offices both in Alberta and Saskatchewan! We couldn't have done it without you!! To quote a social worker, "If you could only see the looks on these children's faces when they receive their bag."

As we continue to grow, we always want to ensure that no donation goes unrecognized, and that our supporters know how important they are to the continuation of this project. “In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thess 5:18.

Thank you for doing what you do, that gives hope and comfort to a troubled little person.