Touching Lives with Stonyfield

This year I was given the incredible opportunity to partner with Stonyfield and pay it forward. By showing generosity to those less fortunate then myself I was able to model the power of giving to my son. Raising a child whom is generous and compassionate is extremely important to my husband and myself.

We live in Southern California, a beautiful part of the country where the sun shines and the weather is always beautiful. Unfortunately, due to the cost of living there are an abundance of people and families whom don’t have homes.

As a small child, my family went through a period of time when we too were homeless. Despite my mother working as many as 4 separate jobs simultaneously we just couldn’t afford a home in Southern California. Over a two year period I slept on couches, under the dining room table, and even lived in an attic before we finally had a home to call our own. Despite our financial struggle, my mother always made of a point of teaching her children to give back. We volunteered at soup kitchens, visited rest homes for the elderly, and always donated any extra food or clothing that we could afford.

Although my time of need was short lived, the homeless have always held a special place in my heart and I take great joy in buying a meal for those whom need it. When Stonyfield presented me with the opportunity to give back, I immediately knew the community I wanted to help. More then anything homeless individuals just want to be seen, they want to be respected and treated as normal human beings.

On our journey to give back, first stop was the store. There we walked the aisles picking up a huge assortment of toiletries, snacks and treats to brighten their day. Anything that could bring comfort to a difficult situation.

Although my son is young, he was right there next to me as we shopped and assembled the care packages.  Then came the part I had waited for so earnestly. With the bags in hand we headed out on our mission to surprise the homeless individuals we met with packages of love.

To protect their privacy I didn’t take photos of us distributing the care packages. Taking a moment to shake their hand, acknowledge their name, and give them much-needed necessities was life-changing. The items in the care package were small, but the act of learning their story was priceless. Altogether we were able to make an imprint on the lives of 5 different individuals. It was so moving that we plan to make this giving back an annual tradition.

Thank you Stonyfield!