"Give to others, and it will be given to you"

I had an instinct to help all the poor people of this island, but I asked myself how? The question itself sounded more like an excuse, so I decided not to ask how. Just do something, I said to myself. On that note, this is what we are doing.

1. We don't want to support somebody's drug habit.
2. We don't want to support somebody's alcohol addiction.
3. We feed people in the streets of Santo Domingo.
4. We support kids to go to school by providing books and tuition support.
5. We don't preach the word of god, but instead provide hope and inspiration through god's grace.

Here is the team getting everything ready for our mission. To feed the hungry. Gisel Prepares the Rice & Beans George Helping with preparations Theodore Putting food on plates Theodore All ready for delivery Theodore Giving food to a poor boy We give them hope 5 days a week, and ask them to do the same when they have the opportunity.

I purchase rice and beans from the supermarket (Cost break down). We cook the food for an afternoon lunch. I pick up my son who is 7 years old from school in the afternoons. He packages the rice and beans into the Styrofoam. We then get into the car, and he helps me select the people who will receive a meal for free by driving through the city of Santo Domingo. We distribute the food 5 days every week.

It's easy to find the poor. They are in the streets trying to wash your windows, sell you fruit or candy, and most of the time just begging you to just spear a peso. They are good people like you and I who unfortunately did not have the basic things in life like a supporting parent or a roof over their heads. They range from 4-year-old children to 70-year-old men and women.

At first it scared me to reach out and give 1 peso to a poor person. Even when I give them food it always feels awkward. It is a mixed feeling between not wanting them to feel that I'm judging them, and the fear of them thinking that I pity them.

The other day I saw a boy that is always on the same corner washing windows for 1 peso. My son gave him a plate of rice and beans, but what followed amazed me. After receiving the plate of food, I watched him as my car was stopped at a red light. Instead of sitting down and eating his meal by himself, unselfishly he called over to another boy. They both found a piece of shade under a tree, and proceeded to eat together from the 1 plate of food that I gave the one boy.

People ask me why I do this? My answer is that I learn from them, and what better example then the story above. These simple acts of humanity gives me hope. The principle is called "LOVE", and ironically it is more often found amongst the people that don't have anything.

Ariela Lives in Shanti River Area Santo Domingo Age 14

We also realized through our own experience that education is the key to move forward in life. Like in any third world country, the public education system in the Dominican Republic is very deficient, unlike the private system that parallels any system in the developed world. On August 2004, we started the effort to try and help as many young people as we can to go to school. On September 2004 we started helping a bright 14 year old girl named Ariela to go to parochial private school (this is her story). We provided her with the registration and tuition fees as well as the books she needed to go to school. The school she is attending provides an excellent education, and we are sure that she will do very well. We hope that this small step will impact generations to come, since she will graduate high school with better possibilities to perform well in college, and get a better job than what her immediate family currently has. There are many other kids like this young girl that currently need support in the Dominican Republic. $530 US dollars a year covers registration, tuition and books for a young man or woman to go to school. That is all it takes to change someone's life for generations to come. Help us fight poverty through education.

You will not get money, a trophy, or a pat on the back for your efforts. You will only get something that will warm your heart. It's called "LOVE". You can do it, just don't give yourself an excuse. Instead of throwing out that extra plate of food, wrap it up, and give it to somebody who desperately needs it. That's how I started, and that's how my friends have started, and now it's your turn to join us. Drop me an e-mail when you get started, and I would be honored to put your name on my "Sharing the Love" list.

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