A little while back we asked whether you might have something to donate to this year’s benefit auction. We hoped you would. We did not expect this. The response has been so generous that the roster is now full, the tables are overflowing, and we find ourselves in the happiest position a ministry can be in, which is simply overwhelmed by people’s kindness. So before anything else, thank you.
What has come in is a picture of this community in miniature. There are showstoppers, the kind of thing that makes you look twice, like a collection of signed Kansas City sports memorabilia that any fan would love to get their hands on. There are experiences to look forward to, from a photography session to a wine-tasting class for a crowd to a good old-fashioned fishing trip. And then there are the pieces that quietly say the most, like a handmade embroidered “Good Shepherd” wall hanging, heirloom hand-crocheted snowflake ornaments, a handmade nativity set, and a full gallon of homemade blackberry pie ice cream that someone made with their own hands. There is even something for the practical among us, from a set of cordless power tools to four cubic yards of topsoil delivered right to your door.
We love that range, because it tells the truth about how this works. The donated and the people who created items one evening at a time are doing the same thing. They are turning what they have into care for a child who needs it. Every one of these items, in the end, becomes something ordinary and essential in the life of a child in one of our shelters, a meal on the table or a safe night’s sleep. That is the quiet magic of an auction. Generosity gets to travel a very long way from where it started.
So what happens now? The giving of items is complete, and we are set. The next chapter belongs to everyone else, the bidders, and that is the part where you get to bring these treasures home and help send a child to school in the process. Our Give Hope, Give Home auction goes live October 25 and runs through November 8, when we will gather in person to close it out at Heart of Life Church in Garden City. There is nothing you need to do today except maybe mark the calendar and let yourself look forward to it.
In the weeks ahead we will pull back the curtain on some of these items and the people behind them, so there is more to come. For today, though, we just wanted to stop and say it plainly. Look what you did. Thank you for filling our tables, and for the love that every one of these gifts is wrapped in.
