Meatball Open House - Nashville Rescue Mission Fundraiser

For a couple of years now, we've done a semi-sporadic Friday Night Meatballs with friends.  We got the idea from this blog, and we adapted it to fit our style.  Especially when our children were itty bitties, we felt we could never find time to catch up with friends - going out to a restaurant was daunting with the babes/tots - so we set up an e-mail list with all of our close friends and told 'em all we had space for 6 adults and any kiddos that come with them. The first to respond would have a spot at the table.  We'd supply meatballs and pasta (or whatever entree we felt like making), and they'd all help supply the rest.  The kids were free to make a mess and run around, and the adults were all psyched for a little grown-up interaction.  It is always fun because sometimes the group didn't know each other, but by the end of the night, everyone was friends.

Lately, though, our Meatball Nights have been fewer and far between due to work schedules and just general busyness that comes with the weekends nowadays, but they're always so much fun and great ways to catch up with old friends and have our friends meet new ones.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when my kids started reading a book called Be the Change, Make it Happen: Big and Small Ways Kids Can Make a Difference.
One of the suggestions was to host a charity fundraiser party.  The kiddos were immediately brainstorming ways we could make it happen!

So we decided to modify our next Meatball Night and turn it into an Open House so we could accommodate more folks and also serve more finger-type foods and hearty appetizers (so people can either call it a snack or turn it into dinner).  The kids made a donation jar so our friends- if they felt inclined- could put cash/spare change/a check to the Nashville Rescue Mission, the kids' charity of choice since they serve area homeless.

That's Kindergarten for "Nashville Rescue Mission Donations"

I was amazed with the turnout!  Friends from school, work, and life in general started pouring in to have a good time and unwind from a busy week.  But what, to me, was more incredible were the donations.  Kiddos came in with money from their own piggy banks or that they earned from doing chores or even cherished Tooth Fairy money from their first lost tooth.  Seeing the children - most of them my kids' ages and younger - being so generous was enough to make me say a prayer of thanksgiving that yes, it is possible to teach kindness, and these kiddos ARE making a difference.  In all, we raised almost $300 for the homeless.  And while that amount exceeded my expectations, I was seriously even more impressed with the giving hearts of our friends and their awesome children.

We plan on making a charity meatball event an annual happening.  It was so much fun to do, and it was a wonderful experience for my kids.  I'm looking forward to taking them to Nashville Rescue Mission with the funds they raised so they can see just where their proceeds are going towards.

Oh, and I didn't check yesterday's mail until this morning.  But can you believe that this was the first envelope in the pile?  I wouldn't doubt that that's God's way of saying "Thank you" or, at the very least, reminding us of how many people our little fundraiser will help feed during Easter.  (After doing the math, the answer is 134 meals and provisions - incredible!)

"'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'  And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25: 37-40)

The party was so much fun.  Everyone ate well, played well, and enjoyed each others' company.

Lissie, in particular, partied hard.  So much so that, while the party was still going on, she whispers to me that she's all done and put herself to bed, haha.

Many thanks to everyone who came and donated to the cause.  It was a wonderful learning experience for the children, and I'm looking forward to doing more!

EDITED TO ADD:

We donated our proceeds last Friday (3/3) to The Mission.  They loved hearing about our project.  Never mind that they got a few of the details wrong in their FB post, but how awesome is it that we ended up raising a whopping $349.72 (after a few last minute donations from friends who couldn't attend) to the homeless!  They said that'll feed over 150 people.  So proud of my kiddos and their amazing, giving hearts!

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