Summer of Service - week 5: serve those who serve

Welcome back to the weekly Summer of Service challenge!  Last week was a little more difficult for my kiddos.  It's hard giving away things but it's always, always, always worth it!  I encouraged them to donate an item for each year in age they are - Colby donated 13 things, Holden 10, and Hope had 4 things to give away.  You would think that Hope had it easiest since she only had to part with four things but it's hard to understand that others do without when you are so little.  But, they pulled together and got it done.  This little challenge has also encouraged me to clean out!  #OperationPurgeThisHouse is underway!  :)  Were you able to join us and donate a few things?  I would love to hear from you if you are serving alongside us this summer!

You can find previous challenges here - it's never too late to complete a challenge! :)

week one

week two
week three
week four

This week's theme is:  serve those who serve.  Around us every day are those that "serve" us as their occupation.  What are some ways that we can give back to let them know how much we appreciate all they do?

+ Doctors/Nurses - Katy at Queen of the Kings recently posted about donating books to their pediatrician's office.  This is a great way to give back to those that help keep our kiddos healthy (and also ties in nicely with last week!).  Thanks for the awesome idea, Katy!

+ Police - If you are out and about and run in to a police man/woman, stop and introduce your kiddos to them.  Let your kiddos ask them a couple of questions about why they love their job and before you leave, thank him or her for all they do.  Little eyes are always watching and seeing their parents thank someone will make them more likely to say thanks in the future.

+ Service Men/Women - Know someone serving our country?  Send them a goodie box filled with a few of their favorite things.  Or have your kiddos make "thank you" cards and send them to local veterans for their service to our country.

+ Post Office workers/mail delivery person/UPS driver - Have your kiddos draw them a card just to say, "have a great day!".  When you are in the business of delivering, I'm sure it's nice to be on the receiving end!  

+ Firefighters - Take a snack or meal to your local fire house to say "thank you" for all they do.

+ Waiter/Waitress - Leave a tip more than you normally would or simply write a message to the waiter/waitress and tell them why you thought they were doing a great job.  

+ Church Staff - Take snacks up to your church office or write a note telling them how much you appreciate all they do. 

It sounds like many of these ideas involve food - and most do.  But, many, if not all of these, can be completed simply by saying "thank you".  I know how easy it is to get consumed with our family schedules and forget to thank those that serve us every day.  It's my hope that our kiddos will start to notice and appreciate others without our prompting.  

We have a few things planned for this week!  What about you?  Do you know of others who serve who we could bless?  If so, share them in the comments section!

Join me on Instagram and tag your pictures with #soschallenge2015.  I would love to share what you guys are doing!  I love pulling inspiration from projects that others are working on so share, share, share!

I hope you'll join me!

Have a fabulous week!  Gig 'em and God bless! 

Holly

and come back on Wednesday for the Waiting on...Wednesday link-up - a place where you can link up what you are waiting on, going through, making, anything - as long as it's family-friendly!  :)  

AND...for the next 9 weeks, you can find a BONUS link-up here for summer family fun posts! There are 30 co-hosts so your post will get maximum exposure!!!  Feel free to link up both days!

Be sure you check out my FAVORITE link-ups page to see where I'm linking up today.  Stop by and show them some love! :)

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Much appreciation goes out to Emily from Morning Motivated Mom for featuring week 5 of our Summer of Service challenge! Thank you so much!