A few months ago, I was on Facebook scrolling through my timeline and not really paying attention to what was being said. As I aimlessly clicked away, I came across a post from an old co-worker talking about a girl that she worked with at the airport. This young lady and her brother worked at the airport together as contract workers. They transported bags to be scanned by TSA while the bag belt was being repaired. 

My former co-worker,Regina (name has been changed) mentioned that one day she saw her eating her lunch and asked if it was good and if she was full? The young lady claimed it was good, but she was never really full. You see, she shared her lunch everyday with her brother because that was all they had. They both worked because their Mom could not. Times were tough, money was tight, and food was sparse. 

Feeling down, Regina decided she needed to do something. Having just bought her own lunch, a bagel sandwich, she ran to find the girl and give her the sandwich. The girl was so happy to have a sandwich and she immediately thanked Regina for the food and went off to share it with her brother. I was so touched by what Regina did, and so moved by the story, I decided I needed to do something as well. 

I quickly gathered up my things and without a second thought grabbed my purse and headed to Walmart. I didn't have much, myself but I could spare $40.00 and bought a gift card. I drove 40 minutes to the airport and looked for Regina. She was working a flight, so I called to the gate and spoke with her. Told her that I had a gift card for the girl and her brother. Regina was so shocked, she began to weep over the phone. 

I couldn't stick around for Regina, so I left the card where she could find it. I wasn't expecting to hear anything from her, but later that evening I had a message from her. She told me that when she was able to give the gift card to her, the young girl was stunned and tears began streaming down her face. She told Regina that earlier she was worried about where their next meal would come from. 

There was no food in the fridge and she didn't know what to do. When Regina had given her, her lunch, she had saved her half for her Mom. Now with the gift card, she would be able to get food for the family until she got paid again. The young girl could not believe that someone she didn't know would be so kind to her and not expect anything in return. My heart was full of joy and love. I was blessed to have been able to share something with this beautiful girl and so were other's that read the story. 

I love being able to help people when I can, but sometimes I'm not even sure where to begin. That's why I'm so happy for Giving Tuesday and for GiveForward. Giving Tuesday is when we are able to give back to anyone who you feel could use your help, and not expect anything in return. You give out of the goodness of your heart. It's a way to teach our families about the importance of giving, and the feeling you get when you know you've helped someone who needs it more than you.

Giving Tuesday is tomorrow 12/02/14 and GiveForward has made giving even easier. GiveForward offers people a way to set up an online Fundraiser and anyone can give to these. With your help, GivingForward has been able to raise $137,772,368.00.  This money has gone to help many different families, but there are so many more that need our help. It's so important to give back and if you want to give, you can check out GiveForward to see all of the people who are looking for our help. Just like the Shah family, who need help raising money for their young son's medical bills. Or, for Seth Mckinney, who is needing a new heart. 

There are so many people out there that need our help, so let's band together this GivingTuesday, and help those out there who are in need.