It is in Giving that we Receive

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill

I believe in the above quote, I think that one way to a happy, complete and satisfied life is through the giving of ourselves to others.  My name is Missy Pendleton and I have been involved in the Gold Ridge 4-H for 11 years and the Sebastopol FFA for 3 years'.  4-H has been a huge stepping stone for me; I have made many friends, taken on a lot of responsibilities, overcome my fears of talking to a group of people, developed a magnitude of leadership skills and most importantly it has groomed me for a path in life.

In 2012 I had a life changing experience, I contracted a very rare flesh eating bacteria and almost lost my life.  After being airlifted to Children's hospital in Oakland, I spent the summer there having 14 surgeries.  While I was in the hospital, I was overcome by the generosity of our community and complete strangers. I reaped the many benefits of donated items while in the hospital.  In addition, our community rallied around to support me and help my family in ways that were unimaginable.  Even though I had previously been active in community service activities, this incident made service an even bigger priority in life.  I think giving back to the community is not only self-fulfilling but also a way for me to say thank you to those that helped me.  Now I hope that I can help make a positive change in someone elses life and improve community conditions.

Community Service Project: Missy's Homeless Survival Pack Drive

Right now as we are experiencing a much earlier wet and cold winter, there's a huge need for tarps, sleeping bags, rain ponchos, rain boots, shoes, umbrellas, backpacks, hats, gloves, jackets...anything to keep people warm and dry.

Please drop off:

Catholic Charities Family Support Center
465 A Street
Santa Rosa
9am-5pm, M-F 

Also if you'll mention that this is being donated on behalf of Missy's Homeless Survival Pack Drive, that would be helpful.  Catholic Charities is able to help provide shelter & housing for over 2500 homeless men, women and children.  Unfortunately, there are many that are on a waiting list and are unable to seek shelter.  These packs will be distributed to those individuals to help keep them warm during these inclement conditions. Share this flier for Missy's Homeless Survival Pack Drive at your work.

• The average age of residents in the family shelter is 12 years old
• Over 500 children and youth under the age of 24 called Catholic Charities home last year
• For every child they housed, 4 more were on the shelter waiting list
• 1 in 50 children in the US are homeless (~1.5 million children total)

For more information about their services, please visit Catholic Charities.