Corn Gleaning Party: The House of Hendrix {Random Acts of Kindness}

Below is the next installment in the popular series on Random Acts of Kindness. Each month, a blogger shares the random acts of kindness they have committed with their little ones. You can visit the Random Acts of Kindness page to see previous installments of this series. You can also follow the Random Acts of Kindness Pinterest Board.

Today’s post comes to us from Alli of The House of Hendrix.  I am so pleased to have this wonderful story of kids who really do make a difference – and have fun doing it!

Thank you to Leanna for allowing me to visit through the Random Acts of Kindness series. It is a joy to be here.

When my daughter told me she wanted to take her friends corn gleaning for her 10th birthday, I was speechless for many reasons. Would other 10 year-old girls want to glean the hot fields of Florida?  Would they even know what gleaning was? Would they show up at 7am on a Saturday morning to drive 45 minutes to a field?

I challenged my daughter with beach and slumber party options before becoming incredibly thankful for the convictions of her heart. I’ve learned that a strong-willed child may sometimes be hard to parent but when you see it directed in the right direction, it is their greatest strength. They can change the world.

So corn gleaning it was! Gleaning is the process of going into fields that have already been harvested and picking the leftovers for the homeless and hungry. She invited 7 girls to her “Corn Gleaning celebration” and they all showed up!

We made special t-shirts for each friend.  We ate corn muffins and candy corn. We told corny jokes and laughed a lot!

The girls rocked it. They sweat, got dirty, scratched up and exhausted. They had a blast! They picked enough corn to fill the entire back of a pick up truck. They bagged it and then presented it to a gentleman in a truck who was taking it directly to a homeless shelter. That corn was going to feed the hungry that same night! Those girls left knowing they made a difference in the world beyond birthday cake.

I learned that the intentional opportunities we give our children to serve others… giving food to a man on the street, walking a dog for an elderly neighbor, or baking cookies to brighten somebody’s day, shape not only our children’s view of the world and their role in it, but the desires of their heart. They start to notice the needs around them and naturally want to meet those needs with active kindness. Our children learn the power of a smile, a helping hand, and a word of encouragement.  Let’s raise a generation confident that smalls act of kindness can change the world we live in.

For more information on finding farms in your area to fight hunger visit Society of St. Andrew: Gleaning America’s Fields.

We are the House of Hendrix, a family of where joy, imperfection, and grace abound. I have learned my family is not supposed to look like yours and, despite all of our imperfections, we have been blessed with great JOY. It is what I treasure most about our home.  I love to create and am continuously inspired.  I believe the thought behind a gift is more important than the gift itself. Together my husband and I want to live our life as a beautiful offering to God. We are the House of Hendrix.  You can also follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

You can see a full schedule of the posts in this series by visiting the main Random Acts of Kindness Challenge page. You can also follow the Random Acts of Kindness Pinterest Board.