HOPE PREVENTS A MOTHER'S SUICIDE

Without skills or training, she had no way to feed her children. She had lost all hope. One of her neighbors saw her with the poison and discovered her intentions. This neighbor encouraged her to abandon her plan.

For several weeks, our local partners visited Lama and her children. They brought plenty of Food Paks and continued to encourage them.

Today, Lama is building a new life. She washes clothes for income and has even been able to save for educational supplies. She is planning for her children’s future.

This tender story clearly illustrates the desperation of many people who are suffering in this world. It's a reminder that a little food and someone looking out for you can dramatically change a situation.

A WAY TO SERVE

On Pastor Niran’s first visit to the alley, he met Prasett and his family. They welcomed him into their simple one-room shelter. Blue light streamed through the tarps and sheets hung against the walls. Pastor Niran sat with the family and recognized the signs of their poverty, but he was intrigued by a single, white bag hanging from a string attached to a board in the ceiling. He then noticed that the bag held the family’s food. As he talked more with the family, he learned about their lives and the difficulties they faced daily.

Then night fell and the surrounding city lights turned on. Their conversation changed as mosquitos began biting. Then the rats appeared. More and more rats scurried under the shelter in the sewage ditches, and some even came into the shelter. Now Pastor Niran understood why the family had to hang their food from a string. Before leaving that evening, Pastor Niran gave Prasett a Food Pak and arranged to return the next week.

Since that first visit, Pastor Niran has continued to visit Prasett and his family. He has also met other families through Prasett. He is giving food to more and more families in this impoverished, neglected corner of his city.

Pastor Niran is so thankful for the resources from Children’s Hunger Fund. He said, “Before the Food Paks, the families in the slum communities were hard to reach. But now with the Food Paks, many families know about us giving out food and are willing for us to help their families with the food.”

*not his actual name

WHY WE GIVE

Well, first, giving has been proven to contribute just as much to the well-being of the giver as that of the receiver. Studies demonstrate that charitable contributions create a response in the brain that elicits a surge of dopamine and endorphins that are experienced as “hedonic” and rewarding. Charitable giving can feel pleasurable in the deepest parts of your physiology.

Second, giving and getting your downline involved with the Foundation helps your USANA business by increasing retention. In the words of Deanna Waters, ”As we give, we receive. You know you’re making a difference around the world with whatever you can afford, whether it’s a dollar, ten or more, and that adds purpose to your business.”