I Do Not Need Extra

You know – 20 million people is a lot. I mean… A LOT.

Now imagine all of those people with absolutely nothing to eat.

If you’re like me, you probably can’t. This, however, is reality. There are more than 20 million people suffering from severe famine in Africa. I am going to be really open in this post…

Lindsay Gladding, with World Vision Canada, wrote a blog the other day that, I won’t lie, totally wrecked me. She says this:

‘If I try to imagine what it would feel like to be a mom in Somalia right now, my heart breaks. I might be struggling to feed my child, not knowing if I would be able to find the next meal, or even worse, watching my child slowly starve to death in front of me with nothing I could do.’

We have it good here in North America. I mean I’ve been struggling with money lately. I am living with very high general expenses—thank you Toronto—and making income that just covers those expenses. So, when it comes to being asked to donate to certain causes, I think, ‘I shouldn’t because I need to pay off my small debt’ (that came from overspending on ’stuff) or ‘I shouldn’t because I ‘need’ to spend money when I go out for lunch with that person…‘

But then…just yesterday…I went to Walmart to pick up hand soap ($2). Guess what happened? I left $25 richer in groceries and NO HAND SOAP! (I get very distracted while shopping and this happens often)

I realized, however, that I just bought myself a few meals worth of food that were ‘extra’ for me – and I am claiming to be struggling to make ends meet. This turned into a realization that there are more than 20 million people in Africa that would do nearly anything to have my back-of-the-cupboard-extras that either go forgotten or thrown out. It also turned into the realization that I could definitely cut my grocery expenses in order to donate to help others get anything to put in their belly. In fact, I could cut down to 2 meals a day and still receive the nutrition I need to thrive. How dare we think this would be poverty.

Needless to say, this has been a humbling week for me. One where I have received a good kick in the pants. Motivation to budget better and be more disciplined in spending on ‘extra’, and motivation to put money where it matters.

If that doesn’t convince you – how about this: Donations to support ending the famine crisis are now being doubled by the Canadian Government. Go Canada! Where else could my money be given a 200% ROI and save lives. Seriously, though – think about it. If you decide to donate some of your working hours, it’s like getting a 100% raise.

I have decided to donate. Why? Because 20 million people need our help. Because parents are watching their children starve to death unable to do anything about it. Because I do not need extra. Because I can! So can you.

{Go to our HOMEPAGE and click the World Vision Canada banner to donate}