Almsgiving as a Family Throughout the Year

The Corporal Works of Mercy—feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless—can all be categorized with one powerful word: Almsgiving. We often associate that word with Lent, but the truth is people and organizations who serve those in need require assistance all year long.  

As Christians, we must love and care for those in our society who are in most need. That is why it is important to continue the practice of almsgiving year-round. On the Feast Day of Saint Stephen, we remember his role not only as the first Christian martyr but also as one of the first deacons! As a deacon, Saint Stephen was charged with giving alms to the poor and serving those in most need. On the Feast of Saint Stephen, December 26, make time to reflect upon how you can best serve our brothers and sisters in need.

We’ve asked a few families to share how they practice almsgiving all year long... 

My family practices almsgiving by keeping “care bags” in our vehicles. We often see people asking for help on street corners. We offer these bags to meet an immediate need in their day. 

To prepare, we fill gallon-sized bags with items like bottled water, tissues, protein snacks, clean socks, hand wipes, and often a prayer card. When there are only seconds to respond to someone, we hope the bags—even in a small way—respond to a physical and spiritual longing. This almsgiving we offer with hopes the Lord will make up for what we lack. 

 
Gina Fensterer writes for Blessed Is She and runs a small blog + shop of her own at SomedaySaints.com. She lives in Texas with her husband and six children. 

Our family has a large glass jar that sits near our dining room table. All our loose change goes in that jar throughout the year. Inspired by the book, The Christmas Jars, we look for a family to give the money to in December. It could be a local family that lost everything in a fire or a family facing a new cancer diagnosis with a GoFundMe. The goal is to give the money away while being anonymous (it can be a couple hundred dollars). Our children see us put our change in the jar and they follow suit, without complaining. 

Sarah Anne Carter (www.sarahannecarter.com) is the author of The Ring, Life After, and Orphan Wish Island. 

Once my children were old enough to be trusted to walk alongside my cart in the grocery store, I began involving them in helping our family give to others. When their schools or Scout troops held donation drives for canned goods, they would bring the list of suggested items and find those on the shelves in the store. At home, they’d help me pack up those cans and boxes for the donation. At other times, I would assign them a dollar amount and they could search for nonperishable foods totaling that amount to take to the food pantry donation box. 

Barb Szyszkiewicz, editor at CatholicMom.com and the author of The Handy Little Guide to Prayer and The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, available from Our Sunday Visitor.

We pay our kids, not for family chores, but for extra jobs. I pay my girls who are 12, 9, and 7 to read to or play games with our boys who are 5, 4, and 3.  Once a week-ish, we put the total money earned in a spreadsheet, which shows 10% for tithing, 10% for saving (saving up to buy something,) 10% for long-term investing, and 70% for spending.  They take the tithing money and put it in the offering basket at Mass. They're excited to do this and I love building a family culture that always gives our first 10% to the Lord. 

Sterling Jaquith (www.madeforgreatness.co) homeschools six kids and helps Catholic moms quiet the chaos in their minds so they can hear the Holy Spirit and live with more peace. 

 We have young children, so almsgiving has to be really tangible for them. We focus on giving from what we have to those who are in need. We go through our closets and toys to find things that are still in good shape, but we don’t use. I take my three-year-old with me when we donate to Catholic Charities so that she can interact with people at the distribution center and comprehend the concept a little bit better. And then we pray that the people who receive our things receive all that they need. 
 
Erica Campbell is the founder of Be A Heart, a Catholic lifestyle brand that shares hope and light.   

As a family, almsgiving has taken on a new and richer meaning as we guide the next generation in fraternal charity and what that looks like in daily life. During Lent, we strive to be more generous with our time, talent, and treasure. Our family has helped a food pantry plant potato slips in their fields, and we pick up shelf-stable food items at the grocery store to donate. In any act of almsgiving, we aim to discuss the “why” behind the act with our kids and focus on the love God calls us to have for one another. 
 

Mandy Mazzawi (www.subscribepage.com/mandymazzawi) has worn many hats, from science policy to non-profit advocacy, but by far her favorite roles are being mom to her 3 children ages 11-5, and wife to her husband Joe.