My grandma in Georgia fell last week and hit her head. She was sent to the emergency room. I traveled down to visit her in the hospital. I used the money from my envelope to buy a family member a meal down in Georgia. It made me feel good to buy a meal for someone who was upset and scared for my grandma. That cheered them up and they were very thankful.

~Richmond Whittington

Carol and I combined our envelopes with a total combined amount of $70 dollars. We prayed that God would lead us to someone who had a need. We picked a friend who has medical complications and transportation issues. Her car needs engine mounts and she needs her car to go back and forth to her doctors for MRI scans and other tests as they try to determine what is going on with her body. She recently lost her husband to lung disease.

~David and Carol Thornton

I gave the $50 that I received in the envelope to help a family of a dear friend of mine that passed away very suddenly last weekend.

~Brynn Hodge

Leanna and I combined ours and gave it to the next few people in line at Shelli’s. The simple act of carrying around an extra $10 and $20 for a few weeks made us more aware of the people around us, and how we can be blessings to them.

~Chad and Leanna Sowards

I had a custom plaque made for Julie Gray in memory of her father. I used the $50 I received to commission my kid’s cub master and her husband to create the plaque (Emily & Randy, respectively). I had an idea in my mind of what might work, based on the obituary, and they helped me design and create the piece. I had the design include hammers because of history working at Home Depot and the hammers have the Avenue logo. I wanted to create something special and unique for Julie that helps remind her of the community at Avenue, always standing behind her. Emily and Randy were also very grateful for the opportunity to share their skillset, as this is their first commissioned piece. I learned that doing something kind feels better when there’s thought behind it and commissioning someone who shares my beliefs makes it feel even better.

~Amanda Kemp

We were treated to a nice dinner out by some friends and decided to return the favor of generosity by leaving a nice cash tip for our server. The tip was around $50 total. He was a young kid and was very attentive and kind to us. We left before we could see his reaction, but I’m sure he was surprised. It felt really good to be able to bless someone financially who wasn’t expecting it. We want to find more opportunities to do that in the future!

~Alex and Marie Marshall

Tony and I combined our envelopes (10 + 50), matched the dollar amount, and donated it to the Journey Home. We are excited about their new facility which will continue to serve the homeless population in Murfreesboro.

~Sue and Tony Vicari

We made 4 teachers' gift bags and added homemade cards to go along. To experience this with the entire family left an eternal mark in our hearts. Each night around the table we spoke of ways to use the money. Then, on the last night, we prayed, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening”. Two of our children approached us privately the next day, saying, “God had spoken to them”. Where they were once divided in ideas, they became united! In doing this together, we gained new perspective on the multi lenses of stewardship.

~The Stambovsky Family

At first, I thought I might give it to the MusiCares Foundation for victims of the wildfires in California. I wasn't wholly convinced that's what I needed to do, though. A couple of weeks later, a teacher at my school told me that another teacher was out again due to a recurring sickness, and he was collecting money for food cards for her. Something immediately felt like that's where the money should go. So that's what I did. Thanks for allowing us to invest in the lives of others!

~Marcus Lyons

Rob & I combined our amounts. We sat and discussed the best way we could to use this beautiful offering to do good. Declan recommended we do blessings bags for the homeless. We went to the store and bought blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, some tuna/chicken/pork in pouches, some fruit cups, soap, wipes, and some other personal care items. We put them in bags and waiting for God to call us to share this particular blessing. Today, 2/24/25, we saw a woman on corner with a sign asking for a blessing and we stopped. Her name is Janet and her son, Shannon, are homeless. Shannon has stage 4 cancer and he is 47 years old. He is in a halfway house because of his diagnosis. We gave them the 2 blessings bags we made and we prayed over her and her son. Declan was beaming that he got to make a difference in someone's life and help them with some food and comfort. I got the chance to show my son what kindness can mean to someone who is going through hard times. I got to explain to him how blessed we are and how we can help to bless others. Thank you for the chance to do this and show my boys what blessings can do!

~The Murphy Family

Within my dad’s 7 months of being hospitalized, he has had hundreds of different hands care for him. When he was transferred to his current floor in the hospital, we had just gotten a devastating diagnosis and he had just become fully paralyzed along with it. There was a patient care technician that was so incredibly kind to him on his first night at the facility. He went above and beyond to help feed my dad, shave his face, and do everything he could to make him feel a bit of normalcy. After 6 weeks on this particular floor in the hospital, if Jacob is there, he still does everything he can for my dad, even if he’s not his assigned patient. Compassion in caregiving isn’t always common, but Jacob has the heart of a servant, and has from the moment that we met him. I have watched him care for other patients this way too. I have carried our Avenue envelope to west TN several times waiting for my “this is it” moment. There were several times I almost handed it to a stranger, but felt like I needed to wait. I even taped it to our door for a Walmart delivery person to bless them, and they forgot to grab it. During my last visit with my dad this past week, I saw Jacob using his own money to buy a patient a snack, and realized why I held on to our envelope for so long. I knew it was for him! I purchased a card and left cash in it for Jacob to have along with scripture. We know he is in an underpaid and under appreciated position as a patient care technician, and we pray it blesses him in the way he has blessed us.

~Tyler and Jessie Coday

I donated to the Stepping Stones Homeless Shelter on Old Salem. I wanted to give to someone who would've been in need. Thanks for the opportunity to do this.

~Rick Tierney

Our family decided to help our next-door neighbor, whose father is passing away. We thought the $30 would assist with a meal for his family. It went well; they were very appreciative. We learned that someone can always benefit from comfort and assistance in their time of need.

~ The Brown Family