Dear SoupFriends:Greetings from the SoupMan!
As the Executive Director of the SoupMobile I see all the donations that come into the SoupMobile. After all we are a charity and we absolutely rely on donations. We do NOT have a deep pocket donor (YET), nor are we under the umbrella of any church or other organization. Since the birth of the SoupMobile seven years ago I have seen donations come in all sizes, shapes and forms. Financially the smallest donation I ever received was 9 cents from a homeless man. On a higher scale we have been blessed with many donations in the hundreds and some in the thousands. Donations have included food, clothes, toys for homeless children and many other items.
This past Saturday we were blessed by a donation that I call a 'behind the scenes' donation. Mike O'Neal--Owner of Offices to Go donated a entire new office setup to the SoupMobile. I'm not talking about a few desks and chairs. I'm talking about a complete transformation of the front office at the SoupMobile. Mike's team came with cubicles, desks, file cabinets and chairs. When they finished they had taken the hodgepodge that was our old office and transformed it into an beautiful, streamlined and very functional workplace.
You might say, 'what's that got to do with feeding the homeless?' The simple answer is: A LOT!!! Even though we are a charity, we are also a business. In fact because we are a charity our paperwork load is more than normal. We need to satisfy a high standard of financial integrity with both the I.R.S. and our donors. To do that takes a smooth running office and to have that you need a workspace that makes that process go efficiently. A smooth running office sets the table (no pun intended) for a smooth running feeding operation. So did Mike's 'behind the scenes' donation feed anyone directly. Nope, it did not. However it did make a huge impact on our office operation which in turn makes all the difference in our feeding operation.
Lets chat a moment about Mike O'Neal. Simply said, he's 'Just a guy.' A guy that about 3 months ago was volunteering at the SoupMobile and noticed how incredibly un functional our front office space was. A 'guy' that asked us (we didn't ask him) if we would like to have our office redone. A 'guy' who would not accept a penny for either the equipment or the labor. A 'guy' who reluctantly agreed to let me publicize his donation. I had to explain to him that by the SoupMobile being able to publicize donations, it often encourages others to give. Mike got that concept, but he's 'Just a guy' who neither wants nor seeks publicity for his good works. By the way, this was not the first time Mike has blessed the SoupMobile, but that's a story for another day.
Over the last seven years we've had our fair share of 'Just a Guy's' and 'Just a Gal's' making their own special gifts to the SoupMobile. People who share in my dream of reaching out to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Yeah, Mike is 'Just a Guy', but one of many 'guys' and 'gals' who are the real heart and soul of the SoupMobile.
In a world where there seems to be too much hate, too much anger and too much greed, I am blessed to see givers who give in the true spirit of Jesus. The give because they can, because they care, and because they have the love of Jesus in them. I have always said that as Executive Director of the SoupMobile I have the best job on the planet. I 'get' to Feed HIS Sheep and I 'get' to be surrounded by 'guys' and 'gals' who have the most amazing kind and giving spirits. For me it just doesn't get any better than that.
May the Lord bless & keep you all.
Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.
