I don't understand this. in 2002 I lost everything I had in a house fire. The trauma of this eventually subsided (although sometimes I get up in the middle of the night in a panic and check every room), but the response from neighbors and strangers was life-changing for me.
The (used) donated clothes no longer fit me, some of them never did, but I refuse to throw them out. They hang in a "place of honor" in my closet next to my finest Sunday suits.
There was money collected, too, and it was a life saver. But I will NEVER forget when a family at our church had us over for a hot cooked meal and prayers. It was the best meal I ever had, although I can't remember what we ate. I was exhausted and at the end of my rope trying to "be the man" and hold the pieces of my family together while spending 10 hours a day in our burned out house clearing debris and doing an inventory for insurance. You have no idea how much a simple hot meal can mean to a person at that moment!
The baskets of toys for my kids, a perfect stranger gave us a microwave, those wonderful second-hand clothes. I cannot speak of that time without tears in my eyes; not because of the tragedy, but because for the first time in my life, I SAW the Holy Spirit with my own eyes. It is indeed glorious.
I cannot comment on the ingratitude you posted about. Such a thing is incomprehensible to me.
Your post brought tears to my eyes. God bless you.
I volunteer for The Society of Saint Vincent De Paul through my church. I've just about seen it all. The majority of folks we are able to help are very wonderful people who have just had a turn of bad luck. Occasionally, we do get taken. Some people have been scamming for years and are very good at it. Most of the time, when we find that we've been taken, I can feel ok about it because there are always children involved. I figure that, at least, we were able to help the kids in some way. But it's very easy to get burned out. We usually work for a year, then take a break.
And it's people like you and your story that keeps me going to take that next call. God bless you.