Blessings in a Backpack
Sony Open in Hawaii

"I never get what I want!" I would cry in the middle of the cereal aisle, with my mom and a cart full of food at my adolescent side. As a child I thought I was deprived because I rarely got the name brand cereal. I would whine and moan because we could not get Lucky Charms. I find it interesting to re-play those frequent grocery scenes and realize that I never once considered not having breakfast at all. Going hungry simply was not in my realm of reality. But the sad truth is that so many children do go hungry - and eating Lucky Charms for any meal is something they would simply never consider. These kids are lucky to get any meal at any given time.

I do not have children but there are several close to me and I work with many in my frequent projects with the PGA TOUR Wives Association (PTWA). I cannot imagine their faces and not tear up thinking about them going hungry. To hear their tummies grumble with hunger pains would make my stomach churn with sickness. To think that they might show up at the school nurses offices on Monday complaining of sickness not knowing that they feel sick because they haven't eaten all weekend... I would do anything to take that pain away. Here is another reality - there are people that not only have the desire to change the world, as many of us do, they actually do anything to take the pain away. I have had the honor of working with one of these people. His name is Stan Curtis, founder of Blessings in a Backpack. A program that cures the grumbling tummy and curbs the Monday nurse visits. Simply put, Blessings is a program that feeds hungry children. Children that may not otherwise eat at all on the weekends were it not for the backpacks full of food they get every Friday. (For more information about Blessings in a Backpack, please visit their website at www.blessingsinabackpack.org.

The PTWA’s mission is to help needy children and their families. Needless to say, Blessings and PTWA is a perfect match. We have taken up sponsorship of Blessings programs in several schools and have thoroughly enjoyed school visits such as the most recent to Ke Kula 'o Samual M. Kamakau on Wednesday, January 12th during the Sony Open in Hawaii. Last year during the Sony Open we launched the program at Kamakau. During the visit the children told us we come as friends and leave as family. That really touched us so during a call to discuss our visit, Amy Wilson (PTWA President) asked, "What do we do with our families in our homes?" The answer was simple - we eat!

To show our appreciation and love for the beautiful keiki (Hawaiian for 'children'), we wanted to bring a special lunch and join them during their lunch hour. Twenty members of the PTWA along with Debi Rolfing (Mark and Debi Rolfing Foundation) and Stan Curtis jumped in vans and headed to the school. We ate, we laughed with the kids and then we got to work. The day before our visit, several of us met with Kauionalani Aki (Kamakau Director) to go over plans for the event. She informed us that she and one other woman would be filling the over 150 individual rice and oatmeal bags from the bulk bags they would be receiving later that evening*. Talk about dedication! We gladly took over that duty, along with 'stuffing' the rest of the food items into the bags. Our members had so much fun! These kinds of days are so fulfilling - when we are able to get our hands dirty and physically help.

When I was young my mom would tell me "it is better to give then to receive." I never fully understood what that meant until I actually started giving. I don't just mean tangibly or financially - I mean giving my time, showing people love and compassion. Giving something as simple as a smile could not only change a day, it could change a life. The chain of impact has endless possibilities. I have seen it happen. I have felt it and I have received it myself. Today I can honestly and shamelessly say that there is no better feeling than giving. I feel so blessed to have met the angels at Kamakau. I am so thankful that I have had this opportunity to give to them - because words cannot express what they have given to me.

*Kamakau has a healthy eating policy and Whole Foods provides the food (including the bulk rice) for this school's Blessing program.