My family had our share of hardships this year beginning in mid March when, as the sole bread winner of the family, I suddenly lost my job. Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise. I had time to be involved in all of the activities my son was involved in his senior year in High School and also time to pack and plan to send both of our children off to different colleges in the Fall. I couldn’t have done everything I did had I still been working the grueling retail schedule I was on.

My “hobby” and sideline is web design and hosting. With the help of the Genesis framework and Studiopress themes, some new clients helped get us through the difficult months. Then in October I heard of a local group of people who had started a food drive last year and were looking to step up their efforts for 2011. The cause is a simple one; collect jars of peanut butter and jelly (or fluff) and deliver them to local food pantries for distribution. The group already had a facebook presence and I decided to assist them by donating a domain, website design and hosting to help “spread” the word. pbjdrive.com was launched in October with the drive scheduled for the month of November. In 2010, the group collected nearly 2000 jars of pb&j but this year with a more coordinated effort they collected a little over 8000 jars for needy families in Western New York.

It has been a blessing to watch how a simple, focused effort can truly change the lives of those in need and the lives of those involved.

May God Bless you and your family.

Colossians 3:17