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By NaNcy IglesIas

We live in a world with tremendous need. From the devastating effects of recent wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes to social and economic injustices around the world, almost daily, our newsfeeds are filled with the sad faces of people whose needs are too great for us to even understand. Sometimes, we don’t

really have to look any further than the people down our street, in our neighborhoods and in our communities. It is easy to become overwhelmed. We see so many needs, and even so many options to address them, that we might become frozen and do nothing. It might also be easy to believe that whatever small

resources we have to give - whether time, talent or treasure - will be little more than a drop in the bucket and won’t really make a difference. So where does that leave us? I have always loved the Starfish Story and the way it reminds us that while we can’t solve every problem, there is tremendous value in doing something that will make a difference to someone. Here is that story adapted from the original by Loren Eiseley.

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean

to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began

his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the

beach and saw someone moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the

thought of someone who would begin the day dancing on the beach and so

he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was

that of a young boy and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The

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young boy was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and

throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what

it is that you are doing?” The young boy paused, looked up, and replied

“Throwing starfish into the ocean.” “I must ask, then, why are you throwing

starfish into the ocean?” To this, the young boy replied, “The sun is up and

the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.” Upon hearing this,

the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there

are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You

can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and

threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference

for that one.”

With that story in mind, here are a few starfish stories I have recently run across that inspired me to keep on looking for ways to make a difference.

Starfish Issue #1 – World Hunger Every day 6,200 children die of

starvation around the world. Tens of thousands more do not have adequate nutrition to thrive and learn. Feed My

Starving Children (FMSC), founded and based in Minnesota, FMSC utilized nearly 1.1 million volunteers to pack more than 284 million meals in

2016. Those meals were shipped to more than 70 countries. With permanent packing sites in the Twin Cities and multiple mobile packing sites in southeastern Minnesota, FMSC is a great organization for families, businesses and community groups to come together to make a difference in world hunger. Just 25 cents pays for one meal. I read a story about a 14-year-old girl who was so inspired by her trip to a mobile packing site that she asked a local restaurant if she could play her harp on the week-ends to raise additional funds for FMSC. So far she has raised enough to feed 2 children for a year and she is still performing. I checked out the Facebook page of Feed My Starving Children. It didn’t really matter what city the meals were packed in, the resounding cheer was “Look what we did! We packed over 5000 meals in a day!” One mom posted that she had taken her son to one of the packing stations in honor of his eighth birthday. They were shocked to learn that just $80.00 can feed a child for a year. He can’t wait to go back. One of the things that I love the most is the variety of people who come to a packing event. From kindergarteners to senior citizens, from church youth groups to corporate bankers and everyone in between, there is room for almost everyone at a Feed My Starving Children packing table. For more info: www.fmsc.org

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Starfish Issue #2 - Substandard Housing

Habitat for Humanity International says they are working toward a day

when every family has a simple, decent and affordable home. Habitat believes they

are building more than just homes; they are building hope, they are building community.

Habitat is building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

Every year more two million people choose to volunteer with Habitat. Around

the world, one in four families live in poverty-level housing. Habitat is trying to change that. Since 1976, Habitat

has completed more than one million homes and provided improved housing for more than seven million people. Habitat acts as both the banker and the builder. Habitat homeowners make a monthly mortgage payment, then that money is turned around and recycled back into building more homes. And Habitat is not just about building new homes, many affiliates are doing neighborhood revitalization and critical home repairs in their communities. The good news is that you don’t have to be a carpenter to be useful on a Habitat work site. Habitat construction managers and job-site crew leaders are always available to provide leadership and direction for your volunteer team. Whether you have lots of skill or no skill, you can be a valuable volunteer. You can spend a day a year or a day a week at a Habitat site. And the sense of community is not just for the homeowners. Something quite special happens on a Habitat job site. The Rice County Habitat in Northfield celebrates these special relationships by hosting an annual “Family Reunion”. Work site volunteers, partner families, and current and past board and committee members come together to enjoy a hayride, a meal and an evening of reconnecting with one another. People of all ages and from all walks of life have found great satisfaction in making a difference through Habitat. In fact, that is one of the things that Winona’s Habitat Construction Manager, John Corcoran, says of his job in leading volunteers. “It’s just so fun to see how surprised people are by what they can do

personally and corporately on a job site. There is just a sense of pride and accomplishment. They look at the finished product and say, Wow! We really did make a difference!” This fall, he had a group of 15-20 people that painted a whole house in just 3 hours. Another group from Hy-Vee tore off the shingles and put a new roof on an older home in Winona. Winona’s Habitat is focusing on neighborhood revitalization and critical repair and will have dramatically improved the living condition of 35 families in this program. But even if you would not be comfortable on a construction site, there are still many ways to contribute at Habitat. South Central Habitat in Mankato has a beautiful Habitat ReStore. They are always looking for volunteers and shoppers. And check out the Habitat Minnesota 500 bicycle ride. If cycling is your passion, or if you’ve always wanted to be part of a bicycle SAG team, save the week of July 15-21, 2018 to raise money for the organization. One house, one family at a time, you can make a difference.

Starfish Issue #3 - You Can Make a Difference

Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Every day about 1,400 children die from diseases

caused by unsafe water. How would college students from Minnesota be able to have an impact on the issue and need of clean drinking water in Africa? One young man from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and another group of

college students from Gustavus Adolphus University took their passion and decided to do something about that issue. Marshal Quast, a student at UMD and a cross-country runner from Redwood Falls, Minn., decided to run across the lower portion of Minnesota in the summer of 2016. Marshal started near Ivanhoe on the Minn/S.D. border and ended in Red Wing. He took three weeks and ran five miles each morning and five miles each evening to cross all 214 miles. Marshall raised $5,640 which he donated to Charity: Water (www.charitywater.org). They are one of several non-profit organizations who are providing simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and bio sand filters to address the issues of clean water.

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20 Simple WayS for you and your KidS or GrandKidS to maKe a differenceCompiled by NaNCy iglesias

• Send a care package to someone serving in the military.• Make dog treats or purchase a bag of dog food and deliver to an animal shelter.• Donate gently used books to your doctor’s or dentist’s office, for people to read while they are waiting for their appointments.• Take a basket of warm socks to a homeless shelter or an overnight warming shelter.• Quickly grab your shovels after the next snowfall and clear your neighbor’s sidewalk and/or driveway before they have the chance. • Take treats to your local firefighters, police officers or ambulance drivers.• Use sidewalk chalk to surprise someone with a sweet note of encouragement.• Take canned goods to your local food pantry. Offer to serve as a family sorting food donations.• Pay it forward by purchasing someone’s meal or coffee in the drive-thru.• Volunteer as a family to babysit for another family. • Think of someone who can’t “go home for the holidays” and invite them over for a meal or hot cocoa.• Fill a backpack with school supplies and give to your school principal to have on hand for kids who might need extra supplies.

• Go through your coat closet and donate to a local warm winter coat drive.• Attend a Fair Trade Market event in your community.• Find a “Giving Tree” for children or seniors who might need an extra special gift.• Make cards or placemats for a local nursing home or assisted living facility.• Send a thank you note to someone who has made a difference in your life.• Adopt a senior who might be lonely as an extra grandma or grandpa.• Sponsor a child at your local YMCA.• Create your own list and go do at least one thing today.

In September of 2014, a group of students from Gustavus Adolphus and their Economics professor, Dr. Paul Estenson put their heads and hearts together as a part of a social entrepreneurs’ club. Doc E (Estenson) gave the students his salsa recipe and challenged them to go make a difference. Together, they formed the GSE General Benefit Corporation and have already sold enough salsa to build one well in Ethiopia through Water to Thrive (www.watertothrive.org). Who could have ever guessed that a little salsa could be turned into life-giving water on the other side of the world? Check out their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DocEsSalsa) for a complete list

of locations to purchase the salsa in the Twin Cities, Mankato and St. Peter. I might just be placing an order for some of my folks on my Christmas list. So, what’s your passion? How can you do just one thing this month, this week or today to make a difference in someone’s life? There are so many ways to help people, and you can make a difference all by yourself, or with your family.

Nancy Iglesias is a freelance writer and non-profit consultant. She spent 20 years working as an Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity in Winona, MN. Prior to that, she was the Marketing Manager for InterVarsity Press in Downers Grove, IL. Nancy enjoys entertaining, water fitness and teaching preschoolers at her church.