First off, thanks to Robin for sending so many new folks this way?it was a thrill for me as a new blogger to see the comments shoot up quickly and all the new visitors will help me keep my deadline.Thanks y?all and welcome back. Bobby and I want to thank all the great people down in Valdosta for makingour trip so special. Tina at the Hampton Inn fixed the cutest basket for Jack and although he could?nt make the trip this year when I got home home we let him rip it apart and it was the cutest thing. When he gets really excited he balls up both of his fist and says"yeah, yeah, yeah?. So cute. He also loves ?the family hug?.Brooke and I hold him close and he squeezesboth of our necks and just kisses us all over our faces. Man, I love that kid. It makes me smile everytime I think of him and it would be easy for me to write about him every week. Did I mention he was the smartest most handsome boy ever?So anyway, Valdosta. Frank, Shannon, Winona, all of the volunteers plus 550guest made us feel right at home and together we were able to raise over $50,000.00for the Empty Bowls program. Work never felt so good.... You may have heard about The Hungry Homes Tour my family was involved with last year. Smithfield Foods really stepped up and made a pledge to donate one million servings of protein to food banks across the country in just eight weeks. We kicked off the tour in Savannahwith Mary Jane Crouch, the director at America?s Second Harvest here, and two weeks later we took off for New York. The food bank in New York alone supplies hungry folks one million meals a day! The biggest surprise for us was learning it?s not always the homeless but average working families that are running out of money before they run out of month and are having to choose between power or gasoline or food. We learned that children from Atlanta to Los Angeles to New York down to New Orleans are onlyeating at school. Five meals a week. That makes for a long weekend. Mary Jane asked me at the kickoff here if I would be interested in sitting on the board. Someof y?all know after being blessed with a child it is easier to see the world with new eyes. ?What can I do to make it a little better place for Jack to grow up in?? was a question I had pondered many times late into the night since August 21st of 2006.I jumped at the chance to help out but was?nt sure what i could do, I explained to Mary Jane this was the first time I had ever served on any kind of board, much less one so important to our community. She assured me I would find my way and welcomed me aboard. Well, what can I do? Let?s see....I can talk. And talk. And talk.I also have a passion for the well being of children and so I spread the word. The word is Help! Right now go to your pantry. Look in the very back and pull out the stuff you ?will get around to eating?. The early peas, some dusty stew and why did you ever buy that potted meat in the first place? Peanut Butter is even better. Mary Jane taught me that....Load it up in the car and take it to your local food bank. Teach your children to be charitable and care about their neighbors. It?s up to us y?all. To care.To make a difference.I promise it will make you feel good all day long. If it does?nt I will send you a whole case of potted meat. Thanks for checking backdo good things-jamie
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