The worst tragedies can be the best opportunities. Last weekend, thieves took a month's worth of food, about 2,000 pounds, from the Salvation Army. In response, Pastor Mark called us as a church to hold a food drive and to come alongside this organization that serves others so faithfully and serve them, so that this tragedy wouldn't be final word. Today, our nine Seattle-area churches—Olympia, Federal Way, West Seattle, Downtown Seattle, Downtown Bellevue, U-District, Ballard, Shoreline, and Everett—held food drives for the Army to replace those stolen goods. In the end, several of the churches broke the 2,000-lb goal at their location alone! So, while we won't have a final tally until tomorrow when we round it all up and drop it off, we can safely say that the Salvation Army will have more food and resources to serve more people who need it this winter than it had before the theft. We thank God for being so generous with us so that we're able to be in a position to serve, and thank you, the congregations, for being faithful to respond.

Donations from each of our Seattle-area churches Click through to the Flickr set to see which church each pile is from Didn't get a chance to bring in food today? Visit the Salvation Army Northwest's site to see how to donate. You can also give your time by volunteering with them.