As snowflakes gently fall, the two jacketed strangers meet in the grocery store parking lot. One anxious and nervous, the other warm with welcome. Shy hellos are exchanged; they head inside and begin weaving through the aisles. The first few items are taken with caution and pause, almost as if this gift couldn’t possibly be real. “A fridge full of groceries just isn’t something you get on a regular basis...” Can you imagine going to a grocery store and never being able to get something for a nice meal, for a celebration, or just to enjoy? People like Kathy who come to us for help have been struggling with debt that feels too much to handle. Oftentimes they’ve been living with so little for so long that they can’t even imagine what it’s like to be able to afford what they need. This Christmas you can help someone like Kathy. You can tell the families who call us for help that they don’t have to live in fear, and that celebration and abundance are a part of the Kingdom of God. You can provide a taste of this when you gift a week of groceries for new clients as they begin their journey towards debt freedom. Just $100 can provide a single client with groceries for a week. As Kathy walks the aisles with her CAP Befriender Alison, she lingers at a plump chicken. It feels like too much to ask. Another long pause, then… “You want me to put more in my cart?” Those are words people don’t typically expect to hear after struggling for so long to make ends meet. Kathy’s eyes show a gleam she hasn’t felt in a while – she puts the chicken in her cart. It had been so long since she’d made her mom’s chicken recipe – she’d been avoiding meat because of the cost – and now brussels sprouts – her absolute favourite! Your gift this Christmas means you walk the grocery store aisles with new clients too. Right from the start they can know, just like Kathy, that they are so valuable to you and to God. Christmas is the time we’re thinking most about celebrating and special meals and treats. There’s no better time to make sure that you can share that celebration and abundance with every one of our new clients. Here’s what your gift can provide in addition to free credit counseling: $100 buys a single client groceries for a week $250 buys an entire family of 4 groceries for a week This Christmas season, would you help provide groceries so new individuals and families who start their journey out of debt can literally taste the abundance of God’s Kingdom? Leaving the store, Kathy already walks with a lighter step – the journey ahead won’t be easy, but she knows Alison and the whole team at CAP are on her side. This glimpse of life after debt: the lightness, the freedom, the hope, is already strengthening her resolve to keep going. “I feel like a burden has been lifted; like I’m getting my life back.” More individuals and families just like Kathy are starting their journeys towards debt freedom every week. Will you help them get started on solid footing with a full fridge and a full heart?