How Can I Help? - The Glas Family's Abiding Story
The Glas family used to live just down the street from Abiding Presence. While they didn’t attend services, they knew neighbors who were members and saw signs about the Food Pantry every time they drove by. Kim and her husband Tim have put an emphasis on a yearly family project during the holidays. “Last year we did a project to educate girls in Guatemala and raised $10,000” Kim shared. So when they gathered as a family to discuss their 2025 project, Oliver and Abigail chose the Abiding Presence Food Pantry. “Sometimes I volunteer at the Pantry with my husband on Saturday mornings and the kids would ask things like, ‘How long was the line?’ or ‘How did things go this morning?’,” Kim recalled. “One particularly difficult story to tell them was that a few weeks ago someone slept in their car overnight just to get fresh food,” she said. She shared, “The kids feel especially connected to Abiding Presence because they’ve been involved with the Kids Food Pantry packing produce for pantry guests.” Kim expanded saying, “The kids have such familiarity with this pantry and saw the fresh produce firsthand and the quality of food that we distribute and they wanted to contribute more.” She shared, “Serving as volunteers we see people as they are and they are not any less because they need help, we all have needed help at times, and now we pay it forward to those who need help.”
The Glas kids’ goal for this fundraiser is to raise $10,000 which will be matched by their parents. They have even recruited a cousin in New York and another family in North Carolina to help raise funds. Ranging in age from 5 years to 16 years old, these children are the ones doing the work to raise money. Oliver and Abigail set out to get the word out to neighbors and friends. They made posters, pamphlets, and walked door to door in their neighborhood to obtain donations. They recently held a hot cocoa stand in their neighborhood with a free-will donation going to their food pantry fundraiser. They’ll be having another one soon.
When asked why service to others is so important to their family, Kim responded, “Tim and I tried to instill in our children to continuously think about how we can use our lives to improve the lives of others.” Her kids have watched the news regularly and often their first question is, “How can I help?” She shared, “They have a real empathy to other people and the plight they’re facing.” Having firsthand experience of the importance of this pantry and the incredible need for it has fueled their drive to meet their goal.
During this holiday season there are so many people struggling. Kim said, “The gift of food is not just providing provisions, it’s telling someone they’re worthy and we care about them.” “In the end,” she shared, “it’s a gift of love and we need to give more to those most in need.”