SCL

I don’t know what the obsession is with pandas. Yeah, they’re cute and everybody at the zoo is all, “Awww! Look at the panda-wanda eating bamboo.” But those suckers will maul your face off, break into your homes and steal your children. The only good panda is cooked in a crock pot with soy sauce and carrots. (Tastes like eagle.)

I know folks who have mailed or secretly left gift cards. Also, cashier checks because those are “anonymous”.

And then if you do mail something or leave something valuable you just have to pray that God protects it and allows the person who needs it to get it.

By the way, don’t forget the Disguising of the Handwriting! Wouldn’t want someone to recognize your handwriting, either!

I’ve used the envelope on the windshied wiper technique. They’re gonna see it when they get in their car. Just make sure they’re going somewhere soon, and don’t staple a tract to the envelope — they may throw the whole thing away.

I was recently the recipient of a “leave-behind” and I’d have to add “Don’t leave a $20 under the windshield wiper.” Why? Because a) It might rain before the money is found; b) Someone else might spot and make off with the cash; and c) The recipient may be in her own little world and not notice the bill until she turns on her wiper and sees it scraping across the window. (Thankfully, I grabbed it before it broke free.)

I really enjoy reading your posts. They regularly make me laugh (at myself and my parish!). I don’t know if you’ve already posted on this, but last night I was at the church trying to cut some fruit and all the knives were dull…mostly b/c they are the hand-me-downs from parishioners who are upgrading at home…which means we get the junky knife that doesn’t actually work….if you haven’t posted on parishioner hand-me-downs, it could be a good one…tacky couches for the youth room, bad TVs with poor reception, and dull kitchen knives!

You forgot to mention the need to place a 42 cent stamp on it, even though you aren’t mailing, just to keep it legal.

I hope you’ll think this is also a good idea. Many, many years ago there was a newlywed couple at my church. They had many medical bills right after they were married. I decided to give two envelopes to my pastor with cash in them for each of them. I included a note saying that I new money was tight for them and I wanted them to be able to buy each other soemthing special for Christmas. Only the pastor new it was from me…..and I asked him to allow me to remain anonymous. The Wed. after Christmas they tearfully told the congregation how touched they were that someone helped them to buy gifts for each other on their first Christmas. I was a sngle mom at the time so I didn’t have much to give but seeing their joy was priceless to me…..they never knew who gave to them….

As always, this made me laugh. But my family has been the recipients of a drop off, and it’s amazing how God can quietly whisper to someone that you’re in need. And I’m pleased to say that they followed all of your guidelines…

Of course, there’s the whole federal crime thing here….after all, putting things into/out of a mailbox that doesn’t belong to you is a crime. But then again, if you want to come leave cash in my mailbox, I won’t tell the police. I promise!

You might also want to do a seminar for upper middle class church ladies who run food kitchens. Just because a family doesn’t have cars built this decade or a pool, you don’t need to send over a box of pancake mix, corn meal and shortening. It falls upon the delivery boy to explain why the church thinks they’re poor.

I’ve had some of that happen since I became a widow, and even more since I went back to school…..but the way they do it here is that they give it to my pastor, and he gets to tell me without giving away where it came from! (and he’s good, too, I’ve never managed to get it out of him, LOL!)

I’m SO blessed….

Oh, and a big AMEN to Deb’s comments on hand-me-downs at the church. Our vacuum cleaner actually shot a piece across the floor when it finally decided that enough was enough…..need I tell you that it was a donation?

I am wondering about Stacy from Louisville… where did you find that big of a crockpot??

Our church community does not do the ‘leave behind’, they merely bring it to you whatever cash is laying around and say, “Here, I heard that you needed this. I also made you a chicken casserole and bought you a grocery store gift card. Do you want me to clean your apartment and take care of your dog (or child as the case may be)while I am here?” Yeah, that’s just how we roll. You have to love those small community churches!!

it’s not easy to secretly leave stuff in the pastors’ mailboxes now that we have cameras everywhere. no fun!

after my previous comment i realized you’re talking about people’s real mailboxes. i always preferred the staff’s church mailboxes for secret drop-offs, but you could totally get caught by our cameras now, so that’s no good.

I have never heard of this, although it would’ve been cool whenever my dad was pastoring and the church didn’t give him a paycheck. My first thought was the federal law thing, too. I will definitely keep this one in mind…

Few years ago our church ladies bible study group decided to organize RAK group (Random Acts of Kindness). The idea behind it was to do nice and helpful things to strangers, leave pleasant surprises for people,console the lonely, etc.
Although we meant well, the whole activity kind of revolved around us wearing black clothing while crawling on the lawns late in the evenings and secretly leaving bouquets of flowers for the elderly members of our church (because we were just warming up, before confronting real strangers), then crawling back into our get-away vehicle (very often being an SUV filled with middle-aged ladies and a screaming baby) with lights off, and driving off, tires squealing).

I really don’t know why it did not take off.

We just ask the church office to send the money for us & ask them not to tell who it is from in order to avoid the stakeout issues.

muffin butts. I think it’s important that we not keep the muffin tops for ourselves and give those less forturnate than us the butts of the muffins. That aint right.

Yes! Please do a post on parishioner hand-me-downs! Why do people give their best to God, but their second-best to their Brothers and Sisters??

Grandma’s old typewriter comes in handy when you want to anonymously mail someone money or a gift card. I’ve used that trick a few times.

My friend was recently the recipient of not just the leave-behind, but someone actually put it into her purse. She’s a missionary and on a cross country fundraising trip, but when she opened the unmarked envelope and an incredibly generous cash donation and gift cards fell out, she was so surprised and confused she turned her car around and parked in the church parking lot until the pastor showed up, just to make sure no one had lost an unmarked envelope filled with stuff ideal for a young girl on the road!

A friend of mine just told me about the time a man that lived a street over from her family, broke into their shed and stole some of her father’s lawn equipment to sell, as well as broke into a neighbor’s home to steal food out of the pantry. She felt so burdened for him that she wrote him a letter telling him about Jesus, left it in his mailbox, then a few days later, left Chick Fil A in his mailbox. I laughed when she told me that, but at the same time, how beautiful that she had such a burden on someone who was obviously lost and desperate enough to steal from his neighbors.

We should all do this more often.
Good post.

I like to give things directly to people and tell them that it is an anonymous gift and I can’t tell them who it is from. I do it enough that people have started giving me anonymous gifts to deliver. I don’t think I’ve been suspected yet, but since I am posting with my real name, my cover might be blown now. Darn panda stationary!

I’ll second the windshield wiper advice. Someone did a “leave behind” of 2 Christmas presents on our porch right before the biggest snowstorm of the year. When we saw it the gifts a week later, the metal detector was fine, the book not so much.

Didn’t know leaving anything but paid-for mail in someone’s mailbox was a federal crime. Lots of criminals around these parts, then…

i once got a gift basket on my front porch…. didnt know who it was from…. it is kinda the same idea, it gives you a really good feeling, makes you want to go and give one to someone else

If you put in a card, then it won’t look like cash, and helps protect it. I’ve done this several times successfully. Also make sure you write their name on it in block letters so the postman knows it’s not for him/her to pick up.

Whoa. I’ve never even heard of this… yes, I’m weird, I know. I’ll have to do this sometime… with your advice, of course.
Great post :]

it’s illegal to get into another person’s mail box, no matter how kind the intent. Much better to do ding-dong ditch if you really need to leave the money that badly. And shame on you if you were a postal carrier for suggesting that the mail box be accessed by anyone other than the home owner or the carrier.