I volunteer with a local soup kitchen to deliver food to the homeless.  The first time that I volunteered in this capacity, I was very impressed at how organized the operation was.  The soup kitchen had a van, which was fully stocked with food, drinks, desserts, fruits, cups and plastic silverware, waiting for us to pick it up.

The other volunteers and I drove the van to the designated stops, where the homeless were eagerly waiting to receive a meal.  I was feeling pretty good about reaching out to those less fortunate through such a large and organized operation, until I witnessed something that surprised me. 

A woman, roughly my mom’s age, pulled up in an old sedan, reached into the trunk and placed a large pot of steaming soup on top of her trunk.  The homeless quickly lined up at her vehicle to receive a warm bowl of soup on a cold night. 

I was amazed.  This was one of most genuine act of generosity that I have ever witnessed.  Here I was impressed with our fancy, new van and how we were reaching out to people, when I realized that true generosity can also be expressed in a very simple fashion.

What’s been a memorable act of generosity that you have you witnessed?