Growing up, church was a huge part of my life. Every Sunday my mom and I would wake up at the crack of dawn, dress nicely and attend the hour long mass. Religion class was every Monday and Wednesday night at 6pm. As I got a little older I sang in the church choir. Once I realized I am an awful singer, I began to read passages from the bible to the congregation during mass. After church all of the kids would run around on the grass while the parents talked and laughed. Obviously, church life was a big chunk of my life.

Christmastime is my favorite time of the year and has been for as long as I can remember. The big tree with all of the beautiful ornaments in the living room, fireplaces, hot chocolate. It's all so much fun. When I was thirteen, the head priest at my church introduced Midnight Runs.

Families like mine, who lived comfortably and could afford to do so, would donate food, new toys and lightly used coats and boots. All week before Christmas, people would gather in the basement of the church and build baskets. Frozen turkeys, cans of corn and string beans, rolls and apple cider were the things I remember being most plentiful. On Christmas morning at midnight, we would pack up people's cars with the baskets and wrapped toys. We would drive two towns over and start handing out food and toys to families in need. I didn't realize people were struggling to provide dinner so close to my home. I couldn't imagine a Christmas when I didn't receive mountains of toys.

The next winter I was beyond excited to participate on the City Run. The youth group at my church collected hundreds of coats and boots. We packed up our parents cars and they drove us to designated areas in the city. There were people lined up on the sidewalks of Manhattan. Ranging from elderly to children all looking for help to stay warm that winter. We handed out coats until we ran out.

I don't think I made the world a better place with these experiences. I do however, think I made someone's day a little brighter and that's all I could ask for. I had never realized how many people were effected by unemployment and poverty. I was so grateful to be a part of all of the community service work. While I no longer attend that church, I am still so proud that we successfully helped those people who really needed it.