BIG HEARTS

I got an email today from a friend of mine. I don't see him that often and don't really know him that well, but I count Peter Montana from Precision Heating & Air ( http://www.nyphaservice.com ) in East Patchogue as a friend.

The subject line said simply - It's That Time Of Year Again! - so I knew exactly what he meant and was very happy to read it.

I didn't even know the guy this time last year, but he knew someone I know and had therefore heard about our church's food pantry and the families we endeavor to help at thanksgiving. He personally undertook to raise all the money we needed to get all the stuff to provide the turkeys and everything else for as many families as we expected to help.

I think we were at 60 last year, but this time around he wants to up it to 100, which is a nice round number, a heck of a lot of people we'll be feeding and a bundle of money we'll need to pull it off.

Correction - It's a bundle of money Pete will need to pull it off. And I'm sure he will.

So this guy I don't know that well, who isn't part of our church congregation, emails me again this year and asks if it's okay for him to get going on raising money for us.

I didn't bother replying to his email ...

... I just called him straight away and told him to go ahead, knock himself out!

He has a heart as big as a bucket. That's why I call him a friend - we speak the same language!