Are there angels among us? There are, at least in Dargan

I was walking home from school on a cold winter dayTook a shortcut through the woods, and I lost my way It was getting late, and I was scared and aloneBut then a kind old man took my hand and led me home

I always liked that song, "Angels Among Us" by the band Alabama, and these lyrics always kept me wondering, too, as I sometimes "took a shortcut through the woods" on a cold winter’s day.

My mama couldn't see him, oh, but he was standing thereAnd I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers

It’s a neat little song with a neat little message.

But in real life, be honest, do you believe in angels?

I have a friend, Kurt Williams, who believes in angels, and he shared a special story with me.

Eleven years ago, Kurt and Julie’s youngest daughter, Taylor, was attending kindergarten at Sharpsburg Elementary, and she came home one day and told her mom "There’s kids in my class that are hungry and they ask other kids for food."

When Julie asked the school secretary if this was true, she was told that some kids seemed to be eating more at school than at home.

Soon Julie’s initiative of contacting the school validated Taylor's story.

Julie planned that year to help those few hungry kids at Thanksgiving and prepared meals for a list of seven families for the holiday. She called this gift a "Thanksgiving Blessing" for those in need.

Sometime later, Julie realized that these same children must be hungry too on their Christmas holiday. So she created "Operation Christmas Wish," where simple food stuffs and goods were collected, packaged up and delivered to those families.

Are there angels among us?

Mother Teresa once acknowledged, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Somewhere, I’m thinking Julie must have read that quote and maybe she remembered an old line from Proverbs, too: "She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy."

Eleven years later, after Taylor telling her mom about hungry kids, Julie’s Thanksgiving Blessings and Operation Christmas Wish have grown to include even more families.

Thanksgiving Blessings last year delivered holiday meals to 79 families at seven schools in Washington County, and Christmas Wish provided food packages to some 102 families of these same schools.

These pantry packages contain about $150 in groceries that are "kid friendly," like lunch meat, hotdogs, bread, peanut butter and jelly, canned vegetables, soups, milk, eggs, cheese, etc.

Some of these items came from community food drives and contributions. Some $8,000 of these products were purchased at Sam’s Club. Many churches, local businesses and private individuals made donations to assist Julie, especially her family and church family at Trinity Lutheran in Boonsboro.

In this day of high inflation, many families are struggling to make ends meet, and often too, I suspect, meals for kids can be limited.

Help for hungry kids from school officials is increasing during these times.

In Julie’s angelic flight to fix a problem for hungry kids, she has been fortunate to have a few angels to assist her down this valley of hope.

Ben and Scott Gay, two Dargan boys, and an honorary Dargan boy, Ron Humbel, have taken flight and come to her assistance in her mission to help her community.

Dargan must be quite proud of these three.

There is no greater source of comfort then to have dear friends assist in a mission of goodness.

Ben, Scott and Ron have been there from the beginning.

They have picked up contributions and donations, and made various trips to distribute them to those families in need.

Together, Julie and her Dargan angels have cast stones across the waters to create many ripples, helping to improve some local neighborhoods.

It should be noted that 100% of all proceeds from this mission are donated to those families. The group also assists in providing Christmas gifts to the students in South County schools.

Kurt says he fondly remembers growing up in the countryside, when one’s community always came together to help a neighbor in need when troubles came to visit.

I remember them too.

“It’s what we did back then,” he said.

Do you believe in angels?

Just look around!

Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Dargan-area angels help feed hungry kids, families over holidays