https://www.blessingbagssa.org/initiatives daily 0.75 2022-04-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1612308761320-V7HUJRYVRVLYAAKX9WY3/144281577_176838720894411_2720587769709823162_o.jpg Events There are so many false narratives and stigmas attached to the homeless community. Labels of drug addiction, laziness, and deceitfulness permeates and plagues the homeless community. It’s unfortunate to hear so many misconceptions constantly being perpetuated throughout all tiers of society, because I have found that quite the contrary is true. While the primary goal of Blessing Bags is to meet a temporary need and to provide encouragement and hope, another goal is to shed light on the humanity of those living on the streets. They are just like you or I - They have favorite ice cream flavors, keep pictures of their families, are hilarious and have great senses of humor, talk about the sports teams that they’ve followed since childhood, have experienced trauma and just want to embrace love… they too are people. Through this mission of Blessing Bags, we aim to humanize those that society typical discards and vilifies. I believe that people would be pleasantly surprised to find out that many (or even the majority) of the people inhabiting the streets are truly some of THE sweetest, most kind-hearted, and generous people that embody our society. Every outreach I am blown away to witness handfuls of them sacrifice their own blessing bag and give it to someone else who is in more need, encourage and pray for us, initiate conversations to get to know our outreach team better, express their gratitude with such a genuine and humble heart … what an absolute privilege it is to interact with such astounding people. We have helped and prayed over survivors of abuse and assault, drug and alcohol addicts, people that have been kicked out of their homes due to family matters, gang members, victims of gentrification, young moms seeking a place to go, sex workers, veterans, evictees, nomads that have lost their way, or just simply people that have encountered tough times and can’t seem to uplift themselves out of poverty. The homeless community is not monolithic and each one of them is worthy of respect and dignity. We believe being action-oriented is key. What can we do with the hands that we have, the money in our pockets, and with our God-given brains? Well my friend, I am glad you asked- we can donate, put our heads together to come up with solutions to better serve the oppressed, and go out and pound pavement and help the hurting, face to face. I hope you will join me, join us, in the effort to love the brokenhearted and help those in need, one extended hand at a time. -Shannon Villanueva, President of Blessing Bags “Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help, then God’s love is not living in that person. My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.” ~ 1 John 3:17-18 ~ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1622603499636-3ILVRJZXWI2MOEDBS8SY/Image.JPEG Events - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1622603447755-6U0RDKFGFLH2O03DRM9V/Shannonnn+copy.JPG Events - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.blessingbagssa.org/about daily 0.75 2022-11-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1612310940103-1S6UUBXGJ8RPBDPDDNPP/page0.jpg About - Who am I ? It’s ya girl, Shannon Villanueva. California raised, Texas livin’. I am a young (at least I like to think so) woman passionate about people, culture, and Jesus. I absolutely love to travel, play basketball, wakeboard, hike, try new ethnic foods, write… to make it simple, put me next to a body of water on a sunny day with a good book and I’ll be golden! A huge desire of mine is to live abroad and teach English, coach basketball/sports, and continue the mission of aiding those living in poverty. There is a kaleidoscopic array of reasons why I wanted to initiate a cause to help the homeless - My dad is from El Salvador (one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere) and ever since childhood, he has instilled in me to have a grateful mindset and to be conscientious of the destitute and suffering; I have been fortunate enough to volunteer in many corners of this wonderous world, including South Africa, Fiji, Kosovo, and Mexico. My experiences working with and living among those that have next to nothing has ignited my desire to help the poor even more so; in addition to all of this, I believe it has been engrained in my DNA to have compassion towards those living on the streets and therefore, to be proactive about it. My faith in Jesus is the bedrock of my life and a compass that directs what I care about and how I love people. My relationship with God is what has propelled me to care for the poor all over the world, as well as start this outreach. I am more than excited to see what we can do through Blessing Bags! https://www.blessingbagssa.org/about-1 daily 0.75 2021-06-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1622603756708-HAJ410N96252GVICWGX5/122136748_100818578496426_8562236690007408668_o+copy.jpg Gallery - It all begins with a seed. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1629933871777-2H82LPZDQ84MXEOLI4XI/IMG_1210.PNG Donate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1625878801190-GF5Q0R3J0JI0ECNB4HET/H-E-B-Logo.wine.png Donate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1629582546496-8NX6E7S0XBDH8CL7JYCH/lionlogo_2c-e9f625bb35dc9291eb50e40696782986.jpg Donate https://www.blessingbagssa.org/home daily 1.0 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1622598939164-ZCI5ZETQNKAU4BXRE2EK/tempImageJUb3Qn.gif Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1622599543761-74JTR20F7F34F4SKZBOS/tempImagegvIWgg.gif Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/1612311493306-BKXZYBE54E3IBLOU73W6/IMG_3172.jpeg Home - How it works This project focuses on creating “blessing bags” by collecting snacks, toiletries, and compiling resource packets to put in bags for the homeless. To create a blessing bag, we use either a one-gallon Ziploc bag or a drawstring bag and fill it with each of the following items (roughly one of each item per bag): Water, Juice box, Crackers, Cookies, Chips, Weenies, Granola Bar, Can of Tuna, Jell-O/Pudding, Hostess/donuts, Fruit cup/Apple sauce Pads/Feminine Hygiene Products, Toothbrush/Toothpaste, Shampoo/Conditioner, Hand sanitizer, Cough drops, Chapstick, Bandaids, Deodorant, Tissues, Wipes, Soap, Socks, Hat Mini Bible Resource Packet Encouraging Note/Letter https://www.blessingbagssa.org/new-page daily 0.75 2022-04-10 https://www.blessingbagssa.org/international daily 0.75 2022-04-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/7360d249-ac11-4e64-8aba-c4b1a8717f02/IMG_R_0001.jpg International - Thailand We are currently expanding & serving the people of Thailand. Director Shannon and Director Gabe are on the ground and at work in this beautiful country looking for opportunities to help those in need - They’ve already met amazing people and connections that have led to the most heartfelt moments. This photo was taken in Suan Phueng - near the border of Myanmar in a small local village. They helped serve the over 200 children and attended church (the one you see here) in their language! God connects us all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/e4ec601f-f22b-4f96-9806-c92020514b67/8BF3917A-0AEF-4D4C-976A-F86F0B6EE1C3.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/95818c16-a403-49f6-848a-5d5cd7008347/39BEC497-F4C9-4AC9-8080-4781059902FE.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/fca6df01-0739-4502-8bbd-e355c74bfe0a/280cf357-1272-41d1-9fb3-61308ba430ab+2.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/e677d240-9ffa-41ff-b5b9-0939df89a6a3/BB32EA2A-61C3-4F43-B9F7-B1F7DE6646E2.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/7c84769b-8ad1-4f52-9ced-9a2554cffe0e/4bf10e86-cc30-46d9-b388-9544ceac4fc0+2.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/6192c181-590b-47c0-83ef-25a7dfeb13d0/B8BC0280-44DD-4EC7-969C-9AF02C93683B.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/a3be2d77-8057-4544-8a22-98a1e55a6950/f697d9c3-332d-4d86-93ec-6466fe67df33+2.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/a74d7603-c6b3-4c8d-9ef4-d05fbe30bb76/1B7D30B0-C113-48BE-9B46-F4EC0211EF40.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/b5722a4d-150b-48d5-ad45-b76fbb2d85c4/11761617-F176-4123-990B-2EB32DC1638E.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/26ef54a4-a1ef-40fc-83df-41adfb0c85af/583EB986-294E-43B0-A1B5-FB1B67782549.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/ca7c6aab-f906-489c-96a0-0098e61cdd82/79E8FEE7-B14C-4E2B-9EAA-623834332CEC.JPG International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/ded34f63-13f1-4263-b9a8-0fb856aab0d5/17768206-E9B8-498B-B141-CAA8D4FBB944.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/0e78e5ec-b7f5-44e5-904a-49f0b1d10b31/01CF3DF7-3FAF-4F64-94DE-B934E3175EDE.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/96a4fa17-dab0-43b0-8f66-86db0da0c71c/CA7E5599-A670-4339-953B-634D544ADC23.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/29749586-31e6-49d5-a614-9003eb106c1f/5B9B7CF5-D320-4044-BA1B-CA943AD674B2.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/5e5c6d5e-c70d-4a48-8ad3-d5fc02801863/84A72B02-00CD-4362-A60A-73F44C7B3CC6.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/d2bc309b-5244-4483-9099-7eb619260f46/936C3604-D26D-46A1-831B-6D23127DFD2B.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/b4fc016f-5d9f-4479-81a6-813d3441fc6d/0D7A39E1-B49A-4C1A-9E89-0D2383E8EDD3.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/a541c877-7dd5-43c6-8aa2-6826614a9f26/38FD23C6-4DD2-47F5-93CF-EC3EBB543639.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/b00ae96f-7541-4681-aaa2-9ed19ca299d4/1DB9C18C-B300-4DA6-9E24-AFEA077FD40B.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/029996fd-c8c2-4c75-b235-6a8c26d7f699/FCDE62F8-2354-4A52-A0EC-3059C88074D7.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/785cf017-b3cb-4bc9-8ef1-12978803e03b/8C07FDFF-7FA8-47DD-9D2A-A77F516F621D.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/f7f6c1e4-ecd9-4e82-839d-859911afdbde/3084D6DE-60AC-42AF-B0BC-D3CAFAC6F305.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/aaf89787-79f2-435a-8f68-3184e6eab124/86F1B653-D1FE-4E5F-84BC-22139C0BE75F.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/280a7b4c-fbcc-4384-8d8b-2d9cb5529b78/42CC4E99-A8C7-4376-AE20-85C4A05F06E9.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/62bab567-d1a5-4b81-901a-d2534011277d/FC673424-9EAF-45AE-844C-4503083E0B76.jpeg International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6019bb84c3a95746b62010ad/a37a354a-3af0-4ba6-814c-5c7974a65976/D694CCAD-7093-4BF5-9BFC-4E7DE1D960E5.jpeg International https://www.blessingbagssa.org/take-action daily 0.75 2025-05-12