Last semester I had the chance to do community service. I joined Adopt a Family and had the chance to help others the way others helped my family when I was a little girl. Adopt a Family is a community service project that a local women, Amy Kimball, from the Longmeadow, MA area has been doing for the last 16 years. This organization helps families who have been trying to get on their feet and can't get the chance to have a Christmas that they won't forget. The gifts consisted of clothes and household items that they are in need of. This year there were ten families that participated, compared to the seven that were the year before.

For me, being able to be a part of this was an amazing opportunity to give back to other and see smiles on everyone's faces. It felt rewarding to see what the flip side of this felt like because just a few years ago, I was in the same boats as these family but under different circumstances.

I had lost my house from hurricane Irene in August of 2011. When in the process of building my new house the Christmas after the devastation people we had a small tree in our half finished house and presents from people my family didn't know, even from different states. Without the help from those families, I probably never would have had a Christmas like that.

The love I had felt then, came back when other volunteers and I carried these family's gifts into the building and waited for their arrival. Once the family came in one by one and opened their presents, the smiles and "thanks you's" were being shown all over. The little kids opening their gifts and showing excitement with smiles stretching from ear to ear made my heart flutter, as I remember what it felt like for me so many years ago.

I had never experienced something like this until now and it was fun and very rewarding. If your looking for any volunteering to do during the holiday months, Adopt A Family is definitely something to consider doing.