...and you gave Me something to drink... Matthew 25:35

      Hello, my name is Leah and I work for The Hope Chest of Pekin, IL.  From the time I started working with The Hope Chest, I soon found how truly blessed our community is to have this store.  A store built on donations, with one collective goal to Help Other People Excel.  The Hope Chest has ties with various types of organizations within Central Illinois, including: Recycling Programs, Community Programs, Educational Programs and charitable businesses and people.  It is with great appreciation for all of the support we’ve received at The Hope Chest, that I am able to write this message of inspiration.

      Recently I was witness to a miraculous example of The Hope Chest providing for our community.  We received an abundant donation of Pediasure Children’s health shakes.  I was told the shakes were a donation from a parent whose child was unable to drink them.  Continuing my work I was thinking to myself, how wonderful it was that my son’s favorite drink in the whole world had just come into our store.  A tap on my shoulder would soon bring me face to face with true fate.

     A woman wanted to know the price of our Pediasure.  I told the lady “We were blessed with these for blessing others - it is free.”  Her eyes lit up with joy.  The woman and I began to discuss the high cost of a six pack of Pediasure shakes at the grocery stores. As the lady stepped aside and informed me that her son’s pediatrician had recommended him to drink these shakes, my eyes saw this boy.

    His body was so small; he was unable to be properly seated in the shopping cart.  He instead was boosted and nestled in the cart like an infant would be.  He is three years old and only nineteen pounds.  The Mother and I both agree that day was a true blessing.  It is an extremely rare occurrence that The Hope Chest would receive a donation of 10 six packs of Pediasure Kids shakes.  For this woman and her son to have come into our store not even an hour after they received the donation, I can find no better words to sum this up than the Grace of God.

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