I'm not a mom, so no idea if I would be this gutsy to ask, but I can't help wondering, if your daughters were given a choice in their fast, would they find it easier to give up food for three days or their electronics? lol
It does sound like you have a good plan in place.
From one not-rich to another, a suggestion you are free to reject or accept. (It's just a suggestion.) Instead of handing out gift cards to the homeless, something that works for me is to invite them to eat with me. No, I'm not the type to invite them to my house, but usually if I'm seeing homeless it's related to being out of my house. And, for whatever reason I'm out of my house, somewhere along the line I get hungry. (Woman. Always thinking of my next meal. lol) So, I'm going to find a food cart, cafeteria, or sandwich shop soon anyway. I take them with me, let them choose what to eat, and eat with them. Since money is tight always with me, those are the kinds of places I eat, and guaranteed no one can order more than $20 for food. (That would be eating two meal prices. lol)
One thing I find the homeless want more than food. They want to be remembered as people. They want to talk to others and be treated normally. They long for companionship even more than food. And no doubt, they ARE hungry too. They seem to appreciate being treated like a human being again, even if it is just briefly.
I am glad you figured out what to do. I never heard of Purim, so I like you went the extra distance to come up with a plan.
Actually the girls chose the electronics. They are only 6 and 8, and the only electronics we own are my phone, my laptop (no internet), and a TV (no service) with a DVD player. They play with hoverboards and lego robotics at my job 5 days a week as well as computer time. But it's only for a short amount of time. Food is a big deal in our family. We meal plan, shop, prepare, cook, partake, and clean together. It's equivalent to family time. The girls would rather give up electronics. Now if we were to trade that with gymnastics (8) and ballet (6), we might have had a different outcome. ??????????????????
I totally get what you are saying about the money vs time and interaction. We actually buy extra food and often bring little picnic baskets to some of the homeless people around us. My girls have had these people on their hearts for a few years. They have been actually trying to plan a ministry around them. I love it. We will sit down and break bread with them and have a picnic together. The girls love talking to them. But with this being a holiday and us having other plans, I think we're going to give cash. After all, sometimes things other than food are needed. I know what some people think, but it's not my job to micromanage a gift. A gift is just that - a gift. Whatever will keep them going so we can see them again later and keep sharing God's love... I'm good with it.
I did want to share our spread for the day:
I plan on treating it like Thanksgiving, where nobody really eats breakfast... we just tend to snack throughout the day. It was a little tough, though, because we are a paleo/primal family. So, no gluten, soy, sugar, etc.
Challah with Cinnamon Honey Butter (Lord, bless this recipe.)
Smoked Salmon Dip with Veggies
Kreplach Soup (Think chicken stuffed dumplings in a chicken broth with minimal veggies)
Persian Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Persian Jeweled (and Sprouted) Rice
Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
Blackberry Lemon Chia Hamantaschen (Dessert)
Mulled Apple Cider (Because nobody is getting drunk over here ??????)