Food Drive

Today, we are attending the annual Thanksgiving Dinner at my parent's church - St. Joseph's in Bison (where we got married). While we're enjoying the bounty of the season and looking ahead to many wonderful dinners this week, I wanted to encourage each of you to give a little food or money back this season to those in need. To me hunger, is a devastating issue and one I find it hard to conceptualize as I have always been lucky to have enough to eat. Even when times were tough on the farm as we grew our own vegetables, raised chickens, and raised beef it worked out. I can't imagine the trauma of not being able to feed my family and am so thankful for that.

In the years I don't host Thanksgiving, I try to buy many of the non-perishable pieces of a Thanksgiving dinner (canned vegetables, canned broth, stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes, etc) and donate them either through an organization I'm part of or directly to a center near us. This concept could work just as easily for Christmas dinner or any day. It usually doesn't end up costing that much, but I know those donations are really important to the recipients. Alternatively, you could donate the money you would spend on these items as I know sometimes food banks can source products more cheaply so cash is very useful. This year, I've heard several times that food pantry stocks are lower than usual so the gift may be more important this year.

Therefore, I encourage you to join our tradition or make one of your own. For those of you with a crafty bent Cocoa Daisy is hosting a virtual food drive that includes the chance to win some amazing scrapbook related prizes as an extra incentive. They also allow a convenient method for monetary gifts. There are many other wonderful organizations I've worked with in the past or have recently discovered:

Regional Food Bank (OKC)

Feed the Children

Hope Center of Edmond - This one is new to me, but sounds interesting.

Salvation Army

Hope Outreach (Enid)

Catholic Charities


I encourage you to find one in your community. Let me know what you find and thanks for joining our season of giving.