Now is a good time to start preparing for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or whatever holiday you celebrate. To that end, I came across several sites with ideas for a different kind of advent calendar, a Reverse Advent Calendar. Just get a box, and every day put a food item in the box. When it is filled, take it to a food bank. The instructions I received said to donate it on Christmas Eve, but my goal is to donate the food before Thanksgiving, so the recipient has their choice of how they want to make the best use of it. The following copy is thanks to the PassionatePennypincher (www.passionatepennypincher.com). If truth be told , I turned myself inside out trying to find a way to contact Laurie for permission to share it. I haven’t been successful, so I hope she doesn’t mind. So here is my version of the Food Bank Advent Calendar. You can do this for whatever time of year you choose. The food insecure can use this all year long.
FOOD BANK
ADVENT CALENDAR
Each Day Add an Item to a Box
When the Box is Full, Donate to
A Local Food Bank
| December 1 | Box of Cereal | |
| December 2 | Peanut Butter | |
| December 3 | Stuffing Mix | |
| December 4 | Canned Fruit | |
| December 5 | Canned Tomatoes | |
| December 6 | Canned Tuna | |
| December 7 | Dessert Mix | |
| December 8 | Jar of Applesauce | |
| December 9 | Canned Sweet Potatoes | |
| December 10 | Cranberry Sauce | |
| December 11 | Canned Beans | |
| December 12 | Box of Crackers | |
| December 13 | Package of Rice | |
| December 14 | Package of Oatmeal | |
| December 15 | Package of Pasta | |
| December 16 | Spaghetti Sauce | |
| December 17 | Chicken Noodle Soup | |
| December 18 | Tomato Soup | |
| December 19 | Can of Corn | |
| December 20 | Can of Mixed Vegetables | |
| December 21 | Can of Carrots | |
| December 22 | Boxed Potatoes | |
| December 23 | Macaroni and Cheese | |
| December 24 | Can of Green Beans |
With cool weather approaching, now is also a good time to go through your closets and pull out any gently used cold-weather clothing. Also, there is always a big need for socks (preferably new) this time of year. Many of the children in this area are in need of winter coats, so while my son and I were in Target today, I stumbled across a beautiful coat, with a knit hat and mittens to match.
Finally, while I’m on the subject of the approaching holidays, Toys for Tots has started their ads. This is a good time to pick up some fun toys to put in their bins. Once again, Kohls is selling children’s toys and books from their Kohls cares collection. The books and plush toys are only $5 each and 100% of the profits goes to support health and wellness of families in our communities. So, our families get double benefit from these purchases.
Have a good week.
Cindy
“Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time.” Ron Hall
Everyday Ways 