We’re doing something extra every day after opening our Advent calendar window this year. We’re putting an item of food into a box for our local food bank, and then at Christmas we’ll take the whole box along to our local food bank in Horsham to donate it.
This isn’t a smug post, I just thought I’d write about it because it might be an idea someone else would like to do, but hasn’t thought of. I’m only doing it because I saw the idea in my news feed a while back, and realised it was something I could do – I’m not very good at having ideas.
Watching what is happening in the world this year has made me determined to ‘do more’ to combat the darkness, but I really struggle with knowing how that might manifest itself on a day-to-day basis. I want to stand up for what I believe in, and reach out to people, but how do I actually do that (as an introvert)?
I’ve had a few ideas for things I can practically approach in the coming months, and this is one of them. It fits easily into our routine, and is a form of helping that the children can really understand – they can see the food, they know where Horsham is. It’s also a very neat counterweight to all the anticipation of getting, because we are anticipating giving.
I know just how desperate people have to be to contemplate approaching a food bank. We are lucky enough that things are more secure for us now, and the box with the growing pile of food in the corner will be a visible reminder of our good fortune and our ability – or maybe duty – to help others.
Search online for your local food bank, and check what items they are asking for.
