Parcel for the Food Bank

This morning, for whatever reason I found myself thinking back to an interaction I had at the food bank years ago.  I was chair for a local professional organization, and in preparation for our annual conference I decided to set up charitable donations for our speakers instead of giving out the usual dust gathering trinkets.  The morning of the conference, I headed to the local food bank to drop off the cheque, arriving shortly before they opened.  I ended up in a waiting room with a few folks who were either registering for or waiting to pick up food parcels.  On a table near by was a bag of perishables someone had left that were... perished to say the least.

A gentleman came in, perused the bag, knocked a baguette against the table (hard as a rock), smiled, tucked it under his arm, sat down next to me and started chatting.  He was very open with me, telling me that he was a recovering alcoholic on the straight and narrow, had a job that barely paid the rent, and walked everywhere since the bus was too expensive.  He told me that he was very happy to find the baguette because he hoped to be able to make chili soon.  He had been saving what he could from his food bank parcels, and if his next one had some tomato sauce he'd finally have enough to make chili.  You could tell how much he was looking forward to it, and the baguette would just take it to the next level.  Shortly thereafter we said goodbye, and that was that.

Later that day, and periodically through the years, I've found myself thinking back to that man.  He gave me a glimpse into a world I am blessed to not have experienced first hand.  The concept of having to save up to be able to make something as basic as chili is so far away from my reality.  And, I am so grateful for that.  The concept of being thrilled to find a stale baguette worth $1.50 when it's fresh, is also thankfully not part of my reality.  I truly hope that he has found his since found his feet.

Today, I was thinking about people in his situation and how difficult this time of year must be.  With everyone else preparing for the holidays, buying special foods for their family meal and rushing around to finish their Christmas shopping.  For people that have to save up to make chili, I realised that there would most likely not be anything special on their table for Christmas dinner.  That Christmas Day would be a struggle like any other day. 

With that in mind, I decided that in addition to our usual financial donation to the food bank, I would also give a donation of items that will hopefully help make someone's Christmas table a little more special.  I set a budget of $50 and had some fun finding great deals!  My budget ended up filling four shopping bags and I happily left with five cake mixes, five cans of frosting, eight packages of cookies, two packages of chocolates, five boxes of stuffing, and two boxes of apple cider mix. 

When I got home, I did a well overdue clean out of our pantry.  Over time we've accumulated assorted tins of hot chocolate, preserves, relishes, teas and sweets that we just don't consume. A gift basket here, and a hostess gift there add up quickly! I am happy to say that these items filled two more shopping bags, and will hopefully be used and enjoyed instead of taking up space in my cupboards to no end.

And so, six bags full of Christmas goodies were dropped off at the food bank warehouse. My family feels good about it, and I feel that even though it won't keep anyone from going hungry, sometimes something special for the holidays is good for the spirit.  In years to come, I think this surely will be a family Christmas tradition.