I love food. It’s not a secret. I love to cook. I love the looks on people’s faces when they taste something fantastic. I have always chosen food based charities as my charities of choice. I have chosen to work as a Consultant for The Pampered Chef (the link is to my website) for more than 15 years because of their commitment to Feeding America (our National Food Bank Chain). I find that people with full bellies are much nicer to be around. I have also found that food is a way of bringing people together, whether it is around the table for a meal or around a table discussing how to feed others.
Yesterday Friend Heidi posted this video to Facebook:
Moving isn’t it? It brought me to tears. I KNOW that I do a LOT to help solve the hunger problems in my community. I PARTICIPATE. I get out there and work food drives; I show up; I donate cash; I speak out and I am involved, but this man humbled me. He feeds their bodies and their souls. His comment, “Everybody has got 5.5 liters of blood. I am just a human being. For me, everybody is the same”, really drove it home. I wondered at his selflessness. Could I be doing more? It struck me that no matter how much I personally do, there will always be more work to be done. I can’t do it alone, so I am very thankful for organizations like Three Square and Feeding America. I know there are a LOT of great organizations out there, but for me it all boils down to one thing: If people have food to eat, that’s one less thing they have to worry about. And like this man, I choose to work locally.
Are you ready to get involved? Do you want to know how you can help? Here’s a list of options for you to explore:
CASH IS KING – donate cash to your local food bank. In many cases they can buy food at $0.09/lb. so that cash donation will go really far! In Las Vegas, $1 buys 3 meals!
VOLUNTEER – your time is priceless, in more ways than one. If you volunteer your time, it means the food bank doesn’t have to hire someone to do that job, which means more $$ can go to feeding people. Besides, it will make you feel good – I promise.
Deliver for your local Meals on Wheels chapter. Sister Nancy did this before going back to work full-time. She said the home bound senior citizens were happy for the food, but even happier for the company (nourishing bodies and souls).
Click HERE to find your local Feeding America Food Bank and call them, visit their website and find out how you can get involved.
Wear Orange on September 5th to show your support of Hunger Action Month.
Hold your own Food Drive. I know my friend Chrisi Ricker holds food drives on her own for her local food bank in Youngstown, OH. You can too!
Share this blog so others can learn how to get involved.
If you live in Las Vegas, here are even more ways to get involved:
It’s Restaurant Week – choose from over 100 restaurants! When you purchase their specially priced menu, a portion of your purchase price will be donated to Three Square – up to 18 meals donated when you Help Out by Dining Out just once. Going on NOW – the 30th.
Attend Roasting Las Vegas September 3rd – at Three Square – watch the Chefs fire back at the local Food Critics. It’s only $25 which translates into 75 meals. Skip that ultra latte deluxe for a few days and you have your admission fee! Buy your tix HERE!
Attend DISH Las Vegas – September 26th at the Palms – it is the biggest Fundraiser of the year for Three Square – hey visitors! You can come too! You will want to have VIP tix ($125 = 375 meals) because there is a private performance by Million Dollar Quartet in the VIP hour, plus a private VIP lounge and early entry to the event. Buy your TIX NOW – limited quantities available! And if you want to be a sponsor let me know in the comments section – levels starting at $1000 include 10 VIP tix and more.
Share this blog with others so they can get involved – remember – many hands make light work.
So that’s it – what started as a humbling experience has made me reach out even more to do MORE in my community. What will YOU do?
