Heres an important community message... where to begin? This message is long, but we hope you will take a few minutes to read it and share it. (If you need the abbreviated version, just read the last paragraph.) You may have noticed our cover photo-- signifying that we are right in the middle of our food drive competition. Theres so much to say about this event-- what it means to us and what it means to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and those served by it. Every year, each shift and the administration staff compete to bring in the most overall donations for our local food bank. I mean, these people are serious when it comes to competing-- they sell dinners, hold bake sales, open up concession stands,” you name it… The District encourages participation by letting employees buy themed dress-down days for either canned food donations or money. Sure, the winning team gets a pizza party and the trophy (its enormous!), but whats really going on? Our employees are some of the most generous and caring people you will ever meet. Because, it isnt just the food drive-- you see, they raise money for worthy causes all year long. Just to name a few-- March of Dimes, Breast Cancer Research, Autism Awareness, Walk to End Alzheimers, Salvation Army Angel Tree, and that doesnt even touch on the generosity they extend to their own co-workers and the First Responders we serve, who have experienced medical issues or a death in the family. Whether it is collecting money, buying get-well cards or donating leave time, these people take care of their colleagues and their community with a renewed generosity each and every time! So its good to brag on them every once in a while, but that isnt the purpose of this message-- the message is about trying to encourage you, our followers, to make a donation to either the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, or to a food bank in your local area. Why? Because next to being cold (as in, prolonged exposure), theres not much that is more uncomfortable than being hungry. Food insecurity-- what does that even mean? It means maybe you are getting by, you arent living on the street-- yet-- but you have no idea where your next meal is coming from. It means having to decide, do I eat breakfast, lunch or dinner today? Because maybe there isnt enough in the pantry to have all three or even two meals... It means the children eat—but when they ask for seconds, there arent any-- and the parent watches because there isnt enough for them to eat also. It means constant anxiety about how to feed a family and how to feed yourself, and the struggle of trying to carry on with necessary daily tasks while suffering hunger pangs or that nasty headache that comes from working hard but not eating enough. Buying a holiday meal, complete with a huge turkey or ham and all the fixings, may be as challenging as buying a new car. Can you imagine a child dreading the summer off from school because it means no more school lunches? Ours is a service-related industry. We like to help people—we want to help people. But the nature of our job means that we don’t get a lot of positive feedback from the people we serve—they are usually having the worst day of their life, whether it is because they just got robbed, the house is on fire, they wrecked their car, or a family member suffered a heart attack. We don’t always know how the story ends—there is very little closure in dealing with the calls we handle on a daily basis. We like to think we have made a difference, changed the outcome or served our “customer” in the best way possible—but in the end, we just don’t always know. That’s just the way it is, we know this and we’re ok with it. But making a donation to the food bank—now that’s a different kind of service. When you place a can of pumpkin in the food barrel, you know you may be setting the dessert table for another family at Thanksgiving or Christmas. That can of tuna fish or jar of peanut butter means valuable protein for lunch one day—instead of just a “jam sandwich” – you know, two pieces of bread jammed together. Think about the last really good meal you ate—think about the things that would make a great meal for someone else—because you could make that happen for them! A box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce or a casserole kit—choose things that you would enjoy—and know that others would enjoy as well. There’s nothing wrong with donating a bag of rice or beans—those things are certainly life-sustaining. But consider also donating a few items we take for granted—things for cooking or making a special treat or just making a simple meal a little more tasty; a box of brown sugar, some spices (cinnamon, chili powder, oregano, lemon-pepper), a cake mix or maybe some condiments like syrup, ketchup, mustard, and jam, or some of the things that go with other stuff—oyster crackers, corn chips, hot sauce. Let’s face it-- charity is hard to think about. If you are on the receiving end of it, it may create a kaleidoscope of feelings, including a certain indebtedness and embarrassment for taking help, wounded pride because you need the help, helplessness for the situation that put you there… and deep gratitude for one more meal and getting by. If you are on the giving end, it may make you feel certain indebtedness to share and embarrassment when you realize what you have, helplessness that you can’t do more and deep gratitude for what you have for yourself. So instead of calling it charity, we like to think of it as sharing a meal and a little of our humanity. Around here, almost every call is a call for help—and whether or not that call comes in the form of a 9-1-1 call or as a special request to make donations to the food bank, buy Christmas gifts for the angel tree or donate leave time for a sick co-worker, we always answer the call. So we ask you to consider answering that call as well—make a donation to your local food bank! What are you waiting for? chattfoodbank.org/give/donate/?id=1&page_number=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=chattanooga%20area%20food%20bank&utm_campaign=paid
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:18:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015