The holidays can be an emotional time of year for me. Not because of the typical stresses of family, schedules, pressure, or anything like that. It's just that I get really worried about people not having enough to eat, and this time of year it is often brought to my attention.
I understand why, it's a huge season for charitable giving, and so it should be. But all the letters I get from my charities, ads on tv, on billboards, and all over the place start to tie my stomach up in knots. And I remind myself of all the charities we've given to this year, to the battered women's shelter and the food bank, but it doesn't seem like enough.
Hunger is a huge, emotional thing for me. Not because I ever went to bed hungry, thank goodness. But it's something I've been sensitive to, ever since I was a little kid. After college, I realized that a big part of what makes me happy is cooking for and feeding other people; if I had been a better cook, maybe I should have worked in a restaurant. But hospitality, caring about people, listening to them, and feeding them have always been important to me.
This is why I almost never watch Return of the King, the third Lord of the Rings movie, because Frodo and Sam are so hungry, and when Gollum throws the last of their elf-bread over the cliff, I cry and get all upset. Also very distressing to me is The Terminal, when Tom Hanks' character is subsisting on cracker and ketchup sandwiches. Ack. It gets to me.
So since 'tis the season and all, Maeve and I are going out to get some supplies for our local Action Center which delivers Thanksgiving meals to our area. They are very short on food this year, and since our playdate was cancelled, I wanted to do something useful and good today. How does your family help out your community at the holidays? I would love some more ideas.
Thanksgiving last year |
Our local grocery store in Virginia used to sell bags of food that they would then donate to the local food bank--it was a great and easy way to make a donation while you were taking care of your own grocery shopping. Sadly, I haven't seen anything like it here in El Paso, at least not yet anyway. I also donate to toys for tots every year and to local animal rescue organizations, though I often feel as though I should be doing more.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya on that one, hunger is a big thing for me too. it's so hard to have hope when you have an empty aching belly. Kudos to you for not just feeling bad but really trying to do something about it!
ReplyDelete