“I don’t know if I told you that I’m directing The Sound of Music for BCT this summer. I had 54 children audition, and obviously, I coul donly cast the 7 von Trapp kids. However, my step-mom Sonja, who was hleping me with an audition workshop was inspired by an article in the Argus Leader about how high gas prices are having an enormous tricle-down effect on the working poor, and that food pantries are in desperate need of replennishing. Anyway, the connection is that she suggested that I cast the kids who didn’t get a role as on of the 7 children in a children’s choir, which could not only sing a bit in the show but perhaps meet and work on a community service project–like domestic hunger & filling the local food pantry. We’ve tentatively dubbed it ‘My Favorite Things food & Fund Drive.’”

Think about organizing your own canned food drive this summer in your church, neighborhood or workplace. The steps are simple.

1. Get in contact with a local food pantry and find out what they are most in need of.
2. Pick the time and location for the food drive.
3. Two weeks before the food drive is about to begin print up some fliers and hand them out. (You can even do a little more PR by writing a press release and sending it to the local newspaper.)
4. When the food drive begins you can either set up barrels to collect the food or go to folks individually whatever suits your situation the best.
5. Haul the food on over to the pantry keeping a count of how much you raised to let interested parties know.

After viewing the table of contents it looks like ti could be a great program and really adaptable. Check it out at http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/prog.htm

-Look in the phone book and find the names, phone numbers, addresses and hours of all the soup kitchens and shelters in your area. Make copies of this information and store them in your glove compartment so you can share them with those who might need the info. You can also offer to drive them.

-Canned Fruit
-Canned Fruit Juice
-Meat of any variety.

If you want to bring over some meat I would recommend bringing it over frozen.

I feel slightly weird saying any more because I’ve always felt that the giving you do should be done in private and not talked about. Otherwise you risk only doing things to get the praise of men. But as the point of this initiative is to get people motivated and thinking of ways to help, I’ll go.

On my last Sam’s trip I bought a whole case of peanut butter (Delta, my son’s youth group was collecting PB to take to the food pantry)

One day while going through the drive through at McDonalds there was a guy asking for .79 cents so he could buy a sandwich. (I assume he already had some money and just needed the rest) I did him one better. I told him I would buy him a sandwich and if he would meet me on the other side of the drive through I’d give it to him. He then got bold and asked if he might also get some fries with that. LOL! I said sure! And then he asked about a coke to wash it all down and I said sure. He seemed unsure if I was telling the truth or not. He asked me multiple times if I was sure about this? I said I was and that he just needed to meet me on the other side.

I place my order for my food and his and drove around. I didn’t at first see him when I got to the other side. I wondered if he thought I was just looking for an excuse to get away and wasn’t really going to buy him food. But as I pulled further up, I saw him standing there tentatively looking around. I rolled down my window and handed him the bag and the pop. The expression on his face was worth the $5 I’d just spent.

I’d love to see more ideas here and read other peoples stories