Recently I have had the pleasure of two speaking opportunities with Clara from the Good Shepherd Food-Bank. While the folks at Good Shepherd always do a nice job, I was especially excited to see one of their latest initiatives – a Virtual Holiday Food Drive.
Food banks are wonderful. Their mission is to provide food for those at risk of hunger by getting surplus food or food donations and distributing them where people need them most. Even with my untrained eye, I can see that food banks have come a long way in recent years. Many have partnerships with local grocers and farmers to get food. They have well-maintained relationships with the non-profit organizations that can use them. The also educate the public on healthy eating and on how to prepare food for themselves so they are less dependent on processed foods.
To help a food bank near you, there are always opportunities to donate money, food or your time. As easy as participating can be, we are all still very busy people. That is why I was so impressed with the online food bank Good Shepherd has put together. Now you can fill your cart online with inexpensive, healthy foods and help hungry families without having to leave your couch, desk or office!
I live in Maine. If you do not, you can search for virtual food drives in your area or you can start your own. The resources to do so can easily be found on the Feeding America website.