FOOD For Thought: DAY 8, 9, 10

DAY 8: Packing Food Boxes

Saturday, December 8th, 2012

       So after my lovely experience with the Redford Goodfellows, it was brought to my attention that they still needed help. 272 families will be receiving donations of Christmas gifts and food this year. On Saturday they were going to finish packing the toys and pack all the food boxes. The families would pick up their packages on Sunday. There was a lot to do and very little time to do it. So once again, I dragged my butt out of bed (after being up far to late and having one or two cocktails too many on Friday night) bright and early on Saturday morning. My friend Jane joined as well. This time their were many more volunteers at the abandon school. We dove right in when we got there. We began unloading food donations from vehicles and sorting them by food type. Unfortunately, donations were lacking this year and there was not very much food to sort. Cathy the director of the Goodfellows told me that donations had been decreasing steadily over the past few years but this years was an all time low. I felt so compelled to do something to get more food in here. Short of going door to door, I could not think of anything. There was just no time. If I would have known I could have done something more. Alas, we began to fill each families boxes. We could at least give them one vegetable, one can of spaghetti, on box of noodles, one box of stuffing, one box of brownie mix, one can of cranberries and one certificate to get a turkey from participating a Kroger. At least these families could have a Christmas dinner. Many people helped and we got the boxes filled in no time. When we left the school last Thursday there were still toy orders to be filled. Jane and I headed to the room where they were sorting toys, to see if they could use some help.
       I was right about opportunities presenting themselves. A friend heard about what I was doing and told me about a family that was in need. This family has been forced to move and after scrambling to find a new home, they have no money for Christmas this year. They have six children. Times have often been challenging for this family but this situation put them over the edge. After I heard this I asked the coordinator of the Goodfellows toy drive if she had any advice about how I could get them help. She gave me some numbers to call and it turns out Toys for Tots, Goodfellows and Salvation Army had closed there assistance application programs for the year. After I heard this I decided to adopt the family and do what I could to help the children have a Christmas this year. When I went back to the Goodfellows, I told the coordinator what I was planning to do. After filling the rest of the toy orders she let me fill a bag of toys to give to my adopted family. All of the toys were small stocking stuffer type toys but it was better than nothing! Myself, along with a few donors who wish to remain anonymous are going to help me get the children at least one large gift to open and food for Christmas dinner. This is all a work in progress and I will keep you all updated on how it goes. 

Food sorting and packing. Not a ton of food for almost 300 families :(

 Baskets for the Seniors

Bags and Boxes for the families. 4 rooms were filled like this. 

Bonus Pic: Jane made the paper!!! She was featured in the Redford Observer for her service!

There are an infinite number of reasons to say no. Instead, try to focus on one good reason to say yes.

Jarod Kintz 

Day 9: Pay It Forward

Sunday December 9th, 2012

Today I kept it simple. My boyfriend, Jason and I are lovers of Tim Horton's coffee and bagels on Sunday mornings. We decided to pay for the person in line behind us today. No matter if it was a single coffee or an order for the whole office. Whatever the total came to was what we were going to pay.  

I wrote up a little note for the cashier to give the person behind us with their order. Just wishing them a Merry Christmas and asking them to "pay it forward." Even if he didn't purchase the person behind himself their meal, I hope he was able to spread the love in someway. I don't know who this man is and never will but I hope it made his day. I know I got an adrenaline rush from it. I think Jason did too. The total only came out to five dollars by the way. Not a bad way to spend five bucks.

“Together we can change the world, one good deed at a time.”

 ~Pay it Forward Slogan

Day 10: Showing Appreciation

Monday, December 10th, 2012

My parents have now lived in downtown Plymouth for almost 10 years. I honestly can not believe it has been that long. Almost as much as I can not believe it has been almost 10 years since I graduated from high school. Yeesh. Living in Plymouth is wonderful especially during this time of year. The lights on all the businesses and houses make it especially magical.  There is one house whose lights I just love. On the corner of Ann Arbor Trail and Evergreen is a lovely large brick house. They decorate their whole house spectacularly. I have enjoyed the effort that these home owners put into their display every single year. This year has been no different. I decided that I would let them know just how much I appreciate their lovely home. I bought a yummy box of chocolates and wrapped them up. I attached a note just telling them that I have loved their lights all these years and wishing them a Merry Christmas. I decided to remain anonymous. I have not met these neighbors before, I have only admired from afar. I wanted this act to just be about me showing appreciation, I didn't want to receive anything in return. I had to be very sneaky when planting the package, so as not to be spotted. I really hope they enjoy it!

This is the lovely house all algow

 

The gift!

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well”
― Voltaire