Fullness and Thankfulness
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love taking time to think about all the blessings in my life, and offering up sincere thanks for them. Being able to choose whatever I want to eat, whenever I’m hungry, to afford organic produce, hormone-free meats . . . to be choosy about what I put in my mouth . . . I find this an amazing gift that I am grateful for every day.
So when it rolls around to the holiday where we all eat even more than usual, where food is the focus, I think especially hard about those who don’t have anything to eat at all. With recent cuts to food stamps, there will be even more families struggling with hunger this year, which is why I’m so glad that Little Shop of Stories is conducting a food drive from now until November 17th:
OTSP Food Drive and Community Service Day
Friday, November 1st | to November 17th
In our On The Same Page book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, the Valley of Fruitless Mountain is barren and the people have to work hard to grow rice in the stubborn land. There are people in our community who, like Minli and her village, do not have enough food. This year, On The Same Page will be partnering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to help change the fortune of people in our community! Drop off canned or non-perishable foods at Little Shop of Stories from November 1st through 17th. Visit acfb.org for a full list of items needed.
In conjunction with the food drive, On The Same Page will also be having a Community Volunteer Day at the Atlanta Community Food Bank (732 Joseph E Lowery Blvd NW, Atlanta) on Saturday, November 16th from 1pm to 4 pm. Volunteers must be at least eight years old in order to participate. We will be working in the Product Resource Center to inspect, sort, and pack food donations. We will also take a tour of the warehouse facility and learn about ways to help people in need. Space is limited so please email us at info@weareonthesamepage.org to sign your family up.
For those of you who can’t get to Little Shop of Stories, I encourage you to use this time of fullness to find ways to reach out and help your struggling neighbor. It doesn’t take much –you don’t have to give millions, or even a fraction of that– but it really does make a difference. What better way to show our thanks for what we have, than by sharing it with others?