Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Give the Gift of Giving
Student ID: 10089278
For the privileged, Christmas and the holiday season is a time of gifts, family and turkey dinner. However for some, trying to gather up enough money for just the necessities is a struggle. Last year alone the Food Bank recorded over 145,000 Calgarians used the services of the Calgary Food Bank with 42% of those being children. It is hard enough to watch grown adult struggle to make ends meet let alone watch a helpless child starve. Sadly, however this is the reality for many in our own community. What most people don’t understand is how little it takes to help out. This year we encourage everyone to volunteer at the Food Bank, even if it is just once. To you it is just an hour out of your day, however to someone in need you can be their saving grace.
Many Calgarian families are still feeling the effects of the recession when it comes providing for themselves and their families. It is shown that there has been a 70% increase of usage of the Food Bank since the recession started. These people are hard working individuals, some of whom hold two or three jobs just to skate by. Sadly however these individuals are finding that in this day and age even hard work and perseverance isn’t enough. While life during the rest of the year can prove to be difficult financially, many find they need to stretch their money the most during the Holiday Season. When families are struggling to obtain even the most basic needs, let alone trying to buy Christmas presents, that’s when they turn to the Calgary Food Bank for support.
The Calgary Food Bank is a not for profit organization that does not rely on government funding nor the United Way for support. They rely solely on the generosity of others in order to keep running. They have many large organizations that donate money and a loyal base of volunteers that, day in and day out, help to support those in need. With the cash donations that the Food Bank receives they use that to buy the staples that are included in every food hamper. The Calgary Food Bank takes pride of the fact that for every dollar they receive they stretch it to be worth four dollars worth of food. So as you can see every little bit can go towards making a huge difference for you fellow citizens.
At the Calgary Food Bank they take on clients based on their income, number of children and even family situations such as pregnancy. While the try to assist as many people as possible some must be turned away either to lack of resources and funds or lack of volunteers to run the center. However for those they can help, they provide healthy food that can last a family for weeks. They provide many non-perishable food items as well as fresh food such as bread, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. They even have a special section where if they see that it is a child’s birthday coming up they have gifts set aside to give them because clearly, if the family is struggling for food they can’t afford to buy presents. This is just one of the many ways the Calgary Food Bank goes above and beyond to really make the experience special even under unfortunate circumstance.
At the Calgary Food Bank there are many ways you can help others in need this Holiday Season. One of the biggest contributing factors is volunteering your services and helping to distribute food hampers. Every day hampers are distributed to families in need and to make a difference, all that is needed is an hour out of your day. With food distribution you can volunteer as an individual, with friends or even, if you so choose, in a group, such as a sports team or a group of coworkers. In the one hour you would be at the Food Bank you can help hundreds of hardworking people feed their families and truly make a difference in their lives as well as their children’s. If you cannot volunteer during hamper distribution, there are many other events that you can participate in. For example every year the Food Bank holds “Stuff-a-Bus” at local Calgary Coops. There they try to gather as much food as possible from Calgary Coop shoppers in order to try to fill the bus. Another activity that happens around the city during the holidays is the free gift wrapping at local malls and department stores. For a food donation volunteers will wrap your gifts for you. Therefore, we can see that while although volunteering to distribute hampers is the most common way to help, you can also volunteer your services at one of the many events held by the Food Bank year round.
With that in mind however, we realize that some may just not have the time to give. There are however other ways to help out those in need this Holiday Season. You can donate food or even money. Food Bank collection boxes are located practically anywhere throughout the city and most are held right at your local grocery store. So if you are feeling in the giving spirit, the next time you are at the store you can simply purchase a few extra food items and place them in the collection bins provided. You can also send cash or cheques as well. It is truly that easy, and every little bit counts when it comes to those in need.
Not only does volunteering at the Food Bank help others in need but it also gives the volunteers a sense that they are making a difference in the community. I can speak from experience that there is nothing better than seeing a smile on a clients face because you have made such a huge difference in their lives. Many of the clients that come in are upset and ashamed that they are in this situation. They are guilty because no matter how hard they work they still cannot provide for their family. As volunteers it is our goal to make the clients feel welcome and comfortable. There is no greater satisfaction than when a client leaves with a smile on their face and a “thank-you”. We can all take a look at our lives through experiences such as this, and we realize how thankful we are for what we have. I, however, am also thankful to be in a situation where I can afford to help others as well. This is the true spirit of the Holiday Season and I encourage everyone who can afford to donate their time, food or money to do so. Trust me when I say there is no greater feeling than to physically see the difference you are making in the world. With every dollar, every hour and every can of soup you may not only feed a hungry child or a working mother but you may also be their saving grace.
References: - All Statistics obtained from www.calgaryfoodbank.com
For the privileged, Christmas and the holiday season is a time of gifts, family and turkey dinner. However for some, trying to gather up enough money for just the necessities is a struggle. Last year alone the Food Bank recorded over 145,000 Calgarians used the services of the Calgary Food Bank with 42% of those being children. It is hard enough to watch grown adult struggle to make ends meet let alone watch a helpless child starve. Sadly, however this is the reality for many in our own community. What most people don’t understand is how little it takes to help out. This year we encourage everyone to volunteer at the Food Bank, even if it is just once. To you it is just an hour out of your day, however to someone in need you can be their saving grace.
Many Calgarian families are still feeling the effects of the recession when it comes providing for themselves and their families. It is shown that there has been a 70% increase of usage of the Food Bank since the recession started. These people are hard working individuals, some of whom hold two or three jobs just to skate by. Sadly however these individuals are finding that in this day and age even hard work and perseverance isn’t enough. While life during the rest of the year can prove to be difficult financially, many find they need to stretch their money the most during the Holiday Season. When families are struggling to obtain even the most basic needs, let alone trying to buy Christmas presents, that’s when they turn to the Calgary Food Bank for support.
The Calgary Food Bank is a not for profit organization that does not rely on government funding nor the United Way for support. They rely solely on the generosity of others in order to keep running. They have many large organizations that donate money and a loyal base of volunteers that, day in and day out, help to support those in need. With the cash donations that the Food Bank receives they use that to buy the staples that are included in every food hamper. The Calgary Food Bank takes pride of the fact that for every dollar they receive they stretch it to be worth four dollars worth of food. So as you can see every little bit can go towards making a huge difference for you fellow citizens.
At the Calgary Food Bank they take on clients based on their income, number of children and even family situations such as pregnancy. While the try to assist as many people as possible some must be turned away either to lack of resources and funds or lack of volunteers to run the center. However for those they can help, they provide healthy food that can last a family for weeks. They provide many non-perishable food items as well as fresh food such as bread, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. They even have a special section where if they see that it is a child’s birthday coming up they have gifts set aside to give them because clearly, if the family is struggling for food they can’t afford to buy presents. This is just one of the many ways the Calgary Food Bank goes above and beyond to really make the experience special even under unfortunate circumstance.
At the Calgary Food Bank there are many ways you can help others in need this Holiday Season. One of the biggest contributing factors is volunteering your services and helping to distribute food hampers. Every day hampers are distributed to families in need and to make a difference, all that is needed is an hour out of your day. With food distribution you can volunteer as an individual, with friends or even, if you so choose, in a group, such as a sports team or a group of coworkers. In the one hour you would be at the Food Bank you can help hundreds of hardworking people feed their families and truly make a difference in their lives as well as their children’s. If you cannot volunteer during hamper distribution, there are many other events that you can participate in. For example every year the Food Bank holds “Stuff-a-Bus” at local Calgary Coops. There they try to gather as much food as possible from Calgary Coop shoppers in order to try to fill the bus. Another activity that happens around the city during the holidays is the free gift wrapping at local malls and department stores. For a food donation volunteers will wrap your gifts for you. Therefore, we can see that while although volunteering to distribute hampers is the most common way to help, you can also volunteer your services at one of the many events held by the Food Bank year round.
With that in mind however, we realize that some may just not have the time to give. There are however other ways to help out those in need this Holiday Season. You can donate food or even money. Food Bank collection boxes are located practically anywhere throughout the city and most are held right at your local grocery store. So if you are feeling in the giving spirit, the next time you are at the store you can simply purchase a few extra food items and place them in the collection bins provided. You can also send cash or cheques as well. It is truly that easy, and every little bit counts when it comes to those in need.
Not only does volunteering at the Food Bank help others in need but it also gives the volunteers a sense that they are making a difference in the community. I can speak from experience that there is nothing better than seeing a smile on a clients face because you have made such a huge difference in their lives. Many of the clients that come in are upset and ashamed that they are in this situation. They are guilty because no matter how hard they work they still cannot provide for their family. As volunteers it is our goal to make the clients feel welcome and comfortable. There is no greater satisfaction than when a client leaves with a smile on their face and a “thank-you”. We can all take a look at our lives through experiences such as this, and we realize how thankful we are for what we have. I, however, am also thankful to be in a situation where I can afford to help others as well. This is the true spirit of the Holiday Season and I encourage everyone who can afford to donate their time, food or money to do so. Trust me when I say there is no greater feeling than to physically see the difference you are making in the world. With every dollar, every hour and every can of soup you may not only feed a hungry child or a working mother but you may also be their saving grace.
References: - All Statistics obtained from www.calgaryfoodbank.com
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