Food drives, it’s crazy how big they can get.

But it’s also sad to think about because at the same time people don’t really care about them. It doesn’t benefit them in any way, so they just don’t think twice about it.

But if you think about it in a certain way it can benefit people. Maybe not in a physical way, but you’ll get the feeling of knowing that you just helped a family (or even two) that really needed food. And to those families they will forever be grateful for what you did.

I went and talked to a student about their thoughts about food drives and if they should be encouraged more around the holidays, the first thing they said was that “They are important.” They didn’t hesitant. This is what I’ve gathered from the world, either they think too much of it and say they’ll get to it later and they never do, or they just don’t care enough to put their two cents in. 

When it comes to the holidays, it’s a pretty common thing for families to come together and share a meal or two together. People tend to be a little bit more cheerful and in the giving mood around the holiday as well. The student that I talked to added that “-more people willing to donate for the holiday spirit.” And when people get into the holiday spirit, they tend to be 10x more happy than normal. 

The other person, I talked to was Tami, and she works at the Maple Valley food bank. As you know, around the holidays it can be a time of joyful and wonderful things, but it’s a time for a bunch of things that could go wrong. She said that it can be “…filled with cherished traditions and moments of joy, but for many families in our community, it can also bring added stress and uncertainty. Rising food costs, higher energy bills during the colder months…” So when everyone does their part and keeps donating food to the food banks, it “…helps us keep essential food items on our shelves and allows us to offer meaningful seasonal programs such as Holiday Food distributions and our Holiday Gift Shop.”