This afternoon, our family of four participated in Project F.E.E.D. (Feed Everyone Every Day), a program of The Giving Tree in Tucson, AZ.
The organization serves hot meals to anyone in need - every Thursday and Sunday from 4:30-5:30pm. If you want to volunteer, you just show up and start serving. No need to R.S.V.P. In fact, people are encouraged to bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert to add to the meal.
We decided to bring all of the ingredients for yogurt parfaits. We packed 2 tubs of plain mountain high yogurt, a box of granola, a bowl of fresh fruit [diced apples, oranges, bananas, and raspberries], clear plastic party glasses, and spoons. Then, we layered the ingredients, added a dollop of whipped cream, and handed them out.
I'm proud to say that the parfaits are a food I would gladly serve to my own family because they're nutritious and made w/ high-quality ingredients. I've been thinking lately about how it's common to give subpar foods to the poor, like boxed mac & cheese or hamburger helper...instead of fruits, veggies, breads, and dairy.
The experience was exhilarating for all of us. I held our 21-month-old on my hip (next time, I'll bring my ERGO). Our 4-year-old took her job of handing out parfaits very seriously. Afterward, she said, "It's fun to serve!" Indeed.
Are there any soup kitchens or food banks in your area where you might be able to lend a hand? (This is a doable project for couples w/ babies too...just wear a carrier and you're golden).
The Giving Tree from Give Every Day on Vimeo.
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Great idea! When I was overseeing a soup kitchen in Memphis, things like fresh fruit were always hard to come by due to the cost. It was also a tough situation...we'd often have to choose poorer quality food so that we could feed more people.
It is a conundrum, isn't it? I've been thinking about this for the past few weeks - How can we effectively feed the hungry, without sacrificing food quality? The answer isn't easy, but I do know that it begins with individuals...you and me, caring for our neighbors.
New Post: In Tucson, AZ: Project F.E.E.D. http://bit.ly/fb5Eyl (expand)
I am shocked (in a very good way!) that they let you bring your own food! In my sheltered existence ;) you can volunteer at soup kitchens but they fix all the food there due to "regulations." That is so cool!
Our church is hosting a day camp for "homeless and at- risk kids" in our county over the two weeks of Christmas holidays. I'm excited that our entire family will be able to volunteer for 3 days. We're very excited to share and give back a little to those in need. I'm a little anxious to see how it will go with our four girls, but I'm sure God will use us all!
That's awesome, MaryBeth! I am confident that you will touch the lives of those kids (and learn a lot along the way too).
We served yogurt parfaits to the poor at Project F.E.E.D. in #Tucson yesterday. http://bit.ly/fb5Eyl #GiveEveryDay
I'm so glad to hear about this. Now that our kids are a little older I was wondering where we could do this kind of thing with them.
RT @stephsday: We served yogurt parfaits to the poor at Project F.E.E.D. in #Tucson yesterday. http://bit.ly/fb5Eyl #GiveEveryDay
RT @stephsday: We served yogurt parfaits to the poor at Project F.E.E.D. in #Tucson yesterday. http://bit.ly/fb5Eyl #GiveEveryDay
RT @stephsday: We served yogurt parfaits to the poor at Project F.E.E.D. in #Tucson yesterday. http://bit.ly/fb5Eyl #GiveEveryDay
I'm excited to know about this opportunity! How many people should we plan to bring food for if we go?
You should go. It really was cool for our family to serve the adults and kids. You can bring as much food as you want. There were probably 200+ people eating there that night.
The lady on the phone told us there would be about 100 people. We brought enough parfaits for about 30 people...and every last bit of granola/yogurt/fruit was eaten. A little boy even asked for the (empty) whipped cream container because "there might be a little left in there."
Thanks for sharing this info and experience guys! This sounds totally doable for our family. Great to know about especially with the little ones.
loooove this. i totally agree about the quality of food. it is hard. we host homeless men in our church for 2 weeks on a rotating schedule with other area churches. our small groups do breakfasts for them in the morning. and while i know that the donuts and coffee have good intentions, we plan and bring a spinach/egg casserole & a fresh fruit salad. [and these yogurt parfaits are my favorite snack to take on the girls' 'snack day'!]
love following this with you, steph & tim! merry christmas!