The Goddess wishes to remind you that food banks always need donations, particularly at this time of year.  They need donations all year long, but at the holidays, no one should have to go hungry.  Please be thoughtful and be as generous as possible.  I could have come up with a better image, but you get the idea.  This is what The Goddess’s counter looks like when she’s getting ready to make fruitcakes.  Moving on…I posted this list last year, just before Thanksgiving.  It’s still relevant.  Here’s a list of 10 things food banks need, but rarely ask for:

• Spices—Think about it. People who rely on the food bank eat a lot of canned food, rice, oatmeal, white bread, etc. They love spices. Seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, oregano, basil and so on.
• Feminine Products—Can you imagine being worried about affording these? Pads, tampons, panty liners, etc. Recommended: Buy in bulk at Costco for donating.
• Chocolate—People don’t need it, but think about being in their shoes and how nice it would be to be given a chocolate bar or brownie mix along with your essentials.
• Toiletries—Grocery stores are great about donating surplus or unsold food, but they have no reason to donate toilet paper, tooth paste, soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc. Food stamps often don’t cover these.
• Canned meats and jerky—This isn’t true of all food banks, but some struggle to give users enough protein.
• Crackers and tortillas—They don’t spoil and everybody likes them.
• Baby toiletries—Diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, baby shampoo, baby soap, baby food, bottles, etc.
• Soup packets—Sometimes you look at rice, beans, instant potatoes, and cans of vegetable and think, “What do I make with this?” Hearty soup is a complete meal.
• Socks—From a former homeless person: “Socks mean the world to you. They keep you warm, make you feel like you have something new, and just comfort you.”
• Canned fruit other than pineapple—Food banks get a lot of pineapple donated. Their clients love it when other kinds of fruit are available.

I ran across this great idea that was put forth on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) website that is positively brilliant.  We can all do this.  It’s advent and this is a new kind of advent calendar.  Your kids can join in.  It looks like this—

That’s right…those are wine boxes.  Isn’t that just brilliant?  You’ll need 2 boxes and each box has 12 spaces and you can fill each space with as much as you want or as it will hold.  I know that advent has already begin, so you’re behind…you’ll catch up, won’t you?

I tell you those Canadians are clever, aren’t they?  Don’t you love that they think 79 days is a long election cycle…would that we were that smart!  Please, get yourself a couple of boxes and fill them to the brim.  You’ll have done some real good and after all it is the seasoning for giving.  So give until it hurts, because there are those among who are in real pain and in need of a hand.  Please extend yours….

The Goddess knows that you are running out right at this very moment to get some wine boxes to fill.  She is supremely proud of each and every one of you.  Thank you for your generosity.