food drive.

The first Saturday of my Christmas break always happens to be the Greater Kalamazoo Holiday Food Drive. It's hard to wake up early on my first day off on vacation, but it's always worth it once I get there :)

The food drive is something I have done with my mom three or four times now, while her and her friend Deb have been participating on and off since the food drive started--20 years ago. This year, our group was the three of us and Deb's father, Lyle. He is a sweet eighty-something man who enjoyed volunteering too!

Within about two and a half hours, we boxed and shipped out boxes of food for 1500 families in the Kalamazoo area. It really is an amazing thing to see and be a part of. Here is a quote from Mayor Hopewell via Mlive.

"This is outstanding," Hopewell said, gesturing to the number of volunteers packing the fairgrounds building. "It is a great, great representation of our region -- just look at how many folks are full of love and willing to help others."

Thanks Mom, Deb and Lyle for helping out this year :)

Be the change. Make the difference. 

greater kalamazoo holiday food drive.

All the boxes ready to be stuffed!

Hello everyone :) Happy New Year! I know it's been a while but the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of Christmas celebrations, family time, fiance time, great food and drinks and relaxing! So it seems like forever ago when my mom and I went to the Greater Kalamazoo Holiday Food Drive on December 22nd. 

We got there around 9am and luckily were able to find my mom's best friend Deb, and her future daughter in law too! We lined up and got ready to pull :) 

It seems like each year this event gets more and more efficient...and I LOVE that. All you do is walk in a big circle pulling a cart with two empty boxes on it. People at each table within the circle stuff the box with their food, and by the end of it your box is completely full. 

organized chaos :)

Then, the wonderful men and women of the Portage and Kalamazoo police and fire departments speedily close each box and send it outside. From there, it is loaded into a volunteer's vehicle to be delivered to a family in need. 

It sounds simple, but when hundreds of volunteers are packing THOUSANDS of boxes, it is truly amazing. This year, we helped 1,500 families in the Kalamazoo area...all types/ages of volunteers pitched in. Please see below...this adorable little man who couldn't be more than 5 years old made the loop several times, pulling boxes all on his own. LOVE this!

I hope next year you will consider participating or finding something similar and wonderful that the whole family can do together. And I hope 2013 is starting off great for you :)

Be the change. Make the difference.

the new life.

As many of you know, I recently made a big move back to my home town for a new job. I like to refer to the new job as saving the world, because on a small scale that's what I feel my work is about. 

I've been there almost two months now, and am feeling a bit like I have the lay of the land. Essentially what our non-profit does is assists people in several different ways to prevent them becoming homeless. 

My job (so far) seems to be a big mixture of things at different steps of this process. I inspect homes to make sure they meet basic needs. I meet with people to hear their story and figure out how we can best assist them. I do lots of paperwork. I visit our family shelter to answer questions our clients might have. I help people find affordable places to live. I talk to landlords. I do more paperwork.

And here is what I've learned so far:

*Although my skin became real thick, real fast, there are some stories that are impossible to not take home. It doesn't mean I am soft. It means I have a soul.

*I have to--quite literally--guard my heart. It sounds terrible but I can't let all of the stories sink in. I can't let my mind completely process it, otherwise I'd never leave my desk because all I'd be thinking about is how the nice young man with the four adorable little boys doesn't have anywhere to sleep tonight.

*Some people do try to work the system. Some people don't. I have to have compassion for both because either way, they still need some kind of help.

*The power of eighteen passionate and strong woman can be intimidating. But it also is changing the world and inspiring me more every day.

*I cannot help everyone. I can try and save them, but it is not my job to change behavior. I can do all that I can, and that's enough.

As you can see I'm learning a lot and it seems like it all changes every day. Hopefully you all don't feel like I've dropped off blogging world--there's just a lot going on!

On another note, thanks to Aunt Barb and my mom who both made a donation for the Greater Kalamazoo Holiday Food Drive! I have a whole trunk full of stuff now. Please let me know if you would still like to donate--only about a week and a half left!

Be the change. Make the difference.

holiday food drive!

I picked up the first Greater Kalamazoo Holiday Food Drive donation...and it came all the way from Chicago! My dear sister Jackie and her family never hesitate to chip in and donate, and this time around gave three huge bags full of food! 

There is a little less than a month left to get your donations to me--so let me know if you are interested. If you missed my previous post about the food drive, you can watch all the details below. The video is from a few years ago, but it does a great job of showing how the food drive works and what the holiday season is really about.

Be the change. Make the difference.

holiday happenings.

As some of you  may or may not recall, I recently moved home to Kalamazoo. It has been so nice being closer to family and my childhood friends! 

In the past, my mom and I have participated in the Greater Kalamazoo Holiday Food Drive...and this year I decided we should get more involved since I'm closer.

In 1993, the Food Drive began with a few law enforcement employees collecting food and delivering food boxes to families in Kalamazoo the week before Christmas. These boxes are packed with a weeks worth of food for families in need. What started out then as a collection for about 40 families has now turned into a collection for around 1500 families!

So this year I will be collecting canned food and any type of food item YOU are willing to donate. I then will have to get our donation to the fairgrounds by December 21st where some amazing volunteers will be sorting it. Then, on Saturday the 22nd, hundreds of Kalamazoo residents come out to stuff the boxes full and deliver them. 

Please contact me if you are interested in donating at bethechangemakethedifference@gmail.com OR let me know if you want to join in stuffing boxes! OR if you'd like to just make a cash donation, click here. OR if you are in the Kalamazoo area and would like to find a grocery store collecting items, click here. So many ways to help :)

Be the change. Make the difference.