Today I dropped off my December donation to the food pantry and have to tell you about my trip. My donation was about ten items, including 5 six-packs of Kerns Nectar juice which I paid 25¢ each at Publix. I have a hard time saying “juice” when the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, which is why these items were in my donation pile.
At my food pantry you take your items inside and put them in a shopping cart and then the volunteers shelve the items. As I was filling out my donation form I heard one of the volunteers squeal with delight. She then said “Oh my goodness! One of the ladies waiting wanted juice. That’s all she wanted and we didn’t have any. And look at this! Juice just showed up!” She then grabbed a can of juice and a piece of fresh fruit and walked away.
I couldn’t help but SMILE! My mouth smiled and my heart smiled. My donation was making someone very happy. Can you imagine wanting a glass of juice and being unable to afford it? When you are in that situation it doesn’t matter the brand – any juice will lift your spirits! My juice made three people smile – me, the volunteer, and the juice recipient. Those smiles are priceless.
Time and time again I encourage you to buy the items that are incredibly cheap or free with coupons so that you can donate them. Someone, somewhere WILL appreciate the items you do not want.
Back in January I resolved to donate ten items per month to the food pantry and blogged about my trips through May. My purpose for blogging was not to brag, but to hopefully inspire others to get the products that are free with coupon that they may not necessarily use. I didn’t spend much money out of pocket to meet (and exceed) my goal of 120 items. In 2011 I am increasing the amount of products I donate to our local food bank.
If you are in the position to donate food or money there are so many people who are hungry. Your donation, no matter how big or how small, does make a difference!
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Leandrea is a married mom of two girls, ages 13 and 12, living in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about helping people save money one coupon at a time. Read more