Each November, we introduce the idea of community service to the children through our annual food drive benefiting the Epping Cares Food Pantry which operates out of the Epping Community Church. The good folks at the Food Pantry described their work in a Facebook post this way:
The Food Pantry is an independent 501.3 run out of the church’s property. NO ID/INCOME VERIFICATION NEEDED literally just free food for the needy with no strings/questions. Come get what you need! EVERY SATURDAY INDEFINITELY.
How will we present this project to the children? We’ll watch this video of Karma Wilson’s book Bear Says Thanks on Wednesday, November 1st when we officially kick off the 2023 food drive. We plan to tell the kids they can be like Bear’s friends who brought food to him when his cupboard was bare. They can bring food to Hogarth, and we’ll donate it to people like Bear who need food. (“Donate” will be a new vocabulary word for the children. 🙂 )
This year, we’ll be accepting food donations from Wednesday, November 1st through Wednesday, November 15th. Not sure of what to donate? Here’s an article with some tips on what most food pantries need, especially around the holidays. Pretty much any shelf-stable staple food items you keep in your own pantry would be welcome. To involve your child even more in the “giving” process, you could offer several choices to your little one and let them select their own donation.
Want to talk with your children about charitable giving? The article How to Help Kids Learn to Love Giving in Greater Good Magazine offers good guidance for parents of children of all ages.
Thank you in advance for helping your child to participate in this community service project. A kind heart is a good thing to have.
