Cans, Cans and more Cans

Did you know . . .

• one in six Utah children faces food insecurity, which means they don't know where their next meal will come from?
• that "Scouting for Food" provides more food for the food bank than any other food drive?
• on average, most families only need to return to the food bank 3 times?
• that since 2008, the number of people going to the food bank for help has doubled?
• that this hall of food will feed 300 families for 3 months?
• that Community Action Services and Food Bank in Provo does SO MUCH more than just provide food!? 

Community Action Services and Food Bank (CASFB) is set on developing self-reliance in individuals and families and does this through a variety of programs, not just hand outs.  And all of their services have strict requirements for people to qualify.  But for the determined and hard-working, CASFB can be a real leg up for those who are left with very little resources and opportunities.  If you want to find out more about who they are and what they do, click here for FAQs.

 

We found out there are many service opportunities for families at CASFB.  We signed up for their Monday "Kids Who Care" Family Activity Night (which, by the way, you have to do a few weeks to months in advance because they only allow a couple families each week).  It was SO perfect.  They gave us a quick overview of the needs in our area and what CASFB is doing to address those, then we got a short tour (CASFB is actually a food bank AND a food pantry - which I learned are not the same thing).  Then we got to work.  We actually ended up being the only family there, so it was just us and LOTS of cans (the "soft goods" had already been sorted out), and there was plenty of sorting to be done.

 

The best part was that everyone could help.  The boys all worked super hard and they loved it!   

We ended up emptying THREE of these big containers:

into these labeled bins.

We were sweaty and dirty by the end, but it was a great feeling!  I was so proud of these boys!  And what a great night!  (We've already signed up to do another family night project with CASFB in October!)

Our Servicemen Rock!

This week we joined United Way's Summer of Service (yeah, they copied me) and made cards for our amazing military men and women serving abroad.

I wish I would have taken a picture of my middle man's creativity.  He drew an awesome picture and on the other side wrote really big "You Rock!".  In writing the letters, they said to think about things that would bring a smile to someone's face.  I think that'll do it.

Cards with drawings, stickers, hand-written "thank yous" are great.  If your children are old enough letters are even better.  Don't know what to write about?  Here's a list to get them (and you) started: 

• School - what grade you're in, favorite subject, something funny that happened
• Favorite music or TV show
• Recent movie you saw and your favorite part
• Sports teams and how they're doing
• What you did for Spring Break or summer vacation
• Your siblings or friends
• Other likes or dislikes
• Something new you learned and how you felt about it

Most of all, stay positive and avoid controversial subjects (politics, religion, etc).  And make sure to tell them how much you appreciate them!  The whole point is to give them something to smile about and to know that they are supported by people they don't even know.

If you have apprehension about writing letters or wonder if they will really get it, check out this website for Operation Gratitude.  Our letters/cards were sent in a mass package to them and they will distribute them.  They also have ideas for sending packages and other ways you can get involved in supporting our troops.  Easy project, and yes, I do think it makes a difference.

Vacation!

to one of our favorite places:

And remember this trip?

Both were made possible by someone else.  So for our project while we were on the road, we decided it was time to say thanks.

"Dear Grandpa 

Thank you for an awesome trip 

♥ Cody"

Sign up for Assignments

For our project this week, we had the opportunity to help clean our church building.  Cleaning has to be done every Monday and Saturday and our congregation is asked to take care of this assignment four months out of the year.  What a great way for members to show their gratitude for the great facilities that we enjoy!

 This was a great project for all ages and there was plenty for everyone to do.  You probably can't see the above picture very well, but all tasks were explicitly delineated and with three other families helping we got the whole building vacuumed, swept, dusted, and cloroxed in less than two hours (bathrooms included!).

A Small Dent

Nothing says service like a good ol' park clean-up. :)

This is actually up the canyon near our house close to a popular park/campground.  It's on public land and is a common place, apparently, for people to use as a shooting range.  (Yes, legal to shoot - not legal, or cool, to litter.) 

I hadn't actually been to this area, but had heard that it need some serious cleaning up.  They weren't lying.  We're talking crane and dump truck type cleaning.  But we felt pretty good about what we did.  We just picked one area, stayed away from the river and made a noticeable effort on the main hang out part.

We started with our picnic, of course.  (I wanted to bring some of those stumps home, wouldn't those make cool backyard furniture?!)

Full stomachs and ready to roll:

Hard at work:

It doesn't look like that big of a trash bag, but it was big and it was full and it was a lot of trash.  A small dent for what needed to be done, but if everyone made a small dent, how much more beautiful of a world we would have!

PS: Cost of project - $0.00  :)

Party Crackin' on the 4th of July!

RECIPE for lots of smiles:

toilet paper rolls

curling ribbon

 treats and little trinkets

 

 tissue paper

 stickers

and a few helping hands

and  voilà! box full of party crackers

We delivered ours to the homeless shelter ON the 4th of July, which made it more meaningful as we talked about all the things we were getting to do that day and how there were so many children that didn't have those opportunities, but hopefully we made their day brighter with our little surprise. 

I chose The Road Home because I LOVE what they do and they are absolutely solid.  If you want to donate to someone who is really making a difference this would be a GREAT choice.  They work with the chronically homeless, with people who are transitioning, with immediate/temporary housing needs AND with families.  They had over 100 children residing there on this holiday.

If you want to do something for the homeless, click here to find ideas for volunteering at the shelter (which could also probably be implemented at any other functioning homeless shelter), or click here to find a list of ways you can give.

And if you want more detailed instructions on how to make the party crackers, click here.  I'd love to hear what you do with yours!  Who did you make smile?

Oh and PS - THANK YOU to our friends that came and helped with this project, it made it go faster and was much more fun to share it with someone!