Find a Food Drive and Donate!

I know many of us are already in Christmas mode, but lets not forget that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, too.  If you're like me, you can day dream about all the yummy Thanksgiving dishes in our future.  I look forward to dressing and turkey the most of all.  And the chocolate pie.  And, well, all the other comfort food that make this meal so special.  Oh, and the dumplings!  Love the dumplings!

Hold on, I know I had a purpose for this post and I think my hungry stomach made a detour somewhere in that first paragraph!  My goal is to encourage everyone to find a food drive and make a donation this year.  If you don't know a place accepting food item donations, look no further than your local school.  Specifically the Family Resource Center.  If you have school age kids in your family, ask if their school is sponsoring a class challenge with the winning class receiving a prize for the most donated items.  At Patty's school, the winning class will be awarded with a popcorn party!  How fun does that sound?!

Here are my top three things to remember while shopping for a food drive:

1. Check the expiration dates; the further away, the better
2. Items have to be "shelf stable"; no items that need to be refrigerated or frozen
3. Double check with your child's bus driver in case there is a policy about bringing the donated items on the bus.  Remember, don't over pack your child's back pack!