Happy Hour at Large
Today’s Happy Hour post is going to take quite a little twist - next week we will return to our regularly scheduled program… I hope you will stick with me!
As a person who loves food, drink, entertaining, sharing it all with friends and family I wish that everyone could be as lucky as I am and able to enjoy all of these things on a regular basis. But they can’t. Poverty here in the US and across the world forces many to go to bed hungry and to constantly worry about where the food for their family’s next meal will come from.
Throughout the year I support several organizations that help those in need, and especially those who focus on supplying food or working with food as a method to improve the lives and skills of many, like Farestart, here in Seattle.
This weekend I’m sponsoring a group to work at the Northwest Harvest Warehouse for an afternoon. Northwest Harvest is our local foodbank clearing house, so to speak. It collects, sorts and packages donations which are then distributed to neighborhood food banks and soup kitchens across Washington. I can only sponsor these events because of all the great people who come out and volunteer their time and make it work. I am lucky to know people who support me in supporting this cause!
On Saturday afternoon about 20 of us will work for two hours on whatever chore the warehouse needs done. We may sort and box canned foods, package up bulk frozen vegetables into family portions or pull together special dinner boxes that they sometimes need. It doesn’t really matter - we know that it’s our group and all the other groups like ours who make it possible for Northwest Harvest to feed the hungry on a very limited budget.
Afterward most of us will meet back at my house to share a late lunch and develop the camaraderie we’ve built during the early part of the afternoon.
I encourage you to take your Happy Hour budget this weekend and donate it to your favorite local charity or spend your Happy Hour time coming up with a plan of how you can help out a group that is near and dear to your heart. You might be surprised how little effort it takes to make a big impact! The need is always great during the winter and it can be a nice way to do something a little different for the holidays. The best part is how great you’ll feel when it’s all said and done!
