It's Food Drive Time!

Meck annual food drive is one of the best time's of year. It is a time where we all come together and get to serve others in a way that is life giving and life sustaining. And being able to do it as a family is beyond special!

It’s our very favorite time of year: the Food Drive!

Each year we have the privilege of partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to serve neighbors in our area. Second Harvest has a vast population they serve; in the 24 counties that benefit from their pantry, almost half a million people live in poverty. Second Harvest does a phenomenal job of getting the food directly into the homes and hands of people who need it most; but as more than half of their pantry is supplied by donations, they heavily rely on food drives, like ours, to stock their shelves. 

This is where we get to partner with them! Gathering food to donate can be such an easy task, many of us are already getting groceries weekly, but we can miss out on the intentionality of exactly what it is we are doing when we drop a few extra cans of vegetables or pasta in our carts if we don’t take some time to consider our role in God’s plan for humanity. 

Often, we may hear the idea that some of us have more and therefore can give to those who have less. A kind of reallocation of resources, but God’s vision for our generosity is so much bigger! 

In the New Testament of the Bible we see Jesus call His followers ‘friends’ (John 15) and Paul refers to followers of Jesus as co-laborers (1 Corinthians 3:9); this gives us a much deeper understanding of where we fit into God’s larger plan. We aren’t simply following the ways of Jesus, we are working alongside God to build out His kingdom, we reflect His heart to others who don’t know Him. 

N.T. Wright - a Bishop, professor, and author - says it this way, ”God builds God’s kingdom. But God ordered His world in such a way that His own work in that world takes place through one of his creatures -- the human beings who reflect his image.”

The Food Drive is the perfect way to introduce this idea to your kids (and to remind yourself). We can let them know that we are giving to others, not only because we are able, but because God has entrusted us to help Him show the world who He is and what He is like. God is good, kind, generous, just, and loving (among so many other things), and so when we give from a place of love and kindness (not simply excess) we get to partner with God in building out His Kingdom on Earth. 

For younger kids this might look like explaining that some people don’t have the food that they need, and God has given us the task of doing things on Earth that will show people who God is. Kind of like when you order groceries online for a friend and someone else shops for them and delivers them but it came from you. We are God’s shoppers, we take resources He has blessed us with and use them in a way that reflects His love to others. 

For older kids, you might dive a little deeper by adding that groceries are expensive right now! And while it might be tight, we don’t only give out of excess. God gave to us through sacrifice and so we can also sacrifice time and money to serve people God loves. 

Remember, this doesn’t need to be a big theology lesson where you have memorized verses and can flawlessly explain the nature of God. Before you go shopping, order online, or even separate your donations into the car, ask your child if they know why we participate in the food drive and start a conversation. It might go in a variety of directions, kids may have lots of questions or seem uninterested; but this is how we plant seeds in our children of understanding who God is. He is good, and generous, and kind, and loving, and He wants to include us in what He is doing! 

Here is the Food Drive shopping list, along with some prayers you can use for before and after shopping. These prayers can help supply the words to remember exactly what it is that we are doing as we serve others through the food drive. Use what feels natural, pull them up in the car right before you shop or drop off your food. This is a simple and quick way to put our hearts in a posture of partnership. This isn’t something we did, but something that God has done through us. And what an awesome privilege it is to be included! 

Categories

Written By