GLAD is a proud supporter of Cookies for Kids with Cancer and when they asked me if I wanted to participate in a Recipe for Giving Contest, there was no way I was going to say no. Having lost a relative at such a young age due to cancer, the cause is close to my heart and was honored to participate.
It always amazes me to see the power of a mom/parent, of a community and what becomes of that unity and determination. I have, on many occasions, baked cookies, pies and cakes to help raise funds for various causes. It’s just a small something that anybody can do that can literally make a huge difference.
My Recipe for Giving
Something I like to give is, a home cooked meal to a family who has had a newborn baby, a family who’s just moved in to the community, someone who is sick, and even to someone who doesn’t have any place to go for the holidays. In fact, the very first Thanksgiving meal I cooked (I was 17) was for my husband, our newborn son, and two fellas with no family close by. They were his coworkers and I made sure they felt like they were “home”.
Now I’d love to know what YOUR recipe for giving is, how you give back to others that is food related. If you don’t have your own personal story to share, create one. Create a recipe for giving idea that others can use in their own lives and communities! I honestly just want to know how you give back.
I’ll choose ONE winner to receive a $500 Gift Card (hopefully to be used towards a family service activity or perhaps to even give back in some way), courtesy of GLAD. I’ll be reading through each answer so make it count.
ONLY ONE entry per person for the entire contest. You have until June 13th, 10pm CST to enter. Official rules Will will have 24hrs to claim prize!
I would love for you to share this via twitter, facebook or your favorite forum/blog post but doing so will NOT earn you any additional entries. It would be a “just because” moment…
Disclosure: I did NOT receive any compensation for this post. I did, however, receive a donation in my name of $500 to the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Foundation. Pretty freakin’ awesome!
About A Cowboy's Wife
I do not do as much as I should do really. All that I have done and continue to do is make homemade food for families who have lost someone in their family. I know that people gives meat trays and veggie trays but I think a home cooked meal sometimes is much better for their body and soul. I don’t cook much when I do it, usually chicken with mashed potatoes and a side dish, but I do try to make sure it comes from my kitchen. They have so much to think of already at that time and sometimes it is easier for someone else to take that burden from their shoulders. I also did the cooking for a man that was a great friend of my husbands. Before he passed 2 years ago, he would come over several times a week and on all the Holidays to eat at our house because he didn’t have family that was home to cook. He lived with his dad who was gone most of the time and he was not married. He loved coming over because we always made him feel that our home was his home. We loved having him over and enjoyed his company. I don’t think I will ever have someone that had got that close to my whole family again but it sure was nice that I did have someone that close for the time that I did.
I give by doing photographs of chidren with there families that have cancer and i also photograph families who have loss a child , it is something i feel very strongly about as i lost a child and did not have a picture or anything and doing this makes the world of difference in the lives of the families as they have something to look at , after the initial shock of loosing there loved child ..
this i do at no charge , they recieve a dvd set to music and prints in a book that i make myself
kindest regards
georgia stewart
Our recipe for giving is multifaceted.
A favorite is inviting single guys over for dinner. This has been fun on Thanksgiving especially. Some of these eat mostly take out or often eat alone at night.
Another part of giving is cause donations. My wife and I are big supporters of breast cancer research, and private causes. We’ve donated to official sites but also to families that needed funds to get through tough times. Our hearts ache for those victims of tragedies, esp those missed by the big organizations.
We support wildlife through purchase choices where part of the $$s goes to wildlife foundations. The local zoo has lots of those items. Also our local school children sell tees to raise money for wildlife preservation.
It’s not as important to give every penny we believe but to give where you can and where your heart leads. Don’t ignore that tiny voice saying to give a dollar here and there.
Cheers.
I would love to be able to give more, and someday I will. For now, it’s the small things, which mean as much as big things. I also prepare meals for families with new babies. I have given gently used clothing to families at our church or school when I have noticed kids wearing too small or torn up clothes. I have given what little extra money I had to a local family that had their utilities turned off due to a job loss. I have handed the guy panhandling at the intersection some food and $5. I have given the guy asking for bus money at a downtown convenience store the last few dollars I had.
These things don’t sound like much. But to the person I gave to, I’m sure it helped. If you look deeper, the actual “giving” was when I opened my heart and my wallet without thinking about it. I know a lot of people won’t give to the panhandler on the corner or the guy asking for bus money, because we don’t really know what they’re going to do with that money. My question is, does it matter? My hope is that when I need something, people are willing to help without judgment, without requiring me to pass some sort of “inspection” of worthiness. Right now I can’t do much to help, I don’t have much to give. But when I can, I give without hesitation, without judgment, without restriction.
My giving recipe is simple. Sometimes it pops up out of no where:
putting in the quarter for someone to get a food cart. Giving someone the extra dime or penny to make a purchase.
telling a child at the school I work at, thank you. the look in their eyes say wonders at how it made them feel. Feeding the men who were away from home at the holidays. Giving a worn out mom a well needed rest from the children when the dad is out to sea or where ever he might be.
Little things like giving my co workers treats of their favorite ice cream, foods, chocolate! The wonders that chocolate does for ones soul! I like hiding them, so it’s a wonderful surprise for when they find them.
When I do these little things, it helps my soul too. Cause without these people, my life would be less interesting.
I have always been in community service. When we were kids we would go to the local food pantry and pack food and help the families to their cars. I have always arranged fundraisers and lent a helping hand. When our neighborhood flooded I was outside proclaiming I am yours for the helping and I did. Tore up carpets that were destroyed by river water and so on. What I have learned is the best thing you can do in giving is teach others and educate one another on the power of lending a helping hand.
My recipe for giving is simple: Teach your children, your neighbors, your friends and co-workers the good and the reason to give of yourself.
Every year my children and I do a minimum of five projects. We give to the elderly, we go to run down neighborhoods and plant flowers, paint and beautify. We go and lend ourselves to area food depositories and do a neighborhood clothing drive that we donate the items to a local youth home for kids that have been abandoned or have been in and out of foster homes.
I started a community service committee at my office that now does anything from serving meals at homeless shelters to collecting items for book bags for children who’s parents can’t afford school supplies. We do a coat drive annually for families who could use a warm coat in Chicago winters.
So again, my recipe is simple. Share. Share of yourself and teach others the same. Make the World a better…together.
It’s hard to believe, but “Meals On wheels” does not deliver meals to the elderly on weekends, at least not in our area: that’s where my ladies’ club “The Lunch Bunch”( Ladies’ Mission Group) comes in: We make sure a good lunch is delivered to homebound seniors on Saturdays and Sundays: There is an overwhelming demand for this vital service, so we’re forced to only provide for 40 ( There are 12 members of our group, but one is in the hospital and another is caring for her terminally ill husband). $500 would go a very long way, would probably allow us to buy shelf stable foods in bulk, thus stretching our budget even further.
During the Christmas holidays we set up a mitten tree in our store. We live in a small community, but we received several hundreds of mittens, scarves, hats and a few coats that the ministerial association hands out to those in need. A $500 donation would surely go along way to help keep the kids warm in the winter.
I took the fifth graders from Roo’s school to a food bank last year, it’s an annual trip and makes a big impression on the kids. I used to do a Share A Story program, reading to preK kids in underfunded school districts. I would bring snacks and books for the kids to keep. I was surprised at how many of the kids did not know what yogurt was and how many would talk about tv shows and movies but said they did not read at home.
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I put together a holiday munch box – usually full of homemade fudge, sugar cookies, brownies, peppermint bark, and other treats and take them to my husband’s police station on the holiday. The officers stuck working on the holidays are missing out on all of the treats at home with their families, so it’s just a little something I can offer to make it better for them.
Hmmm…this is tough for me right now, because health issues keep me in the house more often than not. But, I am a huge believer (and fan) in “giving back.” Let me tell you some of the things I have done…
When my kids would outgrow their clothes (from infants on up), I would donate them to the local pregnancy center that did a lot of outreach in the community to help struggling families. I also made it a habit to donate often to my local goodwill; furniture, toys, clothing, shoes, household items, you name it. At my last job, I was a member of the Community Service group, where we would do bell-ringing for the Salvation Army at Christmas and serve meals regularly at local agencies that served the community.
A few years ago, after Hurricane Katrina, I organized a “Penny Drive” at my children’s elementary school to raise money for the Red Cross. We collected donations (we only asked for pennies) every day, culminating with a school-wide, day-long event celebrating New Orleans and its history and culture. Teachers incorporated lessons about New Orleans into their teaching plan, and the kids made Mardi Gras masks, learned about jazz, and we enjoyed New Orleans food. The school raised $1,000, which was the goal set by the principal, who promised to take a pie in the face if it was met. It was a wonderful, valuable experience.
Another memorable experience was motivated by the story of a local woman (only 21) who was pregnant with quadruplets (naturally, not through IVF or anything like that, so it was pretty remarkable). She was a single mom with a 2-year-old daughter, and she was really being attacked because of her situation. I wrote an opinion piece for the local paper about how the community should be a little more sensitive and supportive of this woman instead of making her life miserable, and actually got negative, nasty phone calls as a result. One of the local reporters was moved to write a series of stories about the woman, and got me involved as well. I then decided to put my words into action and accepted donations of baby items and clothing on her behalf (sorting, cleaning, and storing them in my basement…holy moly, there was so much!) and organized a “community baby shower” on the weekend of Make a Difference Day. I got donations from local businesses (both for the woman and her babies as well as items to raffle off) and people just kept coming to drop off stuff for the babies, and donate money. We got so much stuff, it was ridiculous…multiples of car seats, strollers, high chairs, pack & plays, swings, not to mention bags upon bags of clothing, diapers, bottles, etc. It was such an amazing and heart-warming experience, I actually get choked up when I think about it.
Our wonderful neighbor came by over the weekend to drop off some peaches from their peach tree and I baked them a big batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as a thank you. They have several children in their home and have taken in a few to help them get back on their feet. I knew that cookies would brighten all of their days and that’s why I baked the cookies.
Every opportunity I get to make food for people, I do because something delicious can really brighten a person’s day. During Thanksgiving, I donate time at the local Salvation Army by helping them cook thanksgiving meals for those who are less fortunate. I believe that we should all do our part to make this world a better place. Life is already filled with enough suffering, any positive thing we can do is one step closer to a happier world.
Lori-Recently, I have become involved in an organization called ‘Crayons for Cancer’ which raises funds to help families with kids currently battling Cancer. This is done by taking broken, unused crayons, removing the paper, sorting them by color, melting them and pouring it into molds. The resulting crayons are then packaged and sold for $1 a bag.
100% of the proceeds from Crayons for Cancer goes to Children’s Hospitals to support their Oncology Units. Current partners are: Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Minneapolis Children’s Hospital and the Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The funds help in two ways:
1. Family Funds help families cope with their child’s illnesses by off-setting the cost of parking and meals while they stay at the hospital.
2. Treasure Chests where young patients go to choose prizes after enduring tough chemotherapy, radiation treatments and/or blood tests.
http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com/2010/04/crayons-for-cancer.html
Due to my own health issues and being single I don’t have a lot to give, but….
I may not make a meal or cookies to give, but I have from time to time given the food items needed to create a meal to a family because they had none and I did.
I also purchase manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower chairs, etc at yard sales or auctions and given them to those that need them, but do not have insurance or the funds to buy the items themselves. It mean a lot to these people who are ill or have become disabled, to have these tools that make their lives a bit easier or safer. When I first became disabled myself, a friend helped me out when I needed it most. And now I want to pay it forward in the same manner.
I have also been creating Bottles of Hope for Cancer patients for a few years now. These bottles mean a lot of the people that receive them. I get empty insulin bottles and clean and sterilized them, then cover them in polymer clay. They are then sent out with a small poem explaining their purpose. There was a small boy, a few years back, with cancer and he was into dinosaurs, so I made him one that looked like a dino. He loved it. (I’ll post it on my blog this week) For the adults these bottles give them some hope. You can read more about Bottles of Hope here: http://bottlesofhope.org/ Just last week I uploaded some pictures to my computer, of the bottles that have been sent out and was going to write a blog post. I think now is the perfect time to get that post written.
When I hear of people that have illness in their family, or some other tragedy via friends of friends, I send a handmade card. Just a few days ago I received a ‘thank you’ e-mail message because of a card I sent a couple weeks ago to a stranger who suffered a home fire, and lost everything. That stranger had a glimmer of hope because a stranger (me) reached out to her and let her know she was not alone.
Sorry this got so long, but wanted you to know of a few ways that my recipe for giving works.
BrendaLea
prpldy (at) comcast dot net
After spending 22 + years as an Air Force wife, making, delivering & setting up meals in just second nature. It is still amazing to me how grateful people are to recieve food. I still do this today and when I call to say I’m bring dinner, for whatever reason — no one can believe it. To me it is important as we all have to eat and as any good cook knows, food is comfort at anytime.
Soup is a great way to give! This started with my grandparents (now just Grandpa) and I have done it for others since I started as well. Making a homemade pot of soup can be pretty easy and economical. I make a double batch and then use the small round Glad bowls to freeze individual servings and give to Grandpa (or anyone). These are the perfect size for a small lunch, or like my Grandpa (and many other older folks) they have a small dinner instead. You can easily freeze some cornbread muffins or biscuits for them also. Then they can take them out as needed. When they are done I tell them to return the Glad containers and I will refill them with more soup!
I’m Vice-President of a club at my college. It is called VOWS and it stands for Volunteers of Wildwood. We have food drives, personal care drives, at Christmas time we partner with a local group called Santa’s Helpers that adopts familys for Christmas. I also donate to the food pantry at my church. Our church also has a cookie walk every year and I make homemade cookies and brownies for it.
My dog and I are also members of the Safety Sam program we go to schools, camps and even to churches to teach kids how to be safe around dogs. I volunteer with the Samoyed Rescue group to raise money to save these dogs. My dog and I also do almost every event we can to help raise money for other organizations.
Since my husband and I own a Harley we do charity rides each year such as Hawgs for Dogs, The torch run for the Special Olympics, and other events to raise money for local charities and individuals in need.
My favorite way to give is to give back to the ones who I feel make the US the country it is. Our troops past & present. I do this by volunteering at the local Veterans home. I also send care packages with goodies from home to those deployed overseas. I love to make up care packages. To me it is like shopping for Christmas gifts. Finding just the right things for a care package is a lot of fun. I do end up use lot’s of glad bags. The ones I’ve sent packages to say the sand gets in everything. So the food all gets sealed in glad bags. Which they also love, because when the food is gone, the zipper bags are re-usable.
Lori,
You have a hard job determining which reader will earn this gift card/donation to their organization!!
One thing I am proud of is that so many of us to give back in more way that one can imagine. We are blessed that our generation is a generation that belivies in the importance of becoming involved with the community to make a difference.
I have 3 Girl Scout Troops!! From 5 & 6 year olds to 4th & 5th graders!! Going on field trips, making crafts, and badge earning is great, but our make focus is “Community” . We have several different charities that we are involved with and Cancer Research is one of them.
We have actually particpated in Glad’s Cookies for Kid Cancer findraiser and it was a success. After that event, we started our own American Cancer Society Relay for Life team locally.
We raise money online year around and have team called “Silent Warriors”. Our have bake sales a few months before the event, and this year we worked with a local BBQ company to sell food @ this years Relay for Life event. They also made and bough cupcakes for EVERY survivor that came to the event. This years theme was “Celebrating More Birthdays”. Those cupcakes represented another year Survivors had fought their battle with Cancer.
Last year, the girls raised $1200. It wasn’t a whole lot, but the girls got the fundraising bug. We have a scout with Leukemia so it took on a whole new meaning. They felt they were fundraising for her…so she (and others like her)can celebrate more birthdays!! This year with online donations, donations on hand, and event fundraising, they raised $2700!! Our local chapter is 2nd in the nation (as a whole) for online donations!! In addition to fundraiser before and during the event, they also help set up luminaries for the event.
Our girls were pictures in a local newspaper and I also blogged about it @
http://sinclairfamily-maria.blogspot.com/2010/04/celebrating-more-birthdays.html
Whether we win the gift card donation or not, our girls will continue to support local and national organizations and I applaud the other readers and yourself for giving back to whatever organization you are invovled it.
Together we can make a difference!!
sorry, forgot i changed my domain add.
It’s
http://www.bloggingbabiesandthebayou.com
My parents definitely raised me to think of others in as many ways as possible, and they lead by example. I can barely remember any Christmas or Thanksgiving, or even Easter, that was ‘family only’. We ALWAYS invited at least one person who we knew was down on his or her luck or had no family with whom to spend the holiday. Every year it was a different person as circumstances changed, but I learned so much at those dinners!
As an adult I have carried on the tradition my parents taught me. I’m not a great cook, so I am rarely put in charge of preparing the big holiday meal (which is fine with me!), so I don’t feed people for the holidays, but my ‘new’ family tries to give in any number of ways. I work with teen girls in juvenile detention centers. It’s easy for many people to write these girls off and try to forget about them, but I know them beyond what they did to find themselves incarcerated. Most of them come from very messed up homes, with little or no adult supervision or guidance. I have developed very strong relationships with many of the girls I work with, and I even started a somewhat unconventional Girl Scout troop for them so they could attend camps and workshops to learn things they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do otherwise. I worked very hard a couple of years ago to take a group of twenty of them to an amusement park for a weekend. I sought donations from individuals and businesses, and even got a grant from the local United Way to pay for a bus, hotel rooms, meals, tickets to the park, and even a little spending money for drinks or souvenirs for the girls. It wasn’t easy to persuade people that these girls deserved this opportunity, but I believe in it wholeheartedly, and was thrilled to have that dream for them come true! Now many of those girls are young adults, and they still write me letters or emails from time to time. I try to teach them to ‘pass it forward’, and they often proudly recount to me the ways in which they have done. It’s the best feeling in the world to think that not only have they learned that they can rise above their circumstances and the ‘black marks’ of their past to become responsible young women, and that they are teaching others to do the same!
Thanks…this is a great contest!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com