Friday, December 08, 2006

My First U-Can Share Food Drive



I have been the volunteer coordinator at the South Plains Food Bank since May. This week I was able to experience the U-Can Share food drive for the first time. I was amazed as to how much preparation went into the event. Since October, I have helped plan every detail of the food drive with the U-Can Share committee. I was so excited when it finally kicked off this week. Every night at six and ten o'clock, I would tune in to KCBD 11 to watch the live broadcast at United Supermarket to see how many pounds of food had been collected.
On Wednesday, I finally got to go out to the site. When we got there, my husband and I helped organize the groups of schoolchildren for the six o'clock news broadcast. All of the kids were so excited to be on the news and proudly annouced how many pound of food their school had collected. After the broadcast, Donna Chandler explained to us how everything was done at the collection site. As the sun went down and it got colder out, we huddled by the space heater and waited for donations. I was suprised by how few donations came in, but it was probably due to the cold weather! Overall, it was fun to be a part of the U-Can Share food drive. I was amazed by how the community came together and got involved.
Back at the food bank, its been pretty busy. Groups have been calling me every single day wanting to volunteer. Everyone wants to get involved, not only with the U-Can Share food drive, but also at the food bank. We have had school groups, church groups, and businesses out here volunteering every day, helping us prepare for Christmas. It has been a fun experience for me, and it is wonderful that so many people are willing to help out the food bank at such an important time of year!