Hello and welcome back to Weekend Coffee Share #51! I hope you’ve had an enjoyable holiday and a great start to the new year. Let’s catch up while we enjoy our hot coffee or tea.
If you’re new to my blog or the weekly Weekend Coffee Share link-up, welcome! Please check my guidelines before linking up.
Week 1/ 52
I had a wonderful blogging break and returned with my Happy New Year 2022 blog post last Sunday. On Tuesday I finished my first Community Food Drive. In previous years, I donated food items and money to food banks. A few events compelled me to take a more hands-on approach.
My First Food Drive
Here are 5 things I’d like to share about my first Community Food Drive:
1. It started with an e-mail
In early December 2021, I got an email from the office of my community centre advising that during COVID-19, food banks will not pick up donations from our traditional collection boxes at the community centre. They pick up from fire halls or participating grocery stores. In the same week, I read articles about increasing food insecurity, food prices, and use of food banks.
Both the community centre and a local fire hall are on my walking route. They’re about 800m (0.5 mile) apart. For pedestrians, it’s easy. For drivers, it’s a nightmare due to the street layout and no public parking at the fire hall. Without the convenient pick up from collection boxes, food banks may get less donations. I saw a service gap that I could bridge.
2. It was easy to set up
I contacted Daily Bread food bank and the community centre to inquire about having a collection box to run a food drive. I volunteered to pick up food donations from the collection box and walk to deliver them to a local fire hall.
After a few emails, the community centre agreed to set up two collection boxes with Daily Bread’s list of Most Needed Food Items posted, and a message out to residents in my neighbourhood.
3. It was a contactless project
Following public health COVID-19 guidelines, I had no contact with the donors or staff. Pick-up and drop-off locations were unattended and outdoors. I specified a start date and an end date for the food drive: From December 13th to 31st.
I took a blogging break in the last two weeks of December to work on the food drive. It was a good decision. I picked up the food donations, sorted them to balance the weights, and walked to drop them off.
4. It was heartwarming
Since it was my first food drive, I had no idea what to expect. The donations were heartwarming. One neighbour left me a message to say my generosity has inspired other residents and they offered help if I needed assistance moving the donations.
The donations and that message affirmed my faith in humanity. Good people are out there and we care about our community.
5. It ended with excellent results
My food drive collected three hundred fifty (350) non-perishable and most needed food items, or about $1500 in cash equivalent. I shared the results with my neighbours and thanked the donors for their generosity.
Together, we contributed to help those in need and make our community a better place. It was an excellent way to start the new year.
How has your week been?
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Natalie the Explorer 
That’s such a great result Natalie – I love how proactive you were and how it inspired others around you. Nothing beats generosity and you’ve made such a difference by doing something so simple. It warmed my heart to read your post. And thanks for a new year of link parties 🙂
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What a lovely thing to do Natalie and especially at Christmas time. I could sense that doing this gave you a sense of well-being as well as helping others. It sounds like you inspired your neighbours to get behind you also. Well done.
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Thank you, Jennifer, for your kind comments. I’m glad I volunteered and got the wonderful support from my neighbours.
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Thank you, Leanne, for your kind comments. The food drive results exceeded what I hoped for and they warmed my heart, too. Looking forward to our coffee shares this year.
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Treating people with generosity can lead you to a joyful life. It’s good to go the extra mile and you certainly did that, Natalie. Brava! Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year, Jill. I felt joy every time I saw food donations in the collection boxes.
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Great job! You’ll likely never know how many times this will inspire others to be of service. Happy New Year to you!
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Happy New Year, Betty. I was thankful for my neighbours’ support and their food donations. If my volunteering inspired anyone to be of service, I would feel honoured.
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What a great story Natalie, congratulations on responding to the need around you and finding creative ways to help meet the need and encourage others to do the same! Thank you for starting us out with such good inspiration. Michele
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Thank you Michele for your kind comments. I think each one of us can find ways to help others. I was thankful for my neighbour’s support and their food donations.
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I was looking forward to this post, Natalie, to learn more about food drives. Or, food walks! 🙂 I was curious how you would drive as you don’t have a car. What a great way to start the new year and to learn that your community cares about others. Have a great weekend!
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Haha, Liesbet, of course with me it’s walking or cycling. Food walks tend to make people think of a tour that takes you to different eateries to try different dishes 🙂 I’m very happy with the results. My neighbour who has lived in the area for forty years told me it was the most successful food drive to date.
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Congratulations, Natalie – This is another example of how one person can make a huge difference. Great post!
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Thank you, Donna. The food drive was something that I could do to contribute to and promote peace.
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Congratulations on the food drive. What a lovely start to the year.
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Thank you Shari. I’m thankful for my neighbours’ wonderful support and donations.
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Great way to start the year, and great exercise! Makes me want to do better. Thanks for sharing
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Thank you, Alex, for your comment. The walks with weights are good strength training.
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What a great initiative Natalie! Happy New Year!
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Thank you Barbara and Happy New Year to you and your husband!
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I’d never heard of this, but it sounds so good! I’m so glad you took on this opportunity to volunteer your time for the needy. I am also so happy it was such a success!
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Thank you Astrid for your lovely comments. I looked up food banks in the Netherlands and found this link https://voedselbankennederland.nl/vertalingen/english/
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Yes, I do know about food banks, but I’d never heard of food drives. Thanks for sharing though.
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Yes, ‘food drive’ is a term used here.
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It’s great that you spotted the need, Natalie, and were able to follow through. It’s sad that people have to rely on food banks but wonderful that they exist. Happy rest of the year, hon!
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Happy New Year, Jo! I was glad to be able to help and thankful for my neighbours’ wonderful support.
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Fabulous! So many of us think “we should…” but we often don’t. You did!
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Thank you, Janis. I was glad to be able to help and the donations were amazing.
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Yay you! I am a sucker for donating to food drives so I’m glad that you did this and it was a success. Every little bit of goodness in the world helps the whole world.
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Thank you, Ally. I’m thankful for my neighbours’ support and donations.
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That’s wonderful of you, Natalie! And you’re right—there are lots of good people in the world who care about their communities.
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Thank you, Janet. The food donations were amazing evidence of my neighbours’ generosity.
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How generous, Natalie and I’m sure your efforts were greatly appreciated. We all need kindness in the world, especially now and I’m sure you felt fulfilled doing your part. Happy New Year and here’s to more Weekend Coffee Shares in 2022. x
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Thank you, Sue. The food drive results exceeded what I hoped for. Happy New Year to you and Mike!
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What a great idea Natalie. Well done & Bravo!
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Thank you Gary and happy New Year!
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What a heartwarming post to read on a rainy Saturday morning. Happy new year and well done!
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Thank you and Happy New Year, Jo. I look forward to reading your coffee share post.
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Natalie, noticing a need and filling it are two very different things. You should be very proud of yourself for doing both. And, you inspired a community to follow your lead. Congratulations!
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Thank you, Suzanne, for your kind comments. I felt compelled to take actions. I’m thankful for the support that I received, from the community centre manager who offered two collection boxes, to all the food donations from my community. Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy New Year!
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Well done Natalie, this sounds like a great project all about helping out and giving back! Great to be back with you for #weekendcoffeeshare
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Thank you Debbie for your kind words and for linking up with us. I look forward to reading your coffee share post.
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Sounds like a great endeavour. Very cool that you saw an issue, thought of a solution and raised your hand to make that solution come to light – well done! Humanity does have it’s good side, and you are proof 🙂
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Thank you Trent for your kind comments. I felt compelled to take actions. I’m thankful for my neighbours’ support and donations. They exceeded what I hoped to achieve for the food drive.
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What a wonderful project to help your community! Congratulations on making it a success.
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Thank you Beth. My neighbours’ generous donations made the food drive a success.
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Here’s my contribution https://wanderingdawgs.com/2022/01/09/lens-artists-photo-challenge-181-double-dipping/
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Thank you, Beth. I’m on my way to your blog post.
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Good for you taking that initiative. You just reminded me that our building normally has a food drive but didn’t this year because of Covid. I’m sure we could have come up with a solution.
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Covid has affected so many initiatives including food drives. Daily Bread accepts donations year-round. I hope your condo comes up with a solution.
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Congrats on your generous endeavor. Looking forward to hearing about this more.
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Thank you Antoinette. I’ve volunteered for other events although COVID spread has put many of them on hold for now.
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Natalie, Bless you for taking action on a problem in your community! The COVID era has affected so many people in many different ways. I see it in the emotional state of your young people today. You have addressed a very important area!
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Thank you Pam. I agree with you that COVID has affected so many people in many different ways. Food is a basic need. I was compelled to take actions. I’m thankful for my neighbours’ generous donations.
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That is fantastic! I am sure your efforts were greatly appreciated and much needed.
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Thank you, Joanne. My neighbours and I are thrilled with the results. Daily Bread food bank has thanked us for our efforts.
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Hi Natalie, I’m so glad your food bank efforts turned out so successfully. You are an amazing woman. Best in 2022.
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Thank you Marsha. The results exceeded what I hoped to collect for the food drive. I’m thankful for my neighbours’ generous donations. Happy New Year to you and Vince!
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Thanks, Natalie. Thanks for all you do. You are an amazing, generous, and considerate human.
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Wow, thank you for your kind words, Marsha. In the words of motivational speaker Jim Rohn: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” 🙂
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Your friends must have very high scores! 🙂
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This is so wonderful to read about your initiative with the food bank! Bravo! Awesome job!
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Thank you Maria. My neighbours’ generous donations made the food drive a success.
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Indeed!
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That’s so awesome Natalie. What a fulfilling idea.
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Thank you, Kirstin. It was heartwarming to see new donations every time I checked the collection boxes. I’m very happy with the results.
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Wonderful! I wonder if the neighbors could be coordinated to take turns transporting donations so that it could be continous?
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I think coordinating the transport is doable if there are ongoing donations. People tend to donate more around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Hi Natalie,
What a wonderful contribution to your community through the holidays to do the food drive. Look at all the donations, such wonderful photos and what a great way to end the year. Thank you for the coffee and I’m hoping 2022 will be a good year. ❤️🤩
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Thank you Diana for your kind comments. I’m very happy with the results of the food drive. I also hope 2022 will be a good year for all of us.
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That is so very cool. I am so happy for you. Very nice. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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Thank you Patrick. My neighbours’ food donations were amazing to see. Happy New Year to you and have a great week!
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An admirable endeavor Natalie. Good idea.
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Thank you Deborah. Happy New Year to you and your family.
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Sounds like you did an amazing job and had a great time smile😊.
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I’m very happy with the food drive results. Have a great week ahead!
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Congratulations on completing your first food drive! At my hospital, we partner with a local food bank where we distribute food to patients and community members experiencing food insecurity.
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Thank you, Julie. That’s a good partnership that your hospital has with a local food bank. I’m sure it helps the patients and community members who need the service.
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Happy New Year, Natalie. So good you could get this food drive up and running and you put so much into it. That’s wonderful and your enthusiasm is contagious and now spreading onto your blog as well. Our church has a meal and grocery program called Meals of Hope.We get donations from supermarkets and package them up to help people out. I was dropping them off to people, especially loads of bread. We often had too much of it and it was good to drop it round to my elderly neighbours who also appreciated the visit and chat. I saw some incredible things happen through dropping off these meals.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Happy New Year, Rowena. I’m sure people, especially elderly neighbours, appreciate the Meals of Hope program and your visits. Many elders live alone and they appreciate a chat, even if it’s short. All the best to you and your family in 2022.
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I am continually impressed by your energy level and the things you put that energy to, Natalie. Congrats on a successful food drive. This is something that has such a profound benefit for the community. Well done.
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Thank you, Dan, for your kind comments. I felt compelled to take actions. The results exceeded what I hoped to get for the food drive so it was great for the community. Happy New Year to you and your family!
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Such an inspirational project Natalie! It is heart-warming to find that there are many who care and will take action to help others.
P/S Love the heart art – I adore all yarn & fabric installations!
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Ju-Lyn, The food drive results exceeded what I hoped for and my neighbours’ generosity reminded me of the heart art that I photographed. I’m glad you liked it.
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It’s projects like these that remind us how generous people can be. Indeed hear-warming.
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Yes. It was an excellent start for my 2022.
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This was an excellent project, Natalie, and one that is always needed in any community. I have been volunteering for years at what some people call a “soup kitchen,” that feeds the community three times a week. With Covid, they had to start serving in a “to go” drive-up line instead of opening the building up to guests, but at least they are still getting a good meal. It always saddens me that a country such as the U.S. has so many food deprived people, but I’m glad that there are people, much like you, willing to help with this need. Kudos to you for your community support!
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Thank you for your visit and comment. Your longtime volunteering is impressive. You’ve helped so many people over the years. Food insecurity has increased during the pandemic. I was glad everything came together and this food drive was a success.
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