What About the Rest of Us?

The arrival of $100,000 from the Bank of America spurred some thinking about the nature of giving in our lives. 

We rightly celebrate it! From my desk, with its never-ending stack of bills, I am deeply appreciative of this gift: It will help us meet the call of our mission. Thank you, Bank of America!

The Bank of America gift is fantastic, amazing and vitally important.  But so, too, is the $10 money order from a friend who lives in low-income housing, and the $4.84 that we receive every month from one local company’s workplace donation program. By sending out our truck to pick up donations from our partner grocery stores and warehouses, we leverage your gifts into about $5 million worth of food.

(Of a greater mystery is a can of diced tomatoes that arrived in priority mail. The can, currently retailing for $1, cost $9.55 to send to us. While we would have preferred the $10.55, we *can* put it to good use!)

A unique part of American culture is the belief that if we all pitch in and work together, we can improve our lives and communities, which is better than waiting for someone else to make a stupendous gift. How can we do this? Be a Hunger Hero!

Food for Greater Elgin has a program called ‘Hunger Heroes’, where people who make a  monthly gift (even $4.84 a month) become Hunger Heroes. These Heroes provide a bedrock of financial support that we count on each month. 

As you make decisions that will shape your lives in the coming year, this is an easy (and painless) way to choose to make a difference in your community. And for whatever you can give: Thank you.

-Michael