The spirit of giving is in the air and stores are crowded with shoppers eager to purchase gifts. Many students and other Kalispell residents, however, have remembered those less fortunate this holiday season by donating food to the Food Bank or The Salvation Army.
“I give food to the food bank because some people don’t have anything,” said sophomore Zeffie Heaton. “I think it’s sad that they don’t have enough to eat while others are getting all these nice presents.”
Last December about 51,800 lb. of food was collected by the Kalispell Food Bank. The food is boxed into packages meant to last three days and given to qualifying people seeking help.
“Each family that comes in is different,” said Food Bank director Kathleen Thompson. “There are a lot of working families but we interview those interested and accept a lot of people.”
While the Food Bank does require an interview to establish need, the Salvation Army allows anyone to pick up one of the 700 holiday gift boxes created by volunteers each Christmas season. Boxes handed out Dec. 16-24 contain a full Christmas meal with a turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and more.
“We don’t turn anyone away at Christmas,” said Salvation Army Center Director Steve Staneart. “Bill Gates himself could come in and we’d give him one.”
The Salvation Army gym is filled with toys donated by individuals and are given away Monday through Wednesday. Many were bought by people who have selected an ornament from trees like The Giving Tree. According to Salvation Army Associated administrator, Daylene Staneart, over 20 percent of these toys have been donated by teens.
“A lot of people are here because of layoffs,” said Pastor Lieutenant Jones. “Most of them aren’t homeless, but have gotten laid off and are struggling to still pay bills, and in this season presents.”
Christmas can be a difficult season for those with a low income, but support from the community has proven it can still be a season of joy for everyone.
A family with eight kids had an appointment to come into the Salvation Army and pick up food. However, a day prior to the appointment the father was diagnosed with cancer. The support for this family was overwhelming when they came to pick up their food. Their small van left crammed to the top with presents and food donated by individuals, as well as friends and co-workers.
“That’s one of the really positive sides of this job,” said Jones. “It’s situations like this that show how much care and support is out there.”
The Christmas season is a perfect way to see that communities working together can make a difference. Thanks to the annual FHS food drive, each year the Food Bank collects thousands of additonal pounds of food. This year FHS students collected 4,540 food items.
“It’s all for charity,” said senior Danielle Deisenroth. “We have a massive population at FHS, if everyone donates just one can, imagine how much it is for those who don’t have any.”
Even a single can of food can make a big difference to those less fortunate and continue to provide overwhelming contributions.
“There are a lot of families that really need support and the competition really helps people get involved,” said senior Rosie Smith. “A can of soup may not seem like much to some people, but to others, it’s all they have.”
|
