Give While You Shop: Simple Ways to Help Your Community This Holiday Season

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You’re already going to the grocery store. You’re already buying Christmas gifts. You’re already making trips around town.

What if one of those trips could help someone else, too?

Giving doesn’t always require extra time, a big donation, or another trip across town. Sometimes you can give while you’re already shopping.

Add One More Thing to Your Grocery Cart

One of the simplest ways to help a local food pantry is to add an extra shelf-stable item to your cart.

A can of vegetables. A box of pasta. Peanut butter. Cereal. Soup.

One item may not seem like much, but when many people each add something, those donations can add up.

Before stocking up on a particular item, check with your local food pantry to see what they need most. Needs change, especially during the holidays.

Look for Easy Ways to Donate While You Shop

Some stores make giving even easier.

Save A Lot offers pre-bagged grocery donations that customers can purchase for a local food pantry. You can add a prepared donation bag to your regular shopping trip without having to decide which individual items to buy.

Price Chopper and Market 32 have also offered pre-packed food donation bags for local food pantries.

And if you’re shopping at Dollar Tree, look for its current collection benefiting the enRiCH Community Resource Exchange. It’s another opportunity to pick up something while you’re already shopping and help a local program at the same time.

Programs and participating stores can change, so check your local store for current information.

You may also see food collection bins or other local donation drives while you’re shopping. If you can, add something to your cart for someone else.

Give While You’re Christmas Shopping

Food isn’t the only thing you can give.

While you’re shopping for Christmas, watch for Giving Trees, Angel Trees, toy drives, and other local collections.

You may find a tag with a child’s wish or a request for a particular item. Choose something that fits your budget and add it to the shopping you’re already doing.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive gift.

One thoughtful gift can mean a lot to the person receiving it.

Let Your Kids Be Part of It

If you’re shopping with your children, let them help.

Have them choose a food item for the pantry or help pick out a gift for another child. Talk about where the donation is going and why you’re doing it.

These are simple opportunities to teach children that Christmas isn’t only about what we receive.

It’s also about remembering other people.

And Sometimes the Best Gift Isn’t Something You Buy

Maybe there isn’t room in your budget for another purchase this year.

You can volunteer, help sort donations, make Christmas cards, help a neighbor, or give someone your time.

You don’t have to spend money to make a difference.

Help Stock a Local Food Pantry

If you’d like to make your holiday shopping help a local family, I’m doing a bread fundraiser to benefit the Neighborhood Center food pantry right here in Canton.

I’m offering a shelf-stable baguette bread mix for $9, and every $2 helps toward the fundraiser.

You can purchase a mix for your own family, give one as a gift, or keep it on hand for the holidays—and at the same time, help support our local food pantry.

You can pay by cash, check, PayPal, or Venmo.

How to Participate

$9 per French-Style Demi-Baguette Mix package

Venmo: @Candy-Foote
Please put “Food Pantry” in the note.

PayPal: candy @ candyfoote .club
Remove the spaces when entering the email address.

If you have questions about participating in the bread drive, please contact me.

If you’d like to participate, I’d love to have you be part of it.

I’ll have the full ordering details available soon.

Give While You’re Already Shopping

You don’t have to do everything this holiday season.

Maybe it’s an extra item in your cart. Maybe it’s a donation bag. Maybe it’s a gift from a Giving Tree.

Or maybe it’s a bread mix that helps support a local food pantry.

Look for one opportunity to give while you’re already doing the things you need to do. Sometimes a small addition to your shopping can make a big difference right here in our community.