Our canned food drive and auction officially ended today when we dropped off the food at our local food pantry.  When we shared the results on our blog we said that we had collected 1066 food items for the hungry.  With the items brought by our five top bidders, our family matching the highest bid, and donations dropped off by others we actually collected almost 1100 food items!  AMAZING!  The people at the food pantry talked about the growing need in the community and the increasing food shortage they faced.  They told Jason a bit about the families facing hard economic times that depend on this food pantry to feed their children.  Everyone at the food pantry was very excited and grateful to receive this donation.  They weighed the items in at EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE POUNDS OF FOOD!  873 POUNDS!  Words cannot even express how uplifting that number is!

Before we dropped off the food we took a picture to show what that much food looks like.  It warmed our hearts seeing the food spread over our entire driveway.  As a mother it was really special to be able to show my kids what generosity and goodness can do.  With this idea starting from our son’s innocent and giving heart last year, all of our kids wanted to be very hands on for this project.  They worked so hard to help in every way they could.  They carried and counted and collected and prayed.  I hope that this will be something that will be with them for the rest of their lives, and I thank all of you who played a role in that.

We want to thank every single person who donated food.  In 2009 there were almost 50 million Americans living in households where they did not know where their next meal would come from.  According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1 in every 4 children live in a food-insecure household.  It is so easy to take for granted something as simple as deciding what to eat for dinner tonight but that same night so many people in America and all around the world will go hungry.  It means so much to know that through this food drive we were able to feed families who would have otherwise gone hungry.  We are truly humbled and incredibly honored to have played a part in collecting this food and we are incredibly grateful to all of you who contributed to this cause, whether it be with one food item or with two hundred and one.

Some highlights from the fall mini sessions that the five top bidders won are also on the blog now so check those out!  They are all beautiful families inside and out.

Again and again and again, thank you to everyone who gave to the hungry and shared your gifts with those who go without.  We cannot wait to see what we can collect next year!  Everyone start stocking up on your cans now!