We are grateful to all of you who were part of our annual food drive this year!  It has become a very special tradition for our family every Thanksgiving and we love knowing that we are teaching our kids to have a spirit of service while helping the hungry in our community at the same time.  We sincerely hope that this food drive becomes part of your holiday traditions as well!  This year we offered holiday mini sessions to those of you who donated grocery gift cards.  We were so excited that the mini sessions filled up almost immediately after sharing the info!  Pictures of all the wonderful couples and families who had a food drive mini session with us will be coming to the blog this week.

In the Bay area, a recent study has shown that the number of families who cannot afford enough food is growing.  At the same time, donations are down and food costs are rising.  When people work together with kindness and generosity, it is amazing what can be accomplished!  This year we will be donating 901 food items to the food pantry!  We had people who donated without having a session with us, and others who gave more than we asked.  Everyone showed the true spirit of giving and helped inspire that in our kids and our family.  It is said that success has nothing to do with what you accomplish for yourself; instead, true success is helping others to succeed.  It isn’t the money you make; it is the difference you make in people’s lives.  We end this year’s food drive hoping that we are teaching our kids to always put more into this world than what they ask from it.

“We rise by lifting others.“ -Robert Ingersoll

**For perspective, the ‘W’ that our youngest is sitting next to is made of 44 cans!  The word ‘Others’ is made of 254 cans!**