The presents have all been presented. The merry has been made. And the ham has been had.
Before you think about the dreaded clean-up, how about giving one more gift? Maybe the best one you’ve given all season? Or at least the most meaningful.
Holidays can be a time of excess. We won’t even try to count how many pieces of grandma’s fudge we had.
However, you can turn some of that excess into a donation. As you’re shopping for your Christmas Eve soirée, grab a few extra cans of vegetables, packs of pasta or other needed item and donate them to a local food bank or shelter.
Or as you’re cleaning up from your Christmas Day feast, don’t toss the leftover prime rib roast with the extra trimmings.
The first step is researching local charities in your area that are accepting donations. There are some great websites that list these organizations and make this process a piece of cake. Not that we haven’t had enough already!
Feeding America is a nationwide network of food banks and you can find a list of their many locations on their site under “Find a Food Bank.”
Food Pantries lists local pantries, soup kitchens, food shelves, and other food help. Their site makes it easy to search by state.
Homeless Shelter Directory lists homeless shelters and soup kitchens by state and city. It was created specifically for people who want to donate food and/or supplies to their local shelter.
Now that you’ve found your donation location, the next step is to research to see if the organization accepts cooked food donations, or simply unprepared foods.
Usually, you can find the donation specifications on the organization’s website, and sometimes on its Facebook page. If you are interested in donating other food items, it is still a good idea to check the site or call to verify what the organization needs most.
Here at The Kansas City Steak Company, through our KCS Cares program, we have worked with Harvesters, Bishop Sullivan Center, Mission Southside, Open Arms KS, and the Northland Giving Tree Program this holiday season.
And, let us just say, it feels great to provide to our local organizations who do so much in our community. And to the people who rely on their services day in and day out for meals and so much more, our hearts (and our leftovers) are with you.
It is truly a win-win-win.
With the plenty we all have in some capacity, use this season to give back in some small way. Our communities will thank you for your generosity.
Happy Holidays steak-lovers.
