In this season of Thanksgiving, it truly isn’t enough to simply remember the reasons we have to be thankful.  We must do more than give thanks.  Take a look around.  Look to those neighborhoods that are reputably less well-off than yours.  Realize that we live in a society where some parents have to decide whether to put food on the table or heat the house, not both.  Some families, perhaps those you see every day, go to bed without dinner.  But with Care and Share’s efforts, one belief eases the pain of 171,000 growling stomachs:  “no one should go hungry.”

Until recently, I was under the impression that the purpose of Harvest of Love was primarily to feed the homeless.  That’s not the case.  In fact, only 1% of those who benefit from the food pantries supplied by Care and Share across the nation are actually homeless.  1%.  What strikes me as most compelling is not the tiny percentage of homeless people who use this charity to feed their indefinitely hungry stomachs.  Instead, I am fascinated by the fact that the other 99% are those who are employed, on welfare, or social security, who can only feed their families because someone chose to donate a can of soup.

Shannon Coker, a Care and Share representative and graduate from Doherty High School, explained to our student council members and National Honor Society officers that almost two hundred thousand people nationwide rely on food pantries.  Of over 300 food pantries in and around El Paso County and southern Colorado towns–like Alamosa and Durango,– 80% are supplied by the Care and Share food bank.  Personally, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in the Harvest of Love since elementary school.  I remember the year my fifth grade class won the competition for most money and cans collected to donate to Care and Share.  We had a pizza party and felt the pride that every ten year old feels when they succeed at something.  It felt good to be a part of charity, even at such a young age.

I think it’s great that schools can come together in a common effort to raise money and food for the needy.  I am hesitant, however, when I don’t know who I’m feeding or where my money is going.  I’m sure many share the same logic.  Parents may begrudgingly send their kids to school with a few cans of soup or a five dollar bill with the unpleasant thought that they are feeding people who don’t work for their food.  That can be hard for some people.  If I work for my food and they don’t, why should I give them what they haven’t earned?  Well, the situation with Care and Share is more commonly not that people aren’t working hard enough.  Instead, they have been faced with challenges with which we may be unfamiliar.

Imagine.  A grandparent on social security suddenly has three children in his custody because of some family tragedy.  A foster mother is asked to take in four more kids: four more mouths to feed.  These people, responsible adults who just need the resources to care for these kids, have to make a choice.  Do I hope that by some miracle these kids won’t starve? Or do I swallow my pride, go to the food pantry, and feed my family?

The two situations I mentioned actually happen, and stories like them are not uncommon.  People go hungry every day.  They’re sitting in your neighboring desks, working to keep the city functioning and the roads clean, praying in the pews behind you at church on Sundays.

There are several reasons why people may hesitate when donating food or money.  That is perfectly understandable.  But in the cases of the grandfather who, overnight, was taking care of his grandchildren, and the foster mother who took in four more children on top of the five she already had, it’s evident that hard things happen.  In reality, it can happen to any one of us.  Things go wrong.  A large percentage of Care and Share’s efforts help those who are truly doing the best that they can do in their circumstance.  When it comes down to the well-being of a child, specifically the one child in every four people who rely on the food bank to sustain themselves, who would withhold food from someone who’s hungry by no fault of their own?  I wouldn’t.  And in this season of giving and community, I hope you feel the same.  Step up and be the reason someone is thankful.  Be a part of the change in this world.  Help where help is needed.  Give thanks, and give cans of food.  Because after all, sharing is caring.