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With the economic situation being what it is, many of us have spent most of our time worrying about “ME.”  I’m going to share an idea that came up over coffee with friends this morning.  Today I’m going to share a look into our neighborhood.  The look won’t solve your economic situation, but it may help you and others.  I am reprinting a post (with permission) from The Gratitude Journal. 

It’s a Clean the Pantry Weekend

There have been many stories on the television and in the news about food banks being in need of food.  This weekend our neighborhood is having a “Clean the Pantry” event.  It is rainy here and it looks as if the weekend is going to be one that will keep us inside for the most part.  It would be too easy to get lazy with little outside activity.

Rainy weekends are always great times for cleaning.  I have to admit that cleaning isn’t one of my favorite things.  But, somehow over coffee with a couple of neighbors this morning we found a way to make it a little more meaningful.  We have already passed out fliers and made a few phone calls.  So far, over thrity families have committed to cleaning out the pantries tomorrow. 

Most of us have cans in our pantries or on our kitchen shelves that we have forgotten about.  You know, there are always those purchases that get pushed to the back of the shelf and we forget about them… that is unless you are one of those super-organized people who rotate your shelves weekly.  Oh, God!  That tires me to think about.  But, anyway, we are all going to clean out our cabinets this weekend. 

The purpose isn’t so much to make our neighborhood the cleanest or the most organized in the country.  The real purpose is to pull those canned goods from our shelves, those that we have forgotten about.  We are going to put all our extra canned goods in Happy’s garage for sorting before we take them to the Food Bank.

Most of us realize that no one family has enough to make a real difference at the Food Bank, but we are betting that with 30 families taking part in the activity we will have enough cans to fill one full shelf.  I guess it’s like killing two birds with one stone.  We have cleaned out cabinets.  The Food Bank gets some desperately needed food.  And, in the long run maybe a family or two will have a meal that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.
I know it’s a small gesture and it certainly doesn’t take too much effort on our part.  But, it is the small things that mean the most.  I’m thankful that one of the neighbors thought of this.  Perhaps this is something you can do in your neighborhood, too.

In closing I will suggest that you become a subscriber (RSS) to Maya’s journal. She can find a bright spot in the darkest of days.

My background in public speaking, motivational and training, leads me to write in terms of specific lessons I know that will work for everyone. Maya’s journal is about the softer side of life. She is the inspiration of the neighborhood. Without her I would not have begun working with the teenagers in the neighborhood. I would not have begun work with some of our neighbors who need a little outside guidance. None of us are remarkable by ourselves. Together we are having an impact on our neighborhood and other communities.