Giving Tuesday: Support Harvesters Community Food Network

Kansas City Moms Blog is thrilled to partner with Harvesters to highlight their work in supporting those in need of food assistance in our community.

#GivingTuesday HarvestersPre-Black Friday prices. Black Friday. Cyber Weekend. Cyber Monday. This week was all about BUY, BUY, BUY.

My mission each holiday season though is to combat the materialism and the clutter of the season with giving back. Sometimes that means bringing cookies and good cheer to neighbors or a random act of kindness to a stranger, but it also means making financial contributions to the organizations that do good work. I choose carefully, making sure the organizations I give to enhance the local community or causes that I care deeply about.

One such local organization Kansas City Moms Blog is happy to partner with is Harvesters Community Food Network. In Harvesters’ 26-county service area in Kansas and Missouri, it’s estimated that 1 in 7 people are food insecure but only 46 percent of those qualify for federal nutrition programs. One in 5 children, or just under 20 percent, in the region are food insecure.

Harvesters has a long list of programs that give food in the right hands. We highlighted one of our favorite programs, Back Snacks as well as the season’s Recipe for Hope campaign. Today, on Giving Tuesday, we want to encourage you to add Harvesters to your grocery list or your monthly budget.

Give Food
The easiest way for me to give back while I’m already shopping for my own family is to pick up extra items at the store. If you’re at a Price Chopper store, you can just drop your donation off at a blue donation barrel. Check this list to help Harvesters fill its most urgent needs. 

Or, gather your friends for either a food drive at your church, work, school or club. Sponsor a food and fund drive for Harvesters at your workplace, school, place of worship, neighborhood or civic organization. Harvesters’ Food Drive Kit will help you set it up and get started. You can even sponsor an virtual food drive where you can rally your troops online to donate meals or dollars.

Give Money
For every dollar donated to Harvesters, you can provide three meals to hungry seniors, families, and children in our community. Thinking of holiday gifts? Give the gift of food in honor of a friend or family member by making a tribute donation! Donate now.

Attend an Event
Another fun way to support Harvesters (and rub shoulders with Chef Marcus Samuelsson) is to attend An Evening with Marcus Samuelsson at 6:30 p.m. on December 3 at Unity Temple on the Plaza.

Tickets are just $10 each and include a signed copy of Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem. Join in a community conversation about how global traditions converge on his menus—from brown butter biscuits and chicken and waffles, to Chinese steamed bass and fiery noodles, to sweet slow-baked blueberry bread with spiced maple syrup. Samuelsson will share why he believes in the importance of building healthier, stronger communities.

As you round out your shopping, consider Harvesters as a part of your giving.

Sarah McGinnity
Sarah grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (Go Cats!), she moved to Minnesota where she met her husband, Shea. Realizing how much she hated snow in May, she convinced him to move to Kansas City in 2010. Together they have lived in Midtown, Waldo, the Plaza, and now Overland Park. Sarah is mom to 10-year-old, Henry, 7-year-old Clark and 5-year-old Lucy. She has her master’s in urban administration and is passionate about making Kansas City a more equitable and supportive community. In between the crazy, she likes to drink coffee, run, hike, travel as much as possible, and experience all things Kansas City!