Giving Season Starts With A Box

Growing up as a Girl Scout, my Novembers were filled with buying food and basic necessities to pack into donation boxes. On weekends, we’d go shopping with a list of items, and then come back to decorate and prepare what we called “turkey boxes.” These turkey boxes would then be delivered to a nearby food pantry, where they’d be given out to families and people who needed them. I remember being very young when our troop started this, and I’d be walking in a supermarket for seemingly hours, wondering why we needed to get so many things. Once I got older, I truly began to realise the importance of these boxes for their recipients. Without them, some wouldn’t be able to have a stable source of food at all.

It’s easy to fall into the belief that food insecurity is just for the homeless, or people that you’ll see on the streets. While this is certainly true, it’s not completely correct. In actuality, anyone can have food insecurity; homeless, unemployed, disabled, elderly, etc. It can be something as simple as a sickness that causes food insecurity. The important thing to know is that, by spending the effort to go out and buy these products, you are easing a burden off of someone’s shoulders. 

So, how do you go about making your own turkey box? First, you’ll need a large cardboard box to be able to fit all of your items in. Ensure the box you use is sturdy and does not have holes, as that can lead to lost items. Sometimes, these boxes will be provided to you if you’re working with a volunteer organization, but most of the time, you’ll need to get them yourself. You can also personalize these boxes if you know you’re shopping for a specific family, or if you’d just like to make it more fun, adding in holiday-specific doodles is a good way to create a bit of spirit (for Thanksgiving, you could add turkeys, cornucopia, Charlie Brown, etc.). I also recommend making a card to include if it’s near any holidays, so long as your organization is okay with that.

Next, you’ll need to go out and actually get the products. It is important to know that, in pretty much every circumstance possible, you should be getting non-perishable items. For food, get as many canned, microwavable, and powdered products as you can. Non-perishable items are anything that can be stored at room temperature without the need for a refrigerator, basically. Here’s a short list of some food items you can get from many stores:

• Canned vegetables
• Pasta
• Soup
• Rice 
• Microwavable turkey/chicken
• Cereal boxes
• Microwavable dumplings
• Canned gravy

When it comes to personal hygiene products, pretty much everything is non-perishable. Remember that these boxes are potentially going to families with a diverse range of ages, so buy accordingly. Here’s another short list (but you can modify it based on if you’ve been given  specific guidelines):

• Shampoo and conditioner 
• Body wash
• Soap dispensers
• Hand sanitizer
• Toiler paper
• Tissues
• Pads
• Band-Aids 
• Toothbrush and toothpaste 
• Deodorant
• Kleenex

One last thing to note that I briefly touched on is that, depending on the volunteer organization you decide to join, you may be provided with families to “shop for.” This is where the organization works with specific families to find out their personal needs, and they may ask you to buy things not on this list. I remember sometimes needing to buy onesies for four-year-olds, diapers, and adult-sized sweaters, for example. Again, this is dependent on the organization, but I think it’s awesome that we’re able to provide for entire families this way. 

If you aren’t able to financially assist, there are still other options! One of the best options is to volunteer in some way at food shelters and soul kitchens. For the past few years, I’ve been helping out in the sorting aspect at my local food pantry, where I’d help bring in incoming boxes and ensure each box had what was needed. You can also do that, or you can help out at soul kitchens with preparing and serving food. There’s always an opportunity somewhere near you.

Remember, making turkey boxes isn’t only important during the holidays. It’s needed year-round, especially with the recent loss of funding for the SNAP program and lack of transparency of if and when it will return. Everyone deserves to have food, clothes, and hygiene products, and participating in these volunteering events in whatever ways possible is a great way to ensure this.

Below, I’ve linked some volunteer opportunities in Maryland, New Jersey (where I’m from), and a link to find other opportunities near you. I encourage you to take the time this month and help out however you can, even if it’s just for a day. The little things truly do add up.

MD:

• Maryland Food Bank (https://mdfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/volunteer/) 
• Moveable Feast – Baltimore, MD (https://www.mfeast.org/become-a-volunteer)
• Baltimore Hunger Project (https://www.baltimorehungerproject.org/) 
• Francisian Center (https://www.fcbmore.org/volunteer/) 
• Assistance Center of Towson Churches (https://www.actcserves.org/thanksgiving/) 

NJ:

• Hands of Hope (https://www.hohnj.org/) 
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey (https://cfbnj.org/volunteer/)
• The Food Bank Network of Somerset County (https://www.somersetfoodbank.org/need-help/volunteering/) 

Find a local food pantry near you:

• Feeding America (https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank)