Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we have and how grateful we are for it. Perhaps you’re grateful for your children and grandchildren bringing light into your life. Maybe you’re thankful for your good health or a job you enjoy. Or perhaps you’re just relieved to still be doing well during this unprecedented year.
If you’re like many Americans, you may not think to be appreciative for the bounty of food set before you at each and every meal. Unfortunately, just last year 35 million Americans struggled with hunger — many of whom are right here in our hometown of Austin. Fortunately, you can make a difference by donating your extra Thanksgiving food.
If you’d like to be a part of something greater this year by helping to eliminate hunger from your community, below are some places you can donate your Thanksgiving food.
As the largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas, the Central Texas Food Bank has helped feed hungry families for 38 years. Just last year alone, they were able to bring 39 million meals into the community. This means that when you choose to donate your food, time or money to this organization, you’re truly working to make an impact. If you have extra food to give, you can drop off your donations at their new facility.
Manos de Cristo’s mission is to empower low-income individuals, no matter their background, by meeting basic needs like food and clothing. They know that when people are struggling to make ends meet, necessities like good, healthy meals can get put on the backburner. Manos de Cristos doesn’t want any of our fellow Austinites to have to choose between rent and food, and that’s where your donation can help.
Caritas of Austin aims to help everyone in Austin feel like they have a stable place to call home. They contribute to the community by making sure people’s basic needs are met — including having access to supplies like healthy groceries. Their name Caritas means “love” in Latin, and that is what you will be spreading when you help by donating to their current needs, including pantry items.
Hope Food Pantry Austin has been active for two decades, providing groceries at no cost to Austin families who are experiencing food insecurity. Every month — thanks to donations from people like you — they’re able to deliver the equivalent of over 12,000 meals to a diverse group of people in need. If you’d like to help them disperse hope in the community, you can donate to their food pantry.
The Reveal Resource Center is dedicated to eliminating hunger and clothing families in the Austin area, and they rely on donations and volunteer time from people like you. Thanks to this program, 400 families have their food and clothing needs met weekly, making an impact in the community where it matters most. Donations can be delivered to their Cedar Park location.
As you go through your pantry pulling out items for donations, you may come to realize the abundance of belongings you’ve been blessed with this year — both in food and other personal items. If you find that your wealth of items is slowly taking over your home, turn to Crampt for easy storage options. When you store your belongings with Crampt, you can feel good knowing that you’re trusting a company who puts good back into our community throughout the year. We work with a plethora of local charities, including some of those listed above.
Start with a personalized storage quote from Crampt today!