Janet has come up with a marvelous idea for Fun Monday this week, and while I signed up, I realized I have nothing very "fun" to add to her theme–every attempt has fallen flat.
Would you please consider, as long as you’re here, reading the post below? It’s about a very worthwhile cause AND my FAVORITE Food Network family. As an added bonus, you might discover ways you can make a difference in your own communities…AND…you can receive a 20% discount on Paula Deen’s online store! (Thanks to those of you who’ve already commented :). Be sure to check out Janet’s FM challenge and links to all those who actually follow her theme!)
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Have you ever been hungry? Not the intentional skip-a-meal- or-two-to-drop-a-few-pounds kind of hungry…the kind of hungry where you don’t know when your next bite is coming. The kind of hungry that brings shame or fear or desperation…or worse, all three.
I haven’t. I can’t even begin to understand what that’s like. We don’t have to go across the world to find this kind of poverty, we need only look across town.
While it’s been a lot of fun lately foolin’ around with "all things Paula Deen", quite unexpectedly, I found reason to like her and the family all the more: together with Smithfield Foods and America’s Second
Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network – they’re in the midst of a 10-city tour to deliver one million
servings of meat to needy families across the nation (click here for more details).
Most Americans have some type of food bank in their area; near our hometown, there’s Chattanooga Area Food Bank. There are numerous ways to volunteer, and this is a case where your time and resources have direct impact on those who live or work or go to school close to you; there are even ways to involve your children.
Won’t you take a few minutes to google information in your area? If you’re already involved in one of these efforts, I’d love to hear your story :). When I look into the faces of my children and imagine not being able to provide the basics for them?
Yeah…it’s motivating.
As promised, and in continuing with a pattern of generosity, Phil the kind people at Pauladeen.com have followed through with a promotional deal for PENSIEVE readers at their on-line store–you’ll definitely want to take advantage of this! Twenty percent off all products in their store! 20% people–if ever there was a time to shop pauladeen.com, it’s NOW!!! Promotional period lasts through March 28th, it doesn’t apply to past orders or giftcards and it can’t be used in conjunction with other offers. Other than that, you’re good to go!
To use the promotional code, just leave a comment here (or on any PENSIEVE post), and once you’re ready to check out at pauldadeen.com, just type in "PENSIEVE" when it asks for the code…it’s as simple as that!
Going there Now!! I love the whole dean family!
Oh and you have until midnight tonight to enter to win a box of bath truffles!
http://www.theshoppingfund.com/2008/02/bath-truffles-giveaway.html
“S” and I have been looking for something to do with our extra time and thid would be GREAT…I just looked into it!
http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/Volunteers/individuals.aspx
I’m going to talk to him about it tonight!!! I think it would be a GREAT idea!!! My friend Frannie (http://taysavang.blogspot.com/) and her hubby has done this in Atlanta!!!
We were also looking into Big Brother & Big Sister programs!!!
I think it is such a GREAT way to give back and help people!!!
It makes you feel so good about yourself too!!!
I also found this!!!!
http://www.endhungernetwork.org/index.htm
One way or the other Mr “S” and I will be helping out!!! =)
Thanks. You have such a good heart and I love it when you give us a peek inside.
Shame or fear or desperation from going hungry? Sadly, I do remember a time when I was very young, yes. Good for you for promoting Food Banks!!
And 20% off Paula Deen goodies?? I don’t know…I may just hold out for a Phil t-shirt :o)
Robin, thanks for mentioning this, it is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts here at the Paula Deen HQ. I’ll make sure that come Monday Paula, Jamie and Bobby get a look at your post.
Oh, and Joy, believe me a Phil t-shirt would be a tremendous letdown. I’m surprised I haven’t seen a comment from CPA Mom yet, but it’s early yet.
Awwww and he’s humble too. I just knew it! Be still my beating heart. And CPA Mom? I shoved her in the closet. I mean she’ll be a tad late.
Bravo for promoting this, Robin. Gwaltney, Smithfield Foods is just up the road from me. It always smells like ham up there. lol.
An admirable idea. I have run a couple of road races where the entrance fee was nonperishible food for a local food bank. There’s no feeling like seeing huge truck fill up and know you had a part in it.
Tiff, oops!:(.
Jeannie, let me know if you get involved with this, okay? It sounds like you’re (enthusiastically) well on your way w/Mr. S :).
Min, 🙂
Joy, :/…then you “know”…. And be nice to CPA Mom….or gentle…or SOMETHING!
Phil, you’ve got your own line of tee shirts now? COOL! I KNEW you were a webstudmaster!! (And it was my pleasure to write about this after reading about it! My crush on all peeps “Deen” just keeps growing and growing and GROWING! I’m jealous I couldn’t win the prize pack!!!)
Robinella, ummm, that’s a “good” thing, right? Me likey the smell of ham cookin’ (not being processed, though, maybe).
Lisa, that’s when you realize one person DOES make a difference!!!
🙂
I would like to ask you to pray for my nephew’s baby Dallas. He fell into a pool last night. He had to be life-flighted. Thank God his mom did know CPR. He is heavily sedated right now and they are running tests. Please pray that his brain doesn’t swell and that it is not damaged. He did open his eyes and reach his arm out to his mom a few hours ago. His oxygen has been decreased from 50% to 40% now too. Please pray for his lungs and that he can breathe on his own soon. Thanks everyone who reads this.
Junebug – your nephew is in my prayers and on my prayer chains. Please keep us informed.
Joy T. – I broke free of your closet…or I’ve been working (it IS tax season)…And? my daughter has been up since 3:30 a.m. Sat. morning so I’m working my way back up to sanity from layers and layers of vomit…Yeah, don’t you wish you were me?
BUT…a discount on PAULA DEEN MERCHANDISE??? YIPEEEE!!
p.s. I won the door prize at our annual LIONS dinner last night…it included a bottle of Paula Deen’s Pecan dressing!!!!!!
Also, I pleaded for our club to give $1,000 to the Foodbank and they DID!!!! Yet another reason I love Paula Deen – it’s a CRIME anyone should go to bed hungry in our country. A CRIME!!
Robin, may I do a post on my site and (copy from) refer back to this? We should have an END HUNGER blog day!!!!
Thank you for posting this. What a wonderful idea.
PS: I ordered a gift set for my mom.
I just heard from his uncle about 7:50 pm and the brain CT looked good and they hope they will be able to wean him off the oxygen tomorrow. Keep praying and thank you! God hears!
Good ideas! Hey – did you register for SheSpeaks yet?
What a nice cause. When we were in Savannah, we couldn’t even get within a block of Paula’s restaurant..the line was too long!!
I started helping out with my church feeding the homeless once a month at the local YMCA last month, and it really is a life changing experience. Everyone should try and get involved in something like this.
While I won’t share how we’ve helped over the years and still do when God gives the opportunity and the provisions, I will tell you all that you’re not just doing a good thing, but a “God thing.” I’ve watched so many people benefit directly from your giving, people who don’t want to be hungry and are just not in a position to feed themselves yet, or their family. Thank the Lord for His heart in us to be compelled to give!! You’d be surprised to know who needs food right in our back yards, let alone other countries. I always pray that I keep a heart for giving and the sensitivity to know when, where, and how to do it.
I’m at work right now…but I promise to be back here to read the links…
The Deans rock! Although I have to admit that I missed seeing who you would choose to play you in a movie!
bending the rules is allowed in this case
😉
I am a consultant for Pampered Chef and we do a lot of fund raising for America’s Second Harvest. We ask every customer to “round up from the heart” on their purchase to the nearest dollar. PC has donated over $12 million since 1991.
I do know someone that had to live in their car, eat out of trash cans, and take sponge baths in gas station restrooms at a point in their life. It changed them. They are grateful for every dime they have now. I didn’t know this person when they went through this or I never would have allowed it to happen.
Foodbanks are all too much needed in our country of wealth. Thanks for platforming this!
you can’t go wrong helping out the community. sometimes we don’t even realize hunger is right next ‘door’ to us. we all need to participate.
i do my part in cali 🙂
What a wonderful idea. I’m on my way to check it out. I know that our local food pantries are really low right now, as they always are at the end of a cold winter.
It takes so little time to give to people who have so little.
Liz, what a GREAT gift! She’ll LOVE it!!
(and thanks for letting me know! 🙂 )
CPA Mom, your comment made me giggle. And snort (but only a little bit). And warmed my heart. And, heck yeah, post about it! If in doing, you put a little fire under someone’s fanny to DO SOMETHING, it’s ALL good, yes??
Sarah, yes ma’am :).
Teahouseblossom, hmmm, I’ll talk to Bobby and Jamie about that. Because I have “sway”…;).