Guest author Katie Krombein tells us about a great community resource and a wonderful opportunity for loving people to help out:

Today is Friday and as a stay at home mom, it is like any other day for me—I wake up, take care of my son, clean my house, do some laundry and mostly stay indoors during these winter months. In the normalcy of everyday life, I sometimes forget what is going on outside of my house and how life in Seattle goes on with some people struggling to provide enough food for their families. Today was a little different for me, though, as I went over to North Helpline Emergency Services and Foodbank (NHL) to talk to Kay Hardie, the foodbank manager, about our February GiveLove food drive. I got out of my house and mind a bit, and I have been thinking a lot about what it means to love our city of Seattle.

As I walked into NHL, I was greeted with smiles from four volunteers who were busy organizing food donations and packaging big boxes of diapers into smaller quantities to hand out during their 9:30 am until 2 pm Saturday food bank open hours. During the course of these 5 hours, NHL provides about three days worth of food to between 350 and 400 families per week! These numbers amazed me since NHL generally serves only the northeast corner of our city—those who primarily live within the zip codes of 98115, 98125, 98133, 98155, and 98177—although they won’t turn away anyone who is hungry. Further, these numbers don’t count the families who come throughout the week to replenish their cupboards. These numbers add up quickly as in 2007 alone, NHL served 48,497 people, 4,609 of which were first time visits.

While NHL does provide some health-related services as well as emergency services including eviction prevention, utility shut-off prevention, and transportation assistance, NHL primarily gives out food and personal care items to the families that they serve. And that is where we come in. On February 3 and February 10 during both the morning and evening services, we will be collecting your donations of non-perishable food and personal care items to give to NHL. Items that they particularly need include deodorant, diapers especially sized 4 and 5, as well as food that has flip-top cans (no can opener needed) and low/no sugar foods. Other ideas include: canned tuna, peanut butter, beef stew, canned nuts, meal-in-a-can/box, canned beans, dry beans, rice, pasta, cereal, crackers, oatmeal, spices, canned fruit, canned veggies, soups, tomato products, mac and cheese, boxed juices, cookies, pudding, toothpaste, toothbrushes, facial tissue, soap, shampoo, conditioner, feminine hygiene products, shaving cream, baby food, and baby wipes. They will even take your hotel soaps and shampoos from places that you travel!

After visiting NHL, I was so excited to hear what they were doing in our community. For over 17 years, NHL has been serving families with the support of local churches, grocery stores, and the government. With the combined effort of all these organizations, let alone individual volunteers, NHL is loving our city through their service. I am excited to jump in along side them through the GiveLove campaign and I hope you will too. Pastor James has cast the vision for us to serve our local organizations and here is a great way to start. So, don’t forget your donations on February 3 and 10!