A thankful morning at the food bank.

This morning - I dragged my bootie out of bed at 6 a.m. to volunteer at the food bank in my town.  I had no idea what an impact it would have on my day & my soul.  I have volunteered before - being a part of a sorority in college, we did our philanthropic events.... feeding the homeless, ect.

But this was different.

I am a member of the Jr League in my home town.  If you don't know what it is, it's a women's organization that focuses on enhancing the community through philanthropy, volunteering, and raising money.  It's also a place to meet inspiring women.  I heard about it originally from my cousin, Mackenzie, who is the president of her chapter.  Volunteering is quickly becoming a staple of importance in my life.  Not only because of what I do for others, but because of what it does to me.

Today, I met up with a big handful of these Jr League women and several volunteers in our area and we fed the hungry.

But not the "typical" hungry you would think. These are every day-working people.  People who have recently lost their jobs, hit an unforgiving life speed bump.  People who just want to feed their family for the holiday.  Many were embarrassed to be in line... but all of them were extremely appreciative. I had to fight back tears a few times when some of them looked at me and said "thank you so much, god bless."

More than 2,000 people were already in line when I showed up at 7 a.m.  The line wrapped around the block - and immediately after I stepped out of my car, I took a deep breath...

Wow, there are so many hungry people.

We didn't hand out hot food - we handed out boxed stuffing, mashed potatoes, canned vegetables, cranberry, and (most importantly) turkeys.  The food bank (along with Jr League women & volunteers) gathered 7,056 turkeys...  & today, we passed out half of them... the other half will be handed out on Wednesday.

I did my best to be positive with a cheerful "Happy Thanksgiving" with every bag of canned food I distributed.  I made eye contact with them.  I wanted them to feel the warmth I hold for them in my heart.

I wish everyone a fulfilling thanksgiving holiday with their family.

I am truly thankful.

The line wrapped around for blocks.

Some of the Jr League girls getting just before distribution.

These are all the fixings.

These are a lot of the turkeys - so generous of our community to donate.

Handed out 2,000 of these bags.

{{Thank you to my friend, Tuti, for taking all the pictures}}