Last Monday, the volunteers at our 27J food pantry were surprised with a sweet treat from a family who has been coming to the location for resources. This family has become well acquainted with the Food for Hope volunteers who work with them, and they wanted to show their appreciation. Our volunteers were overwhelmed that a family who is in need of food would use some of their precious resources to make them muffins!
Since February is the month of love, I thought we could take a minute to consider how people choose to show love. In the case of the family mentioned above, they chose to perform an act of kindness for our volunteers and help them feel loved in their work. Have you ever heard of The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman? In this book, the author reflects that everyone tends to have a dominant way that they give or receive love. (Do you know yours? If not, take the quiz here.) Once you know your love language and the ones for those who are closest to you, then you can communicate love in the most powerful and effective way possible.
But here’s a twist! You can also use your love language to positively impact your community. That’s right. Below is a list of all of the love languages and how you can use them to support Food for Hope - or any community organization that you particularly adore. Take the challenge and try one out!
Acts of Service / Quality Time -
Definition: You love by giving someone or something your undivided attention and by doing acts of service that makes someone else’s life easier.
How to Show Community Love: Food for Hope relies on hundreds of volunteers a year to make our programs work. There are a lot of opportunities to jump in and help. Fill out a Volunteer Interest form to see where you can get plugged in!
Physical Touch -
Definition: You express or receive love through physical contact.
How to Show Community Love: Get in there and be present with the work that needs to be done! This can be done through volunteering. But donating food can also provide a tactile way to jump into Food for Hope’s mission of helping our neighbors in need. Choose a few items from our needed foods list, and then drop them by the hub during the week.
Gift Giving - Giving Money
Definition: You express or receive love through thoughtful gifts.
How to Show Community Love: One of the biggest ways to show love to your community is to invest in the work of helping those in need. Food for Hope has kicked off a Growth Initiative with a goal to raise $2 million in 2 years! These funds will be used to sustain our work and begin serving schools on the waitlist for our programs. Your one-time or recurring gift of any amount will show a tremendous amount of love to Food for Hope and to the local kids we serve. Learn more, and make your contribution here!
Words of Affirmation -
Definition: You express or receive love most effectively through encouraging words - like compliments, kind notes, etc.
How to Show Community Love: For Food for Hope (or any organization you support), a Google review can go a long way. Give our organization 5 stars and tell others why you think the mission is important. You can also use your voice by utilizing social media accounts to advocate Food for Hope’s cause. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. Share posts, help promote fundraisers, or even raise money yourself through your networks! If your family has benefited in a special way utilizing our food programming, we’d love for you to share your story with us!
