Much like The Pritchard Homes Team, Sarah’s kids might be small, but they sure are mighty and have very big hearts! Like many kids this time of year, Sarah’s girls (Caleigh and Clara) were talking about the things that they wanted Santa to bring them for the holidays, and like many parents, Sarah wanted to teach her children that this time of the year is about giving and not just receiving. But what can you actually do to help others as a 3 and 6 year old? A dear friend gave Sarah the perfect idea, a neighborhood food collection!
While Sarah’s friend lived in a neighborhood where a wagon worked, Sarah, Caleigh (6) and Clara (3) decided their golf cart was a better fit. Caleigh and Sarah designed the neighborhood food collection flyer, using the girl’s favorite colors – teal, purple and pink of course – and pulled the list of needed food items from the Trumbull food pantry website. After printing about 50 flyers, Caleigh and Sarah walked the neighborhood for 3 hours on a warm November afternoon, knocking on doors or placing flyers in mailboxes, asking neighbors to leave food items on their front porch or by their mailbox the following weekend.
While dropping off the flyers we met a lovely family that asked if their son could help with some of food collection the following week and were excited to meet a neighbor and have extra help! Caleigh dropped off flyers at one of her friends homes and Aubrey decided to help us hand flyers out on the two remaining roads. What’s the saying… “many hands make light work” and that certainly came in to play here!
We forgot water and were so grateful for Johnny (Sarah’s husband) and Clara for dropping off water towards the end of the day as we finished up flyer drop offs.
Fast forward to the following weekend and the girls were geared up and ready to go! The golf cart had gas, we attached a few big bins to the back of the golf cart, and we packed snacks and water for the day ahead!
Our first stop was Firehouse Road where we picked up our “new friend” who had a few donations for the food pantry and who happily hopped in the golf cart to help us pick up food from a few of his very gracious neighbors. After dropping him back home, we continued on our way.
WOW is the only word that comes to mind with how generous all the neighbors were. Some homes left a few items out, and others left overflowing bags and boxes. After one road we had to head home to empty our now overflowing bins. We picked up Aubrey, had a quick lunch break, and headed back out. This was our first time doing a neighborhood food collection, we weren’t sure if we should just pick up from the mailbox/front porch or knock on doors. We all get busy and assumed some people had forgotten. The girls were happy they knocked on a few doors as happy faces answered, had our lists by their door still and gathered a few items to contribute. Each road led to a full golf cart and we had to continually empty it at home before collecting more items.
The girls ended the day with a playdate and homemade pumpkin muffins.
Sunday morning we woke up to a few calls and text messages that more people were leaving food items out that day, or would drop off items to our house, and so, we unexpectedly had ANOTHER full golf cart!
We certainly didn’t expect too many items. We filled up my car (a Tahoe, packed to the top with just room for the girls in their car seats!) and scheduled a drop off for the following Tuesday.
On Tuesday the girls hopped off the bus, enjoyed a quick snack, and we headed out to deliver the donated items to the Trumbull Food Pantry on Priscilla Lane.
At the food pantry, we filled 6 shopping carts AND carried in our 3 full bins. It was humbling experience for sure, and while the girls might not fully understand the magnitude of their work, I do, and the people who shop at the food pantry will as well. I am so proud of the work these little girls put in to their collection. While this is typically a time of the year that people donate items, I asked her if there was a time of the year they tend to run low and need items, and she said the summer. So look out for a note from us next summer for another food pantry run! The girls and I hope to make this a yearly neighborhood food collection. This would not have been made possible without YOU. Your help and generosity truly made a BIG impact in our town. Thank you, from the bottom our hearts. Have a wonderful holiday season and thank you for spreading a little cheer and showing kindness truly exists in our wonderful neighborhood.
Sarah, Caleigh and Clara
