Traditional Advent calendars add things to your home, but our Reverse Advent Calendar encourages our family to give things to others. Throughout Advent, we collect non-perishable goods. At Christmas time we donate the whole box of foods to our local food bank. In our home state of Massachusetts, 1 in every 11 children faces food insecurity. (You can see the statistics for your state here.) The fact that so many of my children’s peers aren’t getting enough food is incredibly saddening to me! We can change this! Especially during the holiday season, being able to have warm, nourishing food on our table is something that I don’t take for granted! And I want that for everyone.
The donation box:
Last year, I wrapped an empty diaper box in festive paper and put it under the tree. Every evening, I would hand Jack something from our pantry and he’d run it over and put it in the box. Will he remember doing this at 18 months? No. But I like the precedent it set for our family! This year we’ll be doing another Reverse Advent Calendar and there will be another wrapped diaper box under our tree on November 28th!
This year’s Reverse Advent Calendar:
I reached out to our local food bank and asked them what they needed most this holiday season. Using their list, I added a few extra things to our carts each shopping trip and have a stockpile of their requested items. On each night of Advent, Jack will add one thing to the box under our tree, and we will deliver the completed box to the food bank as a family.
Here’s what we came up with:
If this is something you think would benefit your family and community, give it a shot! Add the first week’s items to your grocery list and talk to your kids about the importance of sharing your blessings this holiday season.
Giving it a try? Be sure to Pin this for later and let me know in the comments what you think!
Check out some of my other holiday content:
Gift Guide for Babies and Toddlers
Gift Guide for Husbands
[…] Check out my other holiday content and gift guides:Holiday Gift Guide for Babies and ToddlersHoliday Gift Guide: Ideas for HerOur Favorite Matching Christmas Pajamas for the Whole FamilyMaking a Reverse Advent Calendar for 2021 […]