Read how two dedicated TABLE volunteers & supporters – who wish to be anonymous – have chosen to help drive awareness for the importance of food donations as a way to give back to the kids TABLE serves. And, learn how you can join their Great Rice Challenge!
Four years ago, we challenged our family and friends to join us in raising funds to purchase 2 tons of rice for a local food pantry. We did this during the Lenten season which in the Christian tradition is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Many Christians think of Lent as a time for “giving up” things such as sweets, meat on Friday, or their favored beverage. However, almsgiving is an important part of this tradition.
The idea of this challenge had its roots in daily almsgiving, a Buddhist practice that one of us encountered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, a few years previously. Monks dressed brightly in orange walk the streets as the sun rises, a peaceful time even in a city of 2.5 million, to receive alms primarily food or money. The giver places their gift in a basket carried by the monks. The monk then gives the gift-giver a brief blessing. Since rice is a dietary staple in Cambodia, rice was the food most given.
Why donate rice?
Why did we specifically target rice for our Lenten almsgiving? Rice is a staple food for over half of the world’s population. Many of the families of the children that TABLE serves are from countries where rice is the staple food. It can be purchased in units that are easy to distribute, does not require special storage conditions, and can be used in a variety of nutritious dishes such as beans and rice or rice combined with the produce, both provided by TABLE.
And, did you know? TABLE is projected to give out 27,500 1lb bags of rice this year to the 1,100 children the organization serves!
Last year, we were able to raise funds to purchase 3 tons of rice for TABLE – that’s 6000 lbs. We have expanded those we have asked to join us with the hope of providing an additional 600 lbs of rice this year. We’ve made a good start towards that goal of providing 6,600 pounds of rice for the children that TABLE serves. But that still leaves more than 10 tons of rice they will need!
What motivates us to do the Rice Challenge for TABLE? There are really two reasons. In a world filled with conflict both large and small, we have decided that our response must be daily acts of kindness, the same type of kindness that the Buddhist monks in Phnom Penh depended upon. Second, it is an act of gratitude for the blessings that we have. The way we chose to show that gratitude is through the kindness of our rice challenge.
Please consider supporting TABLE in providing this important staple to the children in our community.
You can order directly from their Amazon wish list here. Or, drop off your donation at their office. Directions and hours can be found here.