There seems to be a certain mentality around a "food drive," doesn't there? Or giving food to "the food shelf"? It's a good thing, and I think we'd all readily acknowledge that, but until a couple years ago, I rarely felt like I was involving myself in something significant when I gave food to a food shelf. Donating food was more like a to-do item; or a couple extra lines on the grocery list. Maybe it's because of how we as a society latch on to institutionalized language. We use words like "the hungry," and somehow it becomes a faceless group who fit neatly under a label. We donate food to the "food shelf," and a sub-conscious shift happens where we're purchasing items for an institution instead of human beings.

As I have had the privilege of witnessing people donating food all over Dakota County, though, I now see it differently. I now see the significance.

I have learned that a can of corn means far more than a vegetable side-dish; I have learned that a box of Cheerios carries far more value than a few bowls of cereal. I now understand that those food donations represent some truths; those food donations are speaking volumes about community, action, care, and love. When you give food items, you are saying, "I value the lives of those in our community." You are saying, "I care about the health, nourishment, comfort, and wellness of others." You are saying, "I don't have to know someone well--or even at all--in order to care about them and support them and offer them care." You are saying, "I care about the kind of community in which I live, and so I will use my actions to grow a community that will not marginalize those without food." You are saying, "In a community, we help each other."

When you give food to those in need of food, you are saying, "I care about you. I care that you are well, and that you have what you need. I care that you are a part of this community; you belong here, and I value your life." Significant indeed.