Reverse Advent Calendar—How to Get Your Whole Family Involved in the Donation Process
The season of giving is here!
What if there was a way to make donating food during the holiday season ridiculously easy and something the whole family can enjoy? Would you do it?
Of course you would!
That’s why we have one of the easiest ways to put together a great donation box for your local food bank.
Today we will talk about a reverse advent calendar. Rather than receiving things through the month of December, as you would with a regular Advent calendar, you can turn this into a fun activity to experience the joy of giving all month long!
We've taken this idea and created an extended list, so you can use it throughout the year for some inspiration when you'd like to give, but aren't quite sure what items would be most useful.
Why this matters
It’s easy to see that times are tough right now, and many people experience food insecurity or live unhoused. Though we may not be able to change someone's situation or circumstances overnight, we can certainly brighten their day by making the necessities a bit easier to achieve.
We often take for granted how important the little things are until we find ourselves in a situation where those little things are hard to come by.
Even though the items in this box may seem small, something like a bottle of dish soap can go a long way if you're working hard to make ends meet!
31 Days of Giving Advent Calendar
Day 1–Package of Pasta
Day 2–Can of tuna
Day 3–Box of cereal
Day 4–A bottle of dish soap
Day 5–A box of macaroni and cheese
Day 6–A jar of peanut butter (or other similar spread)
Day 7–A box of oatmeal
Day 8–A jar of jam or jelly
Day 9–Cake or brownie mix
Day 10–A can of soup
Day 11–A can of chilli
Day 12–Canned corn
Day 13–Canned peaches
Day 14–A bag of rice
Day 15-Beans (a bag of dried or a can of cooked)
Day 16–A roll of toilet paper
Day 17–Bars of soap
Day 18–A bottle of shampoo
Day 19–A box of jello
Day 20–A bottle of ketchup
Day 21–A box of tea
Day 22–A can of broth
Day 23–Canned yams
Day 24–Canned green beans
Day 25–A box of muffin mix
Day 26–A can of pears
Day 27–A jar of applesauce
Day 28–A jar of spaghetti Sauce
Day 29–A box of instant potatoes (or bag of regular potatoes)
Day 30–A box of crackers
Day 31–A bottle of juice
How to make it happen
You can print off this list and hang it on your refrigerator (you can snag the checklist here)! You can get your whole family involved, just like you would if you used a traditional Advent calendar. Set a box by the door, and each day, you can add one item from the list to the box.
Once you’ve gathered all the items on the list, load up the box and take it down to your local food bank!
Click here for directions to Haven House.
Tip: You can always add the last few items on the list a few days in advance if you want to make your donation before Christmas Day, if you plan on donating during the holidays.
This is just the beginning!
This is just one of the many ways to donate.
Feel free to add in other items or make replacements to the list!
Check out this post about items food banks often need, or this post about other ways to donate during the holiday season.
