Although the holidays are typically some of the busiest times of year for us at the Food and Care Coalition, I think that as staff we really enjoy the different activities that we’re able to participate in with our clients.  What many people don’t realize is that our Thanksgiving Day meal and our Christmas meals are catered and provided by local businesses.  Thanksgiving meals are provided by Marvellous Catering, while Sweets Island Grill typically provides the meals for Christmas Day.  This last Thanksgiving, a blogger named Angela came to eat with us on Thanksgiving and wrote about her experience.  (Names have been changed.) 

We’re often asked how people can get involved over the holidays.  Meal service is sometimes an option for most days (excluding Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, since these are catered.)  Serving a meal can sometimes be difficult to schedule around the holidays, because we fill up quickly.  Other options for food service might include bringing in a dessert or casseroles that can be served.

Starting around August, we’ll be looking for specific item donations that we use in our Christmas Gift bags.  These are gift bags that we give to all of our clients, making sure that no one goes without a gift around the holiday season.  Last year we provided over 200 bags for our clients. 

Another great way to get involved over the holidays is through music.  We invite the public to schedule times where they would like to come in and sing or play musical instruments during meal times.  (We don’t require that you’re a professional musician!)  To schedule a time to come in and share your musical talent, email our volunteer coordinator This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

One of the easiest ways to give service over the holidays is by watching our current needs list.  We update this on a weekly basis, and it’s one of the best ways to make sure that your donation or your service is applied to our most urgent needs. 

Any service rendered or donation given is gratefully received.  As a non-government agency, we rely heavily on the generosity of our community.  Whether service or donations are given during holiday times or other times of the year, when we work together we can really make a difference in the lives of those who would otherwise go without. 

Wednesday, October 17^th we had a Pay it Forward activity here at our building.  (If you’re not familiar with our Pay it Forward service club, check out this link.)

Since it’s October and we get a lot of pumpkins in from the Vineyard Gardens (thank you!) we like to celebrate Halloween by indulging our creative sides.  I downloaded a ton of templates on painting pumpkins from the internet, and our resident artists on staff (Sabrina, Treva, Amanda and Ryan from Wasatch) always have great ideas. I’m not that artistic and definitely on the clumsy side, so as likely to paint my clothing accidentally as paint a pumpkin.  Needless to say, sharp blades are out for me, so we use paints instead. 

As a Pay it Forward activity, we asked everyone to paint at least one pumpkin to give away, and then they could paint at least one to take home.  The pumpkins painted go to some of our community partners and some of our neighboring businesses who are always so good to us. 

I think this is the fourth year that we’ve painted pumpkins to give away.  We had 25 people in attendance this year, which tells me that we’re going to need more paint and maybe more pumpkins next year!

The Pay it Forward service club means a lot to me.  I like the opportunity to interact with our clients in way that we can join together and do service for other people.  I find a lot of meaning in uniting for a common goal-the goal of doing good for someone else.  I think it’s important for people to remember that everyone has something to contribute, even if we feel like we don’t have anything to give.  So often in the daily service that we provide, we fall into two categories—the staff and volunteers who are serving, and the patrons who are receiving service. 

Uniting for a Pay it Forward activity each month feels so inspirational to me.  Status is irrelevant.  Job titles are irrelevant.  Whether I drove here or took the bus here is irrelevant.  For those two hours or so, we (clients, staff, and volunteers) forget the day-to-day stress and focus on someone else.  Whether you’re giving service here or receiving service here, it’s a nice change of pace and a nice change of perspective to be able to interact as equals, something I feel is inspiring about the Food and Care Coalition.  For those several hours, John Doe is simply someone I’m making a mess with instead of someone who needs to set up an appointment, and I’m just a girl with paint on her nose. 

Pay it Forward helps me remember why I work here, and why I love my job—because I love the people I get to serve with every day. 

To see more of our artwork, check out our Facebook page.

On Friday, September 21st, we held our second annual Battle of the Bands.  The competing groups were And the Winner Is, Mary K. Jackson, Seven Second Sunset, and Kenzie James and the Knockouts.  The featured group was a Provo-based band called The Lovecapades.

The winner of the Battle of the Bands received a prize package worth about $1800 and was chosen by popular vote.  Our prize package included recording studio time, a music video, and other press kit items.  This year, our winner was Kenzie James and the Knockouts.

Thanks for all the bands who provided such a great show!  Also, thank you to our sponsors, J-Dawgs, CenturyLink, Nuskin, Heftel Studios, Mustache Power Productions, and Y Mountain Productions.