Living in Minnesota in the dark days of winter lends a certain atmosphere to our holidays: The sun sets at 4:30 p.m., and north winds cut through warm layers. Now, our friends in warmer climates could well be tempted to a seasonal schadenfreude as we spit out “Happy holidays” through teeth that chatter in subzero temperatures; as we attend parties in spandex undergarments and high heels even though we’d much, much rather curl up in front of a fire wearing flannel jammies; and as we enter that special level of holiday hell: doomed to circle the Mall of America parking ramp endlessly like Ulysses trying to find a safe place to dock his boat.
Our climatic challenges, however, are a backdrop for the perennial holiday themes of light-in-darkness, the warmth of hearth and home, and our awareness of being blessed, to use a religious word, or maybe you prefer to think of yourself as fortunate or lucky. (Thank heavens for Smartwool and Sorels!) These themes run through so many religious and cultural celebrations taking place at this time of year — Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, the winter solstice, and New Year celebrations of all kinds. The holidays are also a time we traditionally acknowledge our abundance by sharing gifts with family and friends, or making gifts of time and money to others not so fortunate.
This year, I bet many families will find fewer gifts under the tree, maybe hold off on buying the new coat or boots, or stay home instead of flying across the country to visit relatives. It’s easy to feel sorry for ourselves under those circumstances, but it’s also easy to find inspiration to decline the invitation to that pity party.
Here is a family-friendly idea that I guarantee will get your head turned around the right way: Volunteer at Feed My Starving Children. It’s simple and takes just a morning or afternoon, and anyone who’s in third grade or older can do it: Get six or eight or 10 or 20 people together, drive to one of three metro area locations in Chanhassen, Eagan, or Brooklyn Center. I’ve done this a few times with my daughter’s school and as a birthday party for some of my friends with really big hearts.
Here’s the scoop — no pun intended: You arrive, sign in, and don hairnets and aprons. You are welcomed by a volunteer who will put our wealth as Americans into context and show you a video that is guaranteed to keep you humble for at least the next 24 hours. You’ll spend two hours filling meal-sized bags with dehydrated ingredients — rice, high-protein soy nuggets, vegetables, vitamins, and flavoring — sealing the bags and packing them in boxes.
Photos of Haitian, Salvadoran, or African children at three-month intervals document the dramatic impact of these meals; they grow within months from stunted, stick-limbed kids with distended bellies and hair loss from malnutrition into smiling kids with shiny hair and normal weight. When you’re told that some parents give their children “Haitian biscuits,” or mud and water cakes mixed with a touch of salt or sugar, simply to fill their bellies, you can’t doubt that what you’re about to do is better than quaffing another round of eggnog, shelling out $8 to see a Chihuahua movie at the Cineplex, or trolling the mall for a knockoff handbag.
FMSC was organized in 1987 by a Minnesota man who’d been in Honduras and seen firsthand the great need for one of life’s basics: nutrition. He wanted to develop a large-scale response, so he tapped local food giants General Mills and Cargill to come up with some seed money and a formula for nutritious dehydrated meals. All ingredients are grown and processed in the United States and packed by teams of volunteers, then shipped to parts of the globe where starvation and malnutrition are rampant, then distributed by missionary groups on the ground. While FMSC is based on Christian values, anyone can help pack the food, and anyone can receive food.
I guarantee that helping to feed poor kids around the world will keep your inner Grinch at bay. And hey, it could be a welcome change of pace from sitting around listening to Uncle Stan complain about the Democrats or Aunt Betty detail her latest hip surgery. And if you do, you’ll surely be able to hang your stocking by the chimney with care — emphasis on care.
Kris Berggren hasn’t yet gotten her wish for peace on earth, so she’s trying for peace in her heart.
