There are a lot of ways to give back to your community, local and on a more global level. Of course there are always cash donations, there are time donations, giving your time as a volunteer in community events, just giving back any way you will help you as a human being and will help your community.

Every year during the High Holidays our Synagogue does a Kosher food drive on Kol Nidre night, which we always participate in. For the last three years I have been called and asked to participate in a food drive this time of the year where they come and pick up from the condo. I have said yes every time.

I went to No Frills earlier this week and loaded up a shopping bag full of groceries for the pick up today. The pick up time was to be between 9 – 12 noon today. I called down to my concierge desk about 930 and said I wasn’t ready just yet, but if they come to call me and I will come down.

Shortly thereafter, I got a call that they were here. I asked my concierge to find out if they could come up to pick up the package. She replied “she said no”. I said okay, I will be down in a few minutes. I hurried up and got dressed and went downstairs. When I got there, my concierge told me “she left”. She left? I was very upset. I was called and asked to participate, went to buy the food, and she left. I left the bag downstairs thinking maybe she would come back.

After I came back upstairs I vented on Facebook, and the more I thought about it, I wanted to take the food back and give it to someone else that may need assistance.

There are all kinds of people that fall on hard times. I remember a friend of mine that works for the social services arm of the city’s social work system. She works with many different kinds of people is many different life situations. She told me a story once that her supervisor told the team, “never judge or make judgements against any of your clients, we are all potentially one pay cheque away of maybe needed assistance”. That has never left me.

On my way out to meet some friends I stopped by the concierge to pick up the package and it was gone. She told me that the lady came back. When the concierge gave her the bag of food, she replied “Oh, I would have gone up to get it if I had known it was food. I thought it was a cheque.”

So let me get this straight – you are picking up for a FOOD DRIVE, and you thought I was asking you to pick up a cheque – MONEY, and you didn’t want to come up the elevator – but for food you would have?

Does that make any sense to you? It didn’t to me either….

Thanks for sticking with me, I appreciate it!