Twas the weeks before Christmas when all through the land, there were parents and children with no food in their hand. A short twist on a classic Christmas poem that brings home, a few hard truths that we rarely find ourselves actually exposed to here in Malta. This being the reality that there actually are people on this island who are starving and find it difficult to sustain the flow of one of life’s most basic and fundamental needs, food.
It was around this time last year when I was introduced to the works of a group of magnificent do gooders. Originally at the Foodbank of St. Andrews Scots Church, now re branded to the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation. Rev. Kim Hurst and her band of merry helpers were on a noble mission. A mission to provide much needed food for the hundreds of people suffering famine on a weekly basis. It was not a problem that I was previously aware of locally if I am completely honest. It made me feel kind of bad that I had been ignorant of the issue.
My first contact with Rev. Kim was when she came on The Big Breakfast radio show on XFM 100.2 hosted by myself and Jason Zammit late November 2017. We had been made aware of the Foodbank and what they were trying to achieve. All at XFM were more than happy to do whatever we could to give the campaign some momentum. On the show that day, Rev. Kim explained to us the dire situation there currently was, and the truth became clear. With the resources they currently had they would no chance of feeding all those in need at Christmas. She also explained an amazing campaign called the Reverse Advent Calendar, which had a rather simple but genius format.
Grab a box, any box. Every day in December, leading up until Christmas, put one non-perishable food item in it. Simple, affordable and most important extremely helpful. This is something that anybody could do, and us at XFM were right behind this all the way. We would do all we can to help Rev. Kim and the less fortunate. The results were overwhelming.
Post campaign, when we received the pictures, the proof that it had all been a success. I was so happy. I was so proud. Proud of Rev. Kim and the Foodbank group, proud of all at XFM and mostly proud of all the people who stepped up to get involved. It was a huge success, and more important than the warm fuzzy feelings, was the fact that would be more than enough food to feed those in need not just through Christmas, but quite a ways beyond as well. Amazing.
Which brings us to the hear and now. Another Christmas is upon us, and unfortunately there will be many many unfortunate families who struggle during this celebratory time for most. Families who are going day to day, not sure where there next meal will come from. Children, with not enough to eat. We, the more fortunate, must not allow this to happen. The Reverse Advent Calendar is back again, and the aim is to do bigger and better.
The concept remains the same, grab a box, and fill it with non-perishable food items. As families, companies, schools and/or any organisation, we can all come together to make this happen. Apart from doing the good deed yourself, I also truly believe it is equally important to spread the word and encourage anyone you know to get involved in this wonderful act of giving. The more people that know about this, the better chance we will have of feeding all the empty mouths, not just for Christmas, but for the long term also. Wouldn’t that be something.
This final message is for those who believe, for what ever reason, that logistically the Reverse Advent Calendar is not for you. GOOD NEWS! They also accept cash donations. All you have to do is go onto their website, look for the top right hand corner and click the donate now button. Simple, be as generous as you can. I know they will appreciate it. Just go to https://www.foodbanklifeline.com/
Finally, a massive thank you to the wonderful people at Quicklets and Zanzi Homes. Like last time around, they have generously offered all their office locations as drop off points for your Reverse Advent Calendar boxes. They have locations all over the island now, and it should make it a whole lot more easy for you to be able to drop it somewhere close to home. You can find all their office locations here: https://www.quicklets.com.mt/contact/
The best way to spread the word is simple, share this article with as many people as you can. Above, you will see a Facebook article where as you can share it direct to your timeline. I don’t ask you for clicks or likes, I really don’t care for these things overall. What I do care for however is the opportunity to help the lives of those less fortunate whenever the opportunity arises. This is one such opportunity. So, please please share. Let’s make it a Merry Christmas for all, and not just for those who can afford to eat.
