Great Friends, Good Times & Giving Back with Post Bowls of Hope #PostCFK

I am truly fortunate to have a great group of friends here in Jonesboro.  When I moved here over a year ago, I had no idea that I would develop such great friendships. I’ve made friends that I can truly depend on and our friendships will last a lifetime.  We each come from a different backgrounds but the one thing we have in common is our awareness and understanding of the needs of our community.  So when I approached the girls about participating in the Post Bowls of Hope Simple Service Project, they immediately said yes.  I had recently gone to my local Walmart and picked up a couple boxes of Post Cereal to use as my donation items.  You can see my full shopping experience in my .

The timing of this Simple Service Project could not have been better.  Earlier in the week we had decided to see this little chick flick starring Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey that you may have heard about, Magic Mike.  Our plans were to have dinner before the movie and then let the good times happen!  Since I knew we’d have higher than usual participation for this meetup, I took advantage and explained the Post Bowls of Hope Simple Service Project and asked everyone to bring a food item that would be donated to the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas.

We started our evening at O’Charley’s.  I can’t even tell you how many people were at our table because they just kept coming and coming!  Our “cruise director” for this meetup is truly a social butterfly so she invited a bunch of moms (Cruise Director Dori is the mom on the right)!

In all the excitement and hype, some of the moms forgot to bring their donations items but promised to bring them later.  So the night of Magic Mike, I came home with the following donations.

But ultimately, it paid off  since it gave everyone time to rummage through their cupboards in search of additional items to donate.  Many of the moms told me they donated items they had purchased with coupons so their cost was minimal.  I think that’s an excellent point to make.  If you’re a couponer and see a great deal on something you necessarily wouldn’t use for your family, go ahead and purchase it since you can always donate it later.  Those Spaghetti O’s were purchased with a coupon and less than 40¢ a can.  For less than a dollar my friend Katie will provide two lunches to a couple of children.  I’ve already told you how economical the cost per serving of Post Cereals can be.  Even better?  Post has a coupon for $1 off 3 boxes!

The facts are startling.  In our community the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas has distributed more than 25 million pounds of food since 1983.

	Each week approximately 5,100 different people receive emergency food assistance from an agency of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas.
	25% of the members of households served by the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas are children under 18 years old.
	8% of the members of households served by the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas are elderly.
	89% of the households served by the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas have incomes below the official federal poverty level.
	3% of the people served by the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas are homeless.

Remember, hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation.  So please, think about hosting your own Post Bowls of Hope Simple Service Project.  Whether it’s your community food bank, donating to your church or even buying a few extra groceries for a friend in need, every little bit makes a difference.

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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids.  All opinions are my own and yours may differ. #CBias #SocialFabric