Filling, serving, delivering. Each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, my mom, sister and I go to a large warehouse with laundry baskets. Why might you ask? It’s not to clean our clothes but rather, we end up putting food into these bins.

The Basket Brigade is a volunteer based program that serves to feed those in need by providing necessities such as food and toiletries to families in need. This volunteer opportunity greatly impacted my life in a positive way. My sister and I carry the basket through a long line, filled with volunteers smiling large. Unlike the smiles that appear on peoples’ faces in front of a camera, these smiles were truly genuine and not forced at all. These smiles were reflected on my own face as well as my sister’s. These volunteers loaded up our basket as we walked through the assembly line. First the turkey, then the bag of potatoes, yams, vegetables, stuffing and rolls. All the necessities for a great thanksgiving meal. However, this foundation provides more than just what’s needed for a meal. We top our basket with a bag full of toiletries and more importantly, homemade cards for the families and toys for the children. As these baskets grew heavier, my heart grew happier and my smile larger.

After filling the baskets, we load them up into my mom’s minivan and drive around a neighboring city to deliver the baskets to families in need. This experience has truly been life changing because as we delivered the baskets, I witness the joy and love that the families receive, along with the food. These families survive on nothing and without the basket brigade, thanksgiving would just be an ordinary day where they struggled to put food on the dinner table. However, as a result of this great organization, everyone can enjoy a meal.

Spreading love is something that I truly enjoy doing. The most meaningful part of this experience was the impact that these families had on me. One particular family stands out to me the most as the father told me the story of when he had to walk over 10 miles each day with a broken leg to bring home water to his children and pregnant wife  in his home country in Africa. This truly changed my perspective as I realized how much I take for granted in my everyday life. All I have to do is walk to my fridge to get water. This experience taught me the importance of giving back to others and allowed me to learn to be more thankful for what I have in life.