DAY 1
December 1st rolls around and the first thing to enjoy is, of course, that tiny bit of chocolate in your Advent Calendar. It really does offset the sun setting so quickly and makes the countdown to Christmas much more exciting.
However, this article is not about the joy of tiny chocolates. I want to introduce you to the Reverse Advent Calendar. The origins of the Reverse Advent Calendar are a little fuzzy but the foundation is that instead of receiving you give back.
Everyday you collect a tin or another item that a food bank has requested. They don’t have to be expensive, but over the month you’ll have 25 tins for the food bank to help out in the winter months.
It’s a great initiative to make a difference in a really easy and cheap way. The easiest way to go about it is to get a random box in the middle of your kitchen and put your tin in everyday. There is no specified tins you need to get, but the best way to go about it is to look at your local food bank website and see what they’re asking for this Christmas.
A friend who ran her local food bank a couple years ago also said that it is lovely this time of year to donate boxes of chocolate, selection gifts or something special. Christmas is a difficult time of year for those who use food banks as they often don’t get to have all the exciting food which makes Christmas so special or the sweet treats people get. If you have the money to spare, a box of Heroes or Celebrations could go a long way.
As students often it can sometimes be a struggle to give back on a budget, but between a household this would be a really easy way to donate this Christmas. You can even use tins at the back of your cupboard to get started. For families, it’s a great way to introduce the idea of giving back, appreciating what you have and community to children that ties in with the Christmas spirit
The Stirling food bank has many collection spots to drop off your reverse advent calendar to at the end of the month such as Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose.
For more information about donating to food banks this Christmas in Stirling here is the link to the website https://startupstirling.org.uk/
Featured image: Telford Crisis Support
Film, Media and Journalism student who writes about things that catch her interest. Instagram @charlsutcliffe
