This past weekend we hosted our 3rd annual Burpees for Turkeys event to help raise money to end food insecurity in Maine. Maine ranks 7th in the nation in terms of food insecurity. 1 in 5 children in Maine live with food insecurity meaning they lack the nutritious foods to live a healthy lifestyle. As a mother, this is devastating to me. I can not imagine not having the resources to feed my child. And yes - I am that mother that carries snacks everywhere and my 3 year old knows how to hit me in the super soft spot. If he wants to delay the bedtime routine - he can say in a little voice with big eyes “but I am hungry.” I know that he is playing me but it turns me inside out every single time. Every. Single. Time. For a lot of families in our state, mothers are making the decision to keep the heat on or to feed their families. That must be an incredible struggle. Knowing that your child is truly hungry (not playing you) and not having the ability to fill their little bellies. I am so thankful for organizations like the Good Shepherd Food Bank whose mission is to end food insecurity in Maine. They are the hub that distributes the food to our local food pantries in Maine. The Good Shepherd Food Bank is doing an amazing job to help ensure these children and families have the food they need in order to live a healthy life. They have a huge focus of not only filling bellies but by providing nutritious food from local Maine Farms through their Mainers Feeding Mainers Program. Something that I am incredibly proud to support. The Good Shepherd Food Bank is able to leverage the money we raise through our Burpees for Turkeys event and stretch the dollars to do the most good. They can feed a hungry child for an entire week with just a $5 donation. Just $5 per week feeds a hungry child for an entire week. AMAZING! They can provide 4 meals to families in need with just a $1 donation. We are so proud to say that with this event, we have raised over $9,500. That is 38,097 meals for Maine families who otherwise would have been hungry. OR - enough to prevent 36 children from being hungry for an entire year. We are so thankful for the way that our community pulled together to create this kind of impact in our community. For our event this past Saturday, we had over 80 clients sign up to help raise money to end hunger in Maine. One of our clients, Tammy McLaughlin raised over $900 which translated to about 188 burpees. Now, if you don’t know what a burpee is… it can be summed up as everyone's least favorite exercise. 188 burpees is a lot of burpees. That didn’t stop Tammy from hitting the fundraising to end hunger in Maine hard, in her WABI 5 interview, she said “I am willing to do as many burpees as people will pay me to do.” She is a great sport and did an incredible job knocking out those burpees! It feels good to make an impact. Knowing that you have done something to make the world just a little bit better. I feel a strong connection towards helping end food insecurity in Maine which is why I have partnered with the Good Shepherd Food Bank.
If you don’t already, I would encourage you to find a cause that you connect with and go after it this holiday season. It could be as simple as volunteering a few hours of your time, or bringing awareness to the issue you are passionate about, or just donating a little bit of money - it can go a very long way! It is incredibly inspiring and uplifting to know that you have made a difference in the world and it is easier than you may think. You would be amazed out how much you can fill your spirit and IMPACT your community by supporting others who are in need. We have already started the planning process for Burpees for Turkeys next year and we are excited to have even more of an impact to help end hunger in Maine. Happy Thanksgiving, Paige Interested in learning more about Burpees for Turkeys? https://www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com/burpeesforturkeys.html Learn more about the Good Shepherd Food Bank: https://www.gsfb.org/ Join our mailing list: http://www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com/keep-in-touch.html
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