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Season for Caring: Clean out your kitchen, help families in need
Marine Corps veteran Stacey Kennedy could really use a few Tupperware containers.
She and her sons, 10-year-old Richmond and 18-year-old Senecca, have had a rough go of it in the past 20 years. They’ve lived on and off with friends and, in the past year, in churches and finally, a small house that a government program for veterans helps pay for.
Kennedy is one of 12 families featured in the Statesman’s annual Season for Caring project, an annual effort to raise money and bring in donations for local folks who need a hand.
Or, in Kennedy’s case, a few mixing bowls, casserole dishes and maybe even a toaster or microwave.
When Statesman photographer Larry Kolvoord visited the Kennedy’s house earlier this year, Stacey and Richmond were making pumpkin pies using the few pieces of kitchen equipment they have, but simple things like silverware and baking dishes were among the few items Stacey listed for herself in her wish list.
Stacey Kennedy would rather cook for her family than take them to the local burger chain and eat off the dollar menu.
Do you think we could help out?
The Kennedys are among hundreds of families in Central Texas who lack the utensils, pots and pans, dishes and appliances that every person reading this blog probably takes for granted.
What if all of us went through our kitchens and purged some cooking tools we don’t really need and gave them to people who do? What if, instead of throwing away your old microwave or toaster when Santa brings you a new one next week, you dropped it off at one of the Season for Caring partner agencies? What if you picked up some extra dish soap, scrubbers and hand towels the next time you’re at H-E-B and put them in the collection bin at your church or kids’ school?
Amid Americans’ obsession with food trends these days, we can quickly lose sight of the fact that it’s a pretty privileged obsession to have in the first place. Not everyone can afford the tools required to cook with, not to mention the food itself.
Pots and pans, silverware, cups, cookie sheets, Tupperware and Pyrex casserole dishes are easy to accidentally collect over the years, so this holiday season, why not clean out your stash and help people like Stacey fulfill the simple dream of being able to cook in their own home.
View Season for Caring drop-off locations in a larger map
To help you find a place close to where you live or en route to work where you can drop off cooking supplies, here is a map with some of the organizations that are accepting donations for the Season for Caring families who specifically requested cookware:
Tony Plunkett and Ginger Wright (Austin Travis County Integral Care, 1430 Collier St.), Nancy Knox (Relief Nursery of Central Texas, 2203 E. Martin Luther King Blvd) and Bianca Green-Williams (LifeWorks, 3700 S. First St.).
To donate to Foundation for the Homeless, the organization helping Stacey Kennedy, call 632-6130 to coordinate drop-off.
If you end up donating cooking supplies this year, please leave a comment to let Relish Austin readers know and encourage them to follow suit.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking
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By donating mine!
December 17, 2010 11:04 AM | Link to this
I just bought all new storage containers and am ready to donate the 50-piece set I received as a wedding gift years ago, most of it completely unused, to someone who needs them. I’ll be dropping mine off at one of these locations!
By staff
December 17, 2010 12:05 PM | Link to this
That’s great to hear! Thanks for donating your extra plastic storage containers, and I commend you for not losing a single piece of that 50-piece set. :)
By Susan Gayle
December 17, 2010 12:53 PM | Link to this
Thank you for posting this!
Whenever there is news of a fire or other disaster, I look around and wonder if there is anyone who might be able to use the excess pots & pans or other kitchen stuff which I have. It’s particularly helpful to know of a ‘regular’ place that gets things directly to those who can make use of them.
By Ilse Lamarch
June 21, 2011 6:43 AM | Link to this
hello the info on this blog is just incredible it keeps me coming back time and time again ,personallythis site has helped me through some very tough funerals so i couldnt love it any more i have done my best to promote this blog as i feel that others need to see this thng ,cheers for all the effort you take in making this brilliant site ! ok,thankyou
By Marcy Rudin
June 21, 2011 5:18 PM | Link to this
hello the information on this blog is just incredible it keeps me coming back time and time again ,personallythis site has helped me through some very tough funerals so i couldnt like it any more i have done my best to to word out about this site as i feel that others need to see this thing ,Thanks for all your effort you take in making this fabulous blog ! ok,cheers