World Food Day

It was my birthday last week. Considering last year's birthday was a let down between a hospitalized family member, underwhelming gifts, an especially difficult body day, no birthday cake, and the fact that a lot of the people I loved best forgot about it entirely, I knew I wanted something different out of this year. Once I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I remembered once hearing that if you want to feel better about your life you should help someone else. With that seed planted, I knew I wanted to mark the day with a gesture of kindness, but I was not coming up with any bright ideas.

A few days before the day, a couple of Facebook friends must have mis-read the date and wished me a happy day. Eureka! The fuzzy, unformulated idea quickly came into focus: I would pledge a dollar for every happy birthday I received on Facebook and donate the wishes to our local Food Bank and Learning Centre. I expected a little over a 100 wishes.

By the end of the day, I had 269 wishes, two friends who graciously agreed to match my donation, and another who made a donation directly to the Centre.

Today, October 16, is World Food Day. If you go to Food Banks Canada's Facebook page and share their post, Cargill will donate $5 (https://www.facebook.com/FoodBanksCanada).  This is significant. World Food Day allows us a chance to think and talk about food and food security. Each month nearly 1 million Canadians visit a food bank, over a third are children, and those numbers continue to grow. I don't feel that it matters who the visitors to the Food Banks are; I have a hard time thinking of anyone not knowing where their next meal is coming from, and an even harder time thinking about anyone being hungry and not having options, but if it helps you care, know that the people who need food and food security are people just like you. They include students, seniors, people with disabilities, working families, newcomers, and children.

Tracking all the wishes, receiving the news about the matches, and reading the messages from so many friends who loved the idea became the happiest part of my day.  I knew that giving can do so much good, but it took my Facebook birthday wishes to help me realize that giving also feels good. I want you to feel good too. Please consider giving, and while you are at it, give thanks for what you have.

More Pears

More Pears.

There were still 10 pounds of pears on my kitchen counter. The cobblers were such a hit, I decided to make more. However, when I took out the ingredients from my pantry, I realized my white flour was all but gone. Inevitable, given all the baking.

I adapted. People with disabilities have a genius for adapting, in case you were not aware. We must roll with the punches in big and small ways every single day; adapting is a necessary part of survival. Ah, but back to the cobblers. Here are the variations.

Using the same method from yesterday, I just replaced the white flour with whole wheat. I also replaced the white sugar with brown, and I added a cup of ground hazelnuts, an extra bit of baking powder, and all the warming spices. The result is nutty, with more bite. It's just as sweet and aromatic, and, because of the added nutrients and fiber from both the whole wheat and the nuts, a little healthier. Of course, if there are nut allergies to consider, it won't matter if they are not included. To prove this point further, I made another cobbler with a gluten free and vegan baking mix called "Many Cakes." It is more cake-like, but light and tasty. My goal is to make this method adaptable and accessible. Just as the world should be.

 A cobbler for everyone. Beautiful!

nom nom,
hk