Date: 12/14/2023
Tags: Community
This coming Saturday, December 16, the Darien Lions Club will conduct its annual Food Basket Program. The Lions have held this program every year for close to 50 years, and as a Darien Lion, it is the one program that most rewards each of us by knowing that we truly meet our motto, “We Serve.” Each year of the program has seen the number of recipients grow, and despite the increased costs, the Lions work diligently to meet the needs of each and every recipient. Each family that receives a food basket, receives groceries for close to a two week period, and if there are children in the family, the club provides age appropriate gifts for each child.
There is no greater sense of service for a Lion Club member than to show up at the home of one of these families and to see how grateful they are for food that will provide sustenance for close to two weeks and for gifts that many of these children would not find under the tree on Christmas Day.
This year the Lions will be serving over 240 families in Darien and several of our adjacent communities. While preparation for this event has been in the works for several months, final efforts will begin on Thursday, when Lions members and volunteers will be unloading food off of trucks, while food packing for each family will take place in the Our Lady of Peace school gym on Friday. On Saturday, teams of Lions and volunteers will arrive at Our Lady of Peace and proceed to each home, until all 240 families have received their groceries and gifts. As you probably can guess from what I have shared, the Lions are assisted by a number of volunteers from other organizations as well as those who just want to be part of this effort; without their assistance, this effort would be very difficult to accomplish.
Finally, as I mentioned in my accompanying quote, “I am only one, but I still am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” The cost of this effort rises each year with food costs and with the increasing number of families served by the Lions. Many who are aware of this humanitarian effort have provided monetary support in varying amounts. Some have donated $85.00 or the cost of food for two weeks, while others have provided a more substantial monetary amount. Give some thought to the above mentioned quote, and note that while “I cannot do everything, but still can do something.”
If interested in assisting financially in any way, please address your check to the “Darien Lions Club Foundation,” and mail it to the Darien Lions at 1702 Plainfield Road. This might be the best gift you give this year and hopefully you will know the wonderful feeling of service to others that each Lion and volunteer will feel when they make their deliveries this weekend.