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If you were to turn 102 years old, how would you celebrate? A woman from Iowa who just reached this age came up with a unique celebration. In honor of her 102nd birthday, Trudy Handleman asked for 102 canned goods to be collected and donated to a local food pantry. The response from her community was so positive that, in the end, over 400 items were given to charity.
“We’ve gotten such a wonderful response. It’s been just great,” said Handleman to KWQC. But requesting the donations wasn’t the end of it. She then joined the staff of Quartet Senior Living, the nursing home she lives at, to drop off all the collected goods at Friendly House Food Pantry in Davenport in her name. “I want to be part of that final step when we actually put the things where they’ll be used,” the woman added.
On top of running a food pantry, Friendly House also serves the community by providing affordable childcare, senior and family services, shelter, food pantry access, and tax filing assistance. Since donations are always needed for their food pantry, Handleman’s effort turned out to be priceless.
“We serve mostly our neighborhood but ironically we were literally just in the pantry looking to a food order and kind of see what we need to do, and in the food order, a donation came in so it was very nice,” said Friendly House’s Executive Director, Terry Hendershott. Their food pantry typically serve 65-100 families a month, and the woman’s donation can help up to 30 families.
“No matter how large or how small the project, if you put your heart into it and you really care, you get so many followers, friends, and those are long away and they all want to join you,” Handleman added. Aware that people in her community may be struggling, she hopes her birthday celebration inspires others to help those in need.
“It’s more fun to give than to receive,” the woman concluded. That’s an old cliché, and that sounds a little corny, but you know it’s true. It’s true and the older you get, the more you do, the more you appreciate it yourself, as well as the people to whom you give on this food.”
Photo: AndrewTovstyzhenko/Depositphotos
Photo: belchonock/Depositphotos
h/t: [KWQC]
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