What goes into a holiday food box?
Part of what makes the holidays are the extra special meals shared with loved ones. But for families hit with hard times or living on tight budgets, a big, expensive holiday meal might be one of the first things to get cut from their holiday plans.
St. Vincent de Paul believes that everyone deserves a special meal, especially at that holidays. That's why the nonprofit annually delivers holiday food boxes that include key ingredients to prepare classic dishes that make a family's holiday meal full.
In another post, Vincentian volunteer Julie Douglas walks us through what goes into a standard food box. SVdP caught up with Julie again to see which items we add into the delivery that make a holiday food box extra special.
Pantry basics still included
Every holiday food box builds on the essentials that make up a standard food box, so families still receive nonperishables like canned goods, dried grains, rice, and beans. Boxes also try to include proteins like canned tuna and peanut butter. Standard food boxes typically last a family of four about 2-3 days and cost about $25 for SVdP to put together.
Add in the holiday ingredients
Holiday food boxes wouldn't be complete without the ingredients to make several different classic dishes. Below is a list of the holiday ingredients SVdP aims to put in every holiday food box as long as the items are on hand from donations and drives.
- Instant mashed potatoes
- Boxed stuffing
- Gravy packets
- Chicken broth
- Canned green beans
- Canned corn
- Canned cranberry sauce
- Pumpkin puree
- Pie crust
- Mac and cheese
- Corn bread mix
Layer on the turkey
Along with a holiday food box comes a turkey to cap off the whole meal! Holiday food boxes typically cost SVdP $50 to put together because they include the turkey and all the fixings. SVdP estimates the holiday food box to feed a family of four beyond the 2-3 days of a standard food box.
Vincentian volunteers box all these ingredients up and deliver them to families in need, usually in the weeks leading up to the big holidays. But their job doesn't end there. The food box delivery is often an opportunity for the Vincentian volunteers to get to know their neighbors and find out if there are any other crises they need help with. It all comes together to make for a holiday of love, relief, and full stomachs!
