Written by Erin Waddington.
In the early ’90s, most birthday parties you went to were pretty much the same.
After receiving a coveted invite from a classmate, you threw on your matching sweatsuit and went to the birthday person’s house for some boiled hot dogs and Betty Crocker birthday cake.
A New Kids on the Block tape would be playing in the background and a few balloons were tossed around to create ambience and to serve as entertainment until your parents picked you up two hours later.
Now, having my own children, I can tell you that birthday parties aren’t like this anymore. At least not where I live. Venues are booked months in advance, cakes are ordered, and loot bags rivaling the Oscars swag bags are handed out to party goers.
And to be honest, it’s stressful, and expensive, and I yearn for the days of wieners and balloons. Fanny packs are back; I wonder if I can revive these birthday parties in the same way?
Fortunately, if you’re my daughter, I’m not much of a trendsetter. So, with her 11th birthday on the horizon, I started thinking of unique party ideas that would be affordable but still pique the interest of kids who proclaim to be too old for unicorns but are still young enough to sleep with a collection of Squishmallows.
With some super sleuthing (trolling Facebook for inspiration), I discovered that most of the kids coming to the party had an interest in cooking and baking. And so, with limited options on where I could secure cooking classes for 10 pre-teen girls, I turned to my local food bank who has a community kitchen, innovative ideas, and hearts of gold.
Would they be willing to host a cooking themed birthday party in exchange for a donation?
My request, it turns out, was not only met enthusiastically, but also ended up being a bigger “dill” than I had originally thought.
After receiving the green light from my daughter, we started addressing invitations to her pals with a request to bring a food item for the food bank in lieu of a gift. We embraced the cooking theme and brought her grandma onboard into the party planning by putting her sewing skills into action to make aprons for the girls to wear at the party. They would be brought home afterwards as a takeaway from the event. The loot bags contained the nostalgic Betty Crocker cake mixes and tubs of icing to be made for future celebrations at home.
As luck would have it, just before our planned party, the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA), the food bank in my hometown of Thunder Bay, received a shipment of cucumbers from Feed Ontario just before our scheduled party date.
Upon their arrival from Southern Ontario, the RFDA team had quickly distributed these green gifts to local food banks, meal programs, and to communities across Northwestern Ontario, while they were at their peak of freshness. However, despite their best efforts, amongst the delivery there were some cucumbers that weren’t dinner plate perfect after their long commute north.
Not wanting to waste any of this produce, the RFDA had plans to make pickles out of these cucumbers and wondered if the kids at the party would be willing to lend a hand in this work. As a dill pickle aficionado, my daughter was excited for this plan of action.
And so, the day of the party, Taylor Swift replaced the New Kids on the Block as our soundtrack and played on a portable speaker while the party goers carefully mixed, measured, sliced and diced cucumbers.
The little ends of the cucumbers that weren’t fit for pickles were not forgotten and the girls were tasked with setting them aside for a local pig farmer whose wee little piggies would enjoy them with their dinner. The pig farmer receiving these treats always extends his gratitude and provides back to local food insecurity programming.
The trays that held the cucumbers were also to be reused and they were rinsed and cleaned enthusiastically with a commercial grade sink and sprayer. These would be brought to local meal programs and other nonprofit organizations who reuse them as plates for meal programs or for countless other uses, including the provision of baked goods for fundraisers, or to send home a few tasty treats with a patron.
The pickles themselves would be provided to local meal programs who served them alongside a hot meal or a tasty sandwich. For those that will enjoy this meal in a warm community kitchen, it will provide a chance to escape the elements and to bask and enjoy the comfort that togetherness brings. An opportunity to escape the loneliness and solitude often faced by those living with food insecurity.
After all the kitchen work was done, the kids were invited into the food bank’s warehouse for a tour. Wide eyed, they asked questions about where all the food was going to go and marveled at the size of the walk-in fridges and freezers.
As the girls were collected by their parents at the end of the party, I had a sudden realization on how a food bank’s impact in a community goes beyond the quantitative measurements that can be jotted down into a spreadsheet or report. The impact, it turns out, also exists through very human elements such as compassion, kindness, understanding, and learning.
This birthday party and the act of pickle making was a conduit for young people to learn new skills, help their community, and an opportunity to learn more about food banks and food insecurity. It provided them with hands-on and heartfelt experiences.
The experience forged connections between the young and young at heart. It provided a chance to give and give back. It left lasting impressions on both the environment and future community leaders.
Personally, the food bank also provided me with the opportunity to be that trendsetter and take a chance on a party that was unique and different, honoring the past and embracing the present.
Which, I think, is a very big dill indeed.
You can also help local food banks today by donating to Feed Ontario.