6 hours to go!

What a week it has been, and only 6 hours to go!

What you see on the right is all I have left, 22 bags of tea (out of 100) and 1/3 of a bag of good old Bob's Red Mill TVP!  Link here to see what I started with.  All said, I ended up with around $1.54 of food left.  I still can't believe I consumed an entire jar of peanut butter in seven days.  It will be a while before I shop the Jif aisle again!  

Many of the participants have discussed the hardest parts of this challenge with one another during the week.  For me, the toughest thing was definitely not being able to choose from all the wonderful food in our community.  No Johnny Mango quesadilla big plates, no spicy tomato soup from Moko Coffee Shop, no fresh fruit salad from the CSU snack bars.  I budgeted my dollars in such a way that I couldn't afford any fresh produce for that matter, something I will reconsider when taking the 21 Challenge again next year.   And yes, there will be another campaign in 2009!  Next year, we hope to take our initiative to the a whole new level, working with area companies to find participants within the business community, and hopefully, a state representative or two will join in our challenge!  

We have had interesting conversations with people curious about the challenge.  It has been thought provoking, and very touching.  Frequently, you would hear someone talk about how they realized their morning coffee shop run was "two days of food for you!".  We need to remember that people in our community do this every day.  Many of these neighbors turn to WSEM for assistance through these tough times, and we are so proud of the many sponsors who helped support our mission through their pledges.  

I applaud my fellow participants, particularly our wonderful Junior Advisory Board Chair Ann Netzel, who shows such tireless dedication to WSEM day in and day out.  

Finally, I dedicate my efforts this week to my fabulous sponsors:  Paulette Adams-Flash, Amy Asseff, Sue Atkinson, Tom Barberic, Nancy DaPra, Brandon Davis, Bill Dunlap, Carl Dyczek, Luke Elsass, Dave Gunning, Matt Hildebrand, Lawry Hubert, Brent Keller, Jason Lansdale, Dan & Carrie Malatesta, Danny McGreal, Carlos & Jane Molina, Louise Mooney, Anna Mae Nixon, Kathleen Pelletier, Mark Sarlson, Sarah Shatila and Doug Spiker.  For your support, I am so very thankful.  

Yours,

Sunny