As a busy mother of three boys, one of the things I strive to keep consistent are family dinners.  Dinnertime is not only a time for my kids, husband and I to decompress, feed our bodies, but also nourish our relationships with one another.  And although I doubt my kids (or even husband, for that matter) view dinnertime quite as meaningful as I do, I know that they thrive on its consistency and routine.  It's one of the things we can count on as a family, no matter what the season.

A little over a month ago I was presented with an opportunity to work with Libby's and other local Kansas City bloggers to bring about awareness for feeding the hungry as part of their Get Back to the Table campaign.  When asked about my thoughts on family dinnertime and whether or not it was a priority of mine, I immediately knew this would be a good fit!

During the luncheon event, I had the chance to meet and work with Hannah Keeley and fellow bloggers to put together "dinner kits" for a local transitional housing center in Kansas City.  The dinner kits were made up of several of Libby's canned good items and other items that each blogger was asked to contribute.  Here's a run-down of what was tucked inside the reusable bag (provided by Libby's) as part of these fabulous (and practical) dinner kits:

• Ziploc food storage containers – provided by Tracie from Penny Pinchin’ Mom and Kelly from Kansas City Mamas 
• A "Chatter Box" consisting of a takeout box with 25 converstation starter questions included – brought by Kristen from Dine & Dish 
• A special "Red Plate" (Read here to learn about the “Red Plate”) – provided by Jenn from Super Jenn
• Votive candleholder and coupon organizer – provided by Anjanette from Eat From Your Pantry
• Mixing bowl set – provided by Heather from My Kansas City Mommy
• Measuring cups & spoon set – my contribution to the dinner kit bag.

{photo courtesy of Dine & Dish} 

Many of the families and individuals who will be receiving these bags have literally nothing to fill their kitchen with.  They are people who have fallen on hard times, and regardless of circumstance, deserve the dignity of eating well.  As we were all working together to "stuff" these bags with all the goodies, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed at the how this might make someone's day to receive it.  This whole project has been such a humbling and worthy cause for me to be a part of and I am so thankful to Libby's for introducing me to it.

 
The wonderful team at Libby's, along with Hannah Keeley, are giving me the opportunity to now give away a fun prize pack to one of you, my readers!  This is a great goody bag is made up of a Libby’s reusable shopping tote full of Libby’s products, a state-of-the-art can opener and a copy of Hannah Keeley’s book,  Total Mom Makeover. 

To be entered, simply share your favorite best practice for making dinnertime as a family a priority in your home. 

Entry period runs through Midnight CST on Sunday, October 10th.  The best tip for "getting back to the table" wins and will be announced here!

And, feel free to share your tip on a thread I've started over on the Parents.com online community!

 

{Disclosure: I received a stipend for my time and commitment into this project, however the opinions expressed herein are those of my own.}