My grocery store is closing. I’ve been shopping there ever since it first opened twenty years ago, and in that time, I’ve never found another store with the same wide and esoteric selection at really cheap prices. I’ve been going there since I was a little kid, and I know where everything is, and their bakery rocks, and they have great produce, and I’m obsessed with their ever-changing selection of weird cheeses. And as I was wandering the store today, perusing the half-empty shelves, stocking up on jars of chopped ginger that won’t expire until 2012, I was very aware that I am a lucky person. I’m really, really bummed out about losing my store and having to find a new one, but at the same time, I recognize that I am blessed, that it’s a luxury to be so unbelievably discerning about where I shop and what I eat.
Not everyone has the same opportunities that I have, and sometimes, it’s really important for me to acknowledge that. I don’t know what your situation is. Maybe you have plenty, or maybe you’re struggling. I hope that you all, at the very least, have just enough. If you do have any extra, and if you will be attending an upcoming Goo Goo Dolls concert, I will just ask you to please consider bringing some non-perishable food items along with you to the show. Goo Goo Dolls Street Team members work their asses off as liaisons between USA Harvest and the venues, setting up collection sites, keeping track of donations, and making sure that the food ends up where it’s supposed to go.
For information about when and where to donate, you can check out the website, twitter, or list of individual charters to find a Street Team in your area.
Donations will be collected at tomorrow’s Baltimore show from 5:00 until 6:30. Your street team representatives are Jen and Gina, and I will probably be hanging around there as well. Whoever brings the most donations gets a meet and greet with the band, but everyone who brings a donation gets to feel like they helped make the world just a little bit better that day.