To the editor:

Life certainly has a way of taking unexpected turns.

Sometimes, of course, it’s because of the choices we’ve made. But sometimes, well, sometimes it’s just life.

One day we’re sailing along: good job, money in the bank, with health insurance, enjoying life. And then, we lose our job due to a layoff, or we’re self-employed and get sick, or maybe our marriage falls apart and we have to start over, or perhaps we’ve just grown old and what we had saved up is no longer enough to cover all the bills.

When a person realizes that they don’t have the money to feed their families or themselves, they often fall into a sense of despair. Good Cheer’s volunteers and staff understand and go out of their way to make people feel welcome at Good Cheer Food Bank, providing as many smiles as bags of food.

Sometimes these difficult times make us most aware of what’s really important in life — often yielding blessings in ways we could never have foreseen.

I know something about life’s unexpected turns. I never dreamed that at this stage in my life I’d be the primary caregiver for a 2-year-old grandson — and yet taking care of Rodrick has been one of the most rewarding times of my life.

Rodrick loves when family and friends gather at the kitchen table to eat.

One of his first sentences was, “Dinner is ready!” And to Rodrick, all meals are dinner. At mealtimes he happily shouts to everyone in earshot “Dinner is ready!” Even at bedtime, when we read one of his favorite books, “My First Book of Prayers,” and get to the page depicting a family eating together, he shouts, “Dinner is ready!”

Sadly, dinner is not ready in an increasing number of American homes due to rising poverty rates — the highest in 27 years.

Yet here on South Whidbey — thanks to the generosity of our donors — families who turn to Good Cheer Food Bank each month do have nutritious food. Your response makes all the difference.

In this season of sharing and hope, please make a generous tax-deductible gift to Good Cheer Food Bank. Your holiday gift will see us through our busiest time of the year and help see neighbors through a difficult time in their lives.

May “dinner” always be “ready” in your house! Please help Good Cheer continue its work by sending a tax-deductible year-end gift to PO Box 144, Langley, WA 98260. Or make a secure donation on our website at www.goodcheer.org.

KATHY MCLAUGHLIN

Executive Director

Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores