By Dave Warner

Only a few days to go before it’s all over.

The Christmas tree is still up in the living room, and just this morning we took all the used wrapping paper to the curb for disposal.

But of course, that’s not what Christmas is all about – it’s about charity, really. That, and Mariah Carey, and her song, of course!

We try to make sure we give whatever spare cash we have to charity.

And most importantly, we volunteer our time and whatever talents we have to a local church.

Food is the issue, we give out lots and lots of food.

We routinely, by which I mean weekly, give out enough food to feed 300-400 people.

How they get along in life is beyond me.

One very nice patron told me last week that if it were not for our pantry she would literally starve.

Awhile back, a man who then attended the pantry regularly told me that he spent Thanksgiving and Christmas alone in his apartment.

His wife had died months before we chatted.

“How are you going to spend the holiday?” I asked him.

“Sitting on the sofa, watching TV, just as I do every day,” he replied.

His wife had died of a long-term terminal illness, and he was very lonely. We could give him food, and some chat at the pantry, but that’s all.

One of the most uplifting developments in our little pantry is that we have introduced good-for-you-food in large quantities.

Vegetables and fruit, and often times a cooking specialist who teaches our patrons to eat healthy food.

Not to reveal everything about our lives here, but I also sing in our church choir, and that brings pleasure to the choir members and the congregation.

Nothing like “Silent Night” to stir emotions.

But that ends in another few days.

Giving food to those who need it so they literally can eat is the most stirring thing my wife and I do all year.

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Dave Warner is one of dozens of volunteers who help out at the food cupboard each week. His dispatches are based on his experiences at the pantry.