Another way that we try to make the holiday special for these young men and women and hope to make it feel a little more like a traditional Christmas is to provide them with some items they’d need to be able to cook their own Christmas dinner.
Items need to be mostly non-perishable if possible (for example, suggestions used previously include):
Macaroni and cheese, stuffing, cranberry sauce
Boxed mashed potatoes, gravy
Canned vegetables or fresh ones that have a longer shelf life
Corn bread mix or biscuit mix
Dessert (cake mix w/ icing, cookie mix)
Sparkling Cider, Instant tea mix or juice mixes
Cooking spices (salt/pepper/garlic/parsley), Flour
Aluminum foil, Disposable roasting pan
Napkins, Pot holders
Publix or Winn Dixie gift card so they can buy a ham or turkey and perishable items
Some ideas in the past included a variant of this, and provided some items to cook a Christmas morning breakfast.
Please place the items in a basket or box that could be reusable for the youth, if possible (laundry baskets, decorative baskets/storage boxes, plastic storage bins, reusable shopping bags, etc.).
