Julie Van Rosendaal creates reverse Advent calendar for food bank donations

CBC food guideJulie Van Rosendaal saw the 12 slots in a typical wine box and had an ideacreate a reverse Advent calendarto make donations to the food bank.

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VanRosendaalsays she was motivated by the growing need at theCalgary Food Bank, which has seen10,000 more clients than last yearmany of them children.

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"It popped into my head to use a couple of wine boxes which have conveniently twelve sections each ... with little cardboard separators," saidVanRosendaal.

Since posting the idea on herFacebookpage, shesaysit's reached more than 220,000 peopleand has been shared more than 1,800 times as of November 30.

"Because the need has increased so much this year, today we made a reverse advent calendar to collect food for the Food Bank," she said in the post."We put together two empty wine boxes (there will be plenty available at liquor stores these days!) and will add an item every day for the first fewweeks of December."

VanRosendaalpostedshe's heard the idea has reached the U.K, andalso received feedbackfrom teachers who are bringing the idea into their classrooms.

So beginning Dec. 1, put a food item a can of food, jar of peanut butter or box of pasta into one of the slots. When the boxes are full,dropthem off at the food bank or in the lobby of the CBC building on Memorial Drive.

"It reminds everyonethat holidays are about giving," saidVan Rosendaal.