A Rare Treat of the Rice Krispie Kind

I often tell people that Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday of all for Loaves & Fishes because it is all about sharing a big meal.  But having celebrated Easter last month with family and friends I realize what an important part food again plays.  It is my great joy to look down the length of the dining room table and see lots of familiar faces.  This year we only had eight for dinner so it was a small crowd.  But what pleasure it gave me to prepare for those eight.   Simple food, nothing gourmet – roasted chicken, potatoes, biscuits, deviled eggs, asparagus – the same menu was probably presented on thousands of tables. 

The joy came in the sharing, and in the teaching.  My seven-year-old granddaughter enjoys learning new cooking skills for holidays.  This year brought her first experience of making Rice Krispie Treats; molded into muffin pans to make bird’s nest, covered with green tinted coconut and a few candy eggs.  Each guest had their own individual treat courtesy of Raven. 

I couldn’t help but remember the two little girls I met at a pantry just before Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.  They were picking up groceries with their mother and baby sister.  They were so thrilled to find two boxes of Rice Krispie cereal in the groceries they received from Loaves & Fishes.  When I asked them why – well, one was to eat and one to make Rice Krispie Treats, a rare treat for the girls, for Christmas.

So my Easter prayer of thanksgiving this year included all the little girls making Rice Krispie treats with their families, whether their groceries came from the supermarket or Loaves & Fishes.  On Easter Sunday you couldn’t tell the difference.