Community Corner
LARPing to Fight Hunger
Local reader talks about how local Live Action Role Playing group, Amtgard, is helping to fight hunger.
Right now we’re among you. You might not realize it, but your neighbors, coworkers, baristas, customer service reps, and even maybe your senator all have something they do on the weekends. I’m not talking about some top-secret conspiracy theory; I’m talking about Amtgard and Food Fight.
Amtgard is a medieval combat sport for anyone 14 or over. It’s also a Live-Action Roleplaying group for people of all ages. Since it started in 1983, Amtgard has gone from a group of friends in El Paso, Texas, to a worldwide organization with thousands of members.
Local groups get together fight with foam-padded swords, make arts and crafts, learn chivalry, participate in group objectives, eat together, fundraise for food banks and make friends.
Find out what's happening in Fair Oaks-Carmichaelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
While you and your family are adjusting to the new school year, food banks all around the country are preparing for the holiday season during their slowest month: September.
During this slow-down, Amtgard lands compete against each other to raise the most food, money, equipment and volunteer hours for our local food bank in a month-long nationwide event we call the Amtgard Food Fight.
Find out what's happening in Fair Oaks-Carmichaelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Last year we raised more than $127,000, and this year we hope to top that number. With rising food costs, food banks have to be smarter than ever with their money, and a key part of this is getting orders for the holiday season placed early. For every dollar you might spend at the grocery store, food banks can buy $13 worth of food. For $10 you can buy an entire family’s worth of groceries for a week. That’s mind-blowing!
One of the things I used to do when I was on this canning kick was go around my neighborhood and get to know my neighbors with fruit trees. While you might complain about how you have too many lemons think about gathering them up before they fall and dropping them off with your local Amtgard group during September. We’ll in turn take them to the food bank and get them into the hands of people that need them. Same goes for that messy plum tree you have, or the overabundance of tomatoes your plants are churning out.
This year give an early Christmas gift to your local food banks by visiting your local Amtgard group to see how they’re fundraising and how you can get involved!
Hope to see you on the field!