Diana Cosby kicks off 5th International Food Bank Food Drive Challenge

Diana Cosby, author of An Oath Taken (coming Dec. 8), lets HEA's readers know about her Food Bank Challenge, kicking off today.

Diana: It's the holidays again, an emotion-filled time where it seems there are not enough hours in each day to fit everything in, not to mention dealing with the struggling economy. But, in this time of financial challenges, I ask each of you to please consider one more stop on your crazy to-do list, that of making a donation to a local food bank. Your donation can be a dollar, potatoes, whatever you can give. Anything you can offer to those with nothing is a gift they didn't have.

I volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and something amazing happens when you allow a person a flicker of hope, that somehow, incredibly, even a stranger understands that at times life shoves us onto a road we never asked for.

In 2010 in addition to my personal donation to my local food bank, I decided to start a Food Bank Challenge, except it wonderfully got out of hand. Once I posted The Food Bank Challenge on my Facebook page and my Facebook fan page, people from across the U.S. began donating to their local food banks. Then, my Facebook pages received posts of donations from Canada — the Food Bank Challenge went international! Since then, donations for the International Food Bank Food Challenge have been made in numerous countries. And you know what, this is truly a blessing. In this venture, we all win. Gifts from the heart do that, they fill you, remind you there is good in the world, and that you can make a positive and profound difference in others lives.

How it works: Starting today (Nov. 1), when you donate to a local food bank or food drive, post on my Facebook Fan Page beneath the daily International Food Bank Challenge post, about your donation along with your name and contact information. On Dec. 5 I will use www.random.org to draw from all of the names of people I receive who donate. The winner will receive an autographed set of the bestselling MacGruder Brother series: His Captive, His Woman, His Conquest, His Destiny, His Seduction and His Enchantment.

2014 International Food Bank Challenge goal: 1,000 donations.

I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season. May your every dream come true!

Find out more about Diana and her books at www.dianacosby.com.