(WIVT/WBGH) – The Food Bank is calling on the community to understand the importance of selflessness not only throughout the holiday season, but 365 days a year.

The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is conducting its 3rd year of the Selfless Elf Advent Calendar program.

Every day in December, another door on the virtual advent calendar will open, and includes an activity that challenges participants to better their community.

Some of the activities include creating holiday greeting cards, donating to a local food bank, or talking with your kids about food insecurity.

Chief Development Officer Meghan Parsons says that the program is designed for the holidays, but the lessons and underlying themes should be used every day.

Chief Development Officer at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier Meghan Parsons says, “Every day, a new door opens up with an activity. And so, these activities, well we have 25 days of them, so it’s been really really exciting. And the idea is for families or co-workers or friends to be able to get together and sort of express themselves in a selfless way with these activities through the month of December.”

Parsons says the Selfless Elf program originally started as a 5K in December, but since COVID, the program has shifted to become more inclusive and more widely accessible.

You can access the calendar by visiting https://foodbankselflesself.org/ to receive daily emails about the day’s activities.