In the spirit of the season, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) turned a silly prank into a goodwill gesture for the needy. Earlier this month, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) left boxes at the door of several Democrat congressional offices on Capitol Hill. The joke was to call attention to the fact that the members of the House represent districts that likely are not favorable to the impeachment circus. The boxes could come in handy, should the vulnerable lawmakers lose their re-election bids in 2020.

At the time, a panic broke out that the boxes may contain hazardous material related to terrorism. The boxes were clearly marked with the initials ‘NRCC’ though and while the staffers in the offices were simply carrying out the established procedure to deal with suspicious packages, the response was seen as over-the-top. Naturally, this made it all the more amusing for the Republican pranksters.

Apparently the staffers held on to the boxes. With the holiday season upon us, someone clever enough to find a way to use the boxes for good came up with a good idea. The DCCC decided to fill the boxes with food donations for the needy. I’ll give credit where credit is due – that was a brilliant way to answer the prank by their Republican counterparts.

We all know that Democrats are keen to act as our moral superiors, though they are the party of abortion up to the time of birth. This decision turned a prank into helping feed hungry people. Now the DCCC has bragging rights (humbly, of course) of helping those who need a little assistance during the season. What they ended up doing is proving a Republican Party tenet – personal donations to charity can do what big government often inadequately does. Those closest to the needy are best able to help one-on-one rather than waiting for the bureaucrats in big government to do so.

If Republicans were smart, they would take the opportunity to make this point. Especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, when we are all reminded of those in our community who are in need, individual donations play a crucial part in meeting the needs of the less fortunate among us. We all have so much to be thankful for as Americans, whether wealthy or of modest means, that taking a little time to stop and consider the needs of others is an act we should all be reminded to do.

Thanksgiving is a food-oriented holiday. Christmas and Hanukkah meals bring family and friends together, too. Food banks across the country often put a call out to their communities for non-perishable food donations. In my city, local grocery stores make contributing easy with large containers set up to hold donations from shoppers. Civic organizations also conduct food drives. Not everyone has to volunteer to go and feed the hungry in a soup kitchen. Donating can be a really quick and easy thing to do. There is always a need out there.

Some of the boxes donated by the DCCC still had the label identifying the sender as the NRCC on them.

Spent the afternoon with @SOME_DC handing out meals — looks like @JoeCunninghamSC put that horrible @NRCC “prank” to good use by filling it up with food for the needy. Thanks Congressman! pic.twitter.com/XNkTj8IMGZ

— Geoff Burgan (@GeoffBurgan) November 26, 2019

The “out of the box” thinking that created the NRCC prank in the first place turned out to have a clever and useful ending.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee obtained the box delivered to Rep. Joe Cunningham and used it Tuesday to deliver canned goods to So Others Might Eat (SOME), “an interfaith, community-based service organization that exists to help and support residents of our nation’s capital experiencing homelessness and poverty,” according to its website.

“It’s what people should be coming to Washington to do — to leave the place better than we found it,” DCCC chairwoman Rep. Cheri Bustos told HOH Wednesday.

The Democratic organization filled five “gigantic” boxes with canned foods including soup, vegetables, tuna, pasta and other items for families in need this Thanksgiving.

It’s a feel-good gesture that we can all get behind.