I'd love to be funny. I'd love to be able to write the kind of stuff that made people laugh out loud and come back for more. Such a gift that is. I'd love to be funny.
We bought a piece of land. Well, we made the offer, it was accepted, we put down the earnest money, and now we are just waiting for the cash to come in so we can pay for it. And then we start to build. We have the best ever builder. We got lucky, so lucky, and found wonderful people who share our view of our relationship with the land, and of the necessity to build a space that nurtures you instead of trying to fit into someone else's space.
It's heady, exciting stuff. And it's given me some very busy days, with more to come.
In the meantime, the backpack project moves right along. Tomorrow we go to the local high school to pick up the hundreds of backpacks the kids have gathered for us. I suspect it will be two or three trips to get them all. And then to find a place to store them. Oh joy.
I figured out today with the help of a friend that we could make 500 neck scarves from 112 yards of extra-wide polar fleece. That stuff has to be on sale somewhere. It would be a lot of cutting, that's for sure. But I'm betting I could get some help. We have the combs and brushes, the pens, and the toothbrushes. We don't have toothpaste. So march on over to drugstore.com, find some on sale, and send me a tube of toothpaste. I know that at least 1200 people read this blog last week. I get the reports. So if only half of you buy a tube of toothpaste and send it to me, we will have one for every bag. Can you imagine what it would be like, living on the streets without hope, to at least every morning get to have a fresh mouth? Can you imagine not being able to brush the dragons out of your mouth in the morning?
The Rose Festival has started here. We are going downtown tomorrow for the fireworks over the river, after a leisurely dinner. It will be nice.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
International Polar Year
We live in amazing times. Because of the media fascination with American Idol, Survivor, Oprah, boobs, and Barak Obama's minister, you may not have heard of the International Polar Year. I'm trusting that once you have read this you will all go out and Google the IPY. It is fascinating amazing stuff. For the first time in over 50 years, a serious detailed study is being done of both poles. And it is being done by many countries, scientists all working together.
The Shrub Co. has been determined to ignore science once it discovered that scientists are hard to buy off, and nearly impossible to control. Cat herding is hard for anyone; this administration didn't have a chance. Thankfully science transcends politics and national boundaries. Scientists just seem to love sharing information, working together, the transcendent joy of discovery. This is not to say that they are not quite territorial when it comes to their own personal discoveries. Many a serious fight has grown over suspected or real theft of another scientist's research. But when they come together for a common goal, I have always been impressed at the way that scientists seem to shed their differences and blend their understandings.
Such is the nature of the polar studies going on during this very important year. The outcome of all this serious scientific study and observation will be a better understanding of global warming, of how the loss of the ozone layer is affecting the earth's ecosystems, and of the whole interaction of the various weather systems that ebb and flow across our planet.
How cool is it then that at the same time we are embarked on this ambitious and historical study of our poles, NASA lands the Phoenix on Mars at the North Pole. While earthbound scientists study the earth's poles, the Phoenix robot will gather information on the polar ice cap on Mars. We may finally have an answer to the question of whether life ever existed on Mars.
Thanks to the little-rovers-who-could, trundling all over Mars living years longer than anyone ever expected, we know that Mars once had water, flowing liquid, puddled water. But did that water ever contain life? The iron so prevalent on Mars would have destroyed any organic matter that might have exited. But the frozen polar caps would preserve it, if it is there.
Serendipity is a lovely thing. The serendipity of the most ambitious study of our poles coinciding with the landing of the Phoenix at the Martian north pole is especially lovely. I am waiting for the results with baited breath. I have always believed that there must be life in other solar systems, that we could not possibly be the only planet with life in a vast unending universe of planets. If organic material is found in the frozen Martian waters, then it will be only logical to extend that discovery to encompass the thousands of other solar systems. Given the distances between galaxies and solar systems, and the limitations of travel in space as we know them now, it is unlikely that we will ever make contact with other races, with alien species. At least not in yours or my lifetimes. But simply to know that once there was life on Mars would be tremendously exciting. Not intelligent life as we know it; most likely microcellular life given the distance from the sun and the extremes of temperature. Science gives us understanding of how life works, as we define life, and what is required to support it. But soon we may know that we are not the only life in the universe, and that will be a glorious day.
The Shrub Co. has been determined to ignore science once it discovered that scientists are hard to buy off, and nearly impossible to control. Cat herding is hard for anyone; this administration didn't have a chance. Thankfully science transcends politics and national boundaries. Scientists just seem to love sharing information, working together, the transcendent joy of discovery. This is not to say that they are not quite territorial when it comes to their own personal discoveries. Many a serious fight has grown over suspected or real theft of another scientist's research. But when they come together for a common goal, I have always been impressed at the way that scientists seem to shed their differences and blend their understandings.
Such is the nature of the polar studies going on during this very important year. The outcome of all this serious scientific study and observation will be a better understanding of global warming, of how the loss of the ozone layer is affecting the earth's ecosystems, and of the whole interaction of the various weather systems that ebb and flow across our planet.
How cool is it then that at the same time we are embarked on this ambitious and historical study of our poles, NASA lands the Phoenix on Mars at the North Pole. While earthbound scientists study the earth's poles, the Phoenix robot will gather information on the polar ice cap on Mars. We may finally have an answer to the question of whether life ever existed on Mars.
Thanks to the little-rovers-who-could, trundling all over Mars living years longer than anyone ever expected, we know that Mars once had water, flowing liquid, puddled water. But did that water ever contain life? The iron so prevalent on Mars would have destroyed any organic matter that might have exited. But the frozen polar caps would preserve it, if it is there.
Serendipity is a lovely thing. The serendipity of the most ambitious study of our poles coinciding with the landing of the Phoenix at the Martian north pole is especially lovely. I am waiting for the results with baited breath. I have always believed that there must be life in other solar systems, that we could not possibly be the only planet with life in a vast unending universe of planets. If organic material is found in the frozen Martian waters, then it will be only logical to extend that discovery to encompass the thousands of other solar systems. Given the distances between galaxies and solar systems, and the limitations of travel in space as we know them now, it is unlikely that we will ever make contact with other races, with alien species. At least not in yours or my lifetimes. But simply to know that once there was life on Mars would be tremendously exciting. Not intelligent life as we know it; most likely microcellular life given the distance from the sun and the extremes of temperature. Science gives us understanding of how life works, as we define life, and what is required to support it. But soon we may know that we are not the only life in the universe, and that will be a glorious day.
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Slowly Filling Shelves
I now know what 1,000 pens look like. That is a LOT of pens. They are nice pens, too. They have advertising on them, but I doubt anyone will care. They look sturdy, and boy are they colorful. I also now know what 1,000 combs look like. And 500 brushes. Oh, and 500 toothbrushes. It's amazing how little room they take up. We have set up some wire storage racks for Operation Backpack and these first shipments take up very little room.
Recently we had a homeless demonstration here in Portland. The city has an anti-camping ordinance, and they wanted it lifted. We were in sympathy with the sentiment, even though we know that the temporary settlements that build up under the bridges are havens for drugs and booze and all too often violence. But at least it gives people the comfort of companionship, and although the city is making a valiant and real effort to provide temporary and permanent housing, it is never enough to meet the demand.
What struck me about the demonstration, however, was the absence of the truly beaten. Most of the demonstrators were young, and some of them admitted to being homeless by choice rather than circumstance or necessity. I found myself angered by these aggressive, obscenity-spewing emo kids, because their contrived unloveliness was doing harm to the intense needs of the men and women who weren't there, too tired or too sick or too hopeless to participate.
I know I'm being judgmental, but there is something about these kids, with their aggressive panhandling, their posturing intimidation, their rampant narcissism and their self-degrading behavior and attitude that pushes all kinds of my buttons. The real truth is: they don't HAVE to be there. And so it becomes a game for them. It is no game for most of the people of the streets. Life is dangerous, short, nasty, and frightening when you have nowhere to go, nowhere to safely relieve yourself, no surety of where the next meal will come from, no way to take a bath.
I wish I could win a huge lottery. I would build housing, toilets, showers. I am so angry. Billions to kill people; pennies to give them a life. The hypocrisy leaves me breathless. Billions for destruction and death; pennies for medicine and love.
We cannot continue to feed ourselves on a steady diet of war, death and destruction without it rotting our national soul. What powerful people we would be if loving kindness, medical care, housing, and education were first on our list, with soldiering falling somewhere toward the bottom half. I keep hearing that we need a strong military, and for now we do given the number of enemies we have made around the world. But how powerful would we be if we were working to turn that around, to come to be seen as the great medical providers, the great bearers of food, the great home builders, instead of the great army coming to enforce a different way of life because "we know what is best for you."
I can't change that. I can try, but I can change a few things right here in my home town. And I know that if enough of us focus on changing things in our town, it will multiply into bigger changes. So I continue to fill my shelves with items for Operation Backpack, knowing that the more of those backpacks we fill, the more people have a small chance at catching a glimmer of hope, a tentative footstep on the road back to living fully. Or perhaps just a few moments of comfort in a comfortless life. It's the least we can do.
Recently we had a homeless demonstration here in Portland. The city has an anti-camping ordinance, and they wanted it lifted. We were in sympathy with the sentiment, even though we know that the temporary settlements that build up under the bridges are havens for drugs and booze and all too often violence. But at least it gives people the comfort of companionship, and although the city is making a valiant and real effort to provide temporary and permanent housing, it is never enough to meet the demand.
What struck me about the demonstration, however, was the absence of the truly beaten. Most of the demonstrators were young, and some of them admitted to being homeless by choice rather than circumstance or necessity. I found myself angered by these aggressive, obscenity-spewing emo kids, because their contrived unloveliness was doing harm to the intense needs of the men and women who weren't there, too tired or too sick or too hopeless to participate.
I know I'm being judgmental, but there is something about these kids, with their aggressive panhandling, their posturing intimidation, their rampant narcissism and their self-degrading behavior and attitude that pushes all kinds of my buttons. The real truth is: they don't HAVE to be there. And so it becomes a game for them. It is no game for most of the people of the streets. Life is dangerous, short, nasty, and frightening when you have nowhere to go, nowhere to safely relieve yourself, no surety of where the next meal will come from, no way to take a bath.
I wish I could win a huge lottery. I would build housing, toilets, showers. I am so angry. Billions to kill people; pennies to give them a life. The hypocrisy leaves me breathless. Billions for destruction and death; pennies for medicine and love.
We cannot continue to feed ourselves on a steady diet of war, death and destruction without it rotting our national soul. What powerful people we would be if loving kindness, medical care, housing, and education were first on our list, with soldiering falling somewhere toward the bottom half. I keep hearing that we need a strong military, and for now we do given the number of enemies we have made around the world. But how powerful would we be if we were working to turn that around, to come to be seen as the great medical providers, the great bearers of food, the great home builders, instead of the great army coming to enforce a different way of life because "we know what is best for you."
I can't change that. I can try, but I can change a few things right here in my home town. And I know that if enough of us focus on changing things in our town, it will multiply into bigger changes. So I continue to fill my shelves with items for Operation Backpack, knowing that the more of those backpacks we fill, the more people have a small chance at catching a glimmer of hope, a tentative footstep on the road back to living fully. Or perhaps just a few moments of comfort in a comfortless life. It's the least we can do.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Still Missing The Girls
I'm looking for something that doesn't exist. That is the conclusion I've come to. I want a bathing suit without boob holders. I realize that it is a logical assumption on the part of clothing manufacturers that women have breasts. But I truly resent the apparent assumption that all women who have had mastectomies have opted either to have reconstruction or get fake boobies. I don't want fakes; I didn't want to have fake ones made. The real ones served me well for 53 years, having made their first appearance at around age ten. They nourished my babies, attracted my spouses, and gave me years of delightful leers at Ren Fairs and beaches.
I miss the gals. Occasionally I have phantom boob tingles. It is rather strange to get that old familiar sensation only to realize that they aren't there and it's only memory and confused neurons getting the hormones riled up.
I want a bathing suit, and I can't find one. I'm going to be relegated to men's boxer trunks and a t-shirt for my water aerobics class. I know there will be some who stare; I don't care. It's strange. When I had breasts I never had a problem changing in the locker room at the pool. Now I know I will hide, because I don't want the stares and the pity of strangers. And I don't really want to weird anyone out. The scars are ugly, and it is strange.
It is times like this that my anger rises up, a storm of bile and rage and despair threatens to overwhelm me. It is times like this that I ask WHY ME? Yes, I know it was just damn bad luck. Or at least that what's I tell myself because nobody really knows why one woman gets breast cancer when no one else in her family ever had it.
I miss the girls.
I miss the gals. Occasionally I have phantom boob tingles. It is rather strange to get that old familiar sensation only to realize that they aren't there and it's only memory and confused neurons getting the hormones riled up.
I want a bathing suit, and I can't find one. I'm going to be relegated to men's boxer trunks and a t-shirt for my water aerobics class. I know there will be some who stare; I don't care. It's strange. When I had breasts I never had a problem changing in the locker room at the pool. Now I know I will hide, because I don't want the stares and the pity of strangers. And I don't really want to weird anyone out. The scars are ugly, and it is strange.
It is times like this that my anger rises up, a storm of bile and rage and despair threatens to overwhelm me. It is times like this that I ask WHY ME? Yes, I know it was just damn bad luck. Or at least that what's I tell myself because nobody really knows why one woman gets breast cancer when no one else in her family ever had it.
I miss the girls.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Roses!
I live in the City of Roses. I am surrounded by roses. And yet today when two dozen multi-color long stemmed roses arrived I was thrilled. Getting flowers is so much fun. It quite literally makes your day. And these are gorgeous! They are just beginning to open up, and the warmth from my large monitor is encouraging that opening.
They came with chocolates. Now who can resist that. Roses and chocolates. Pure bliss. The best that mother nature and humankind can make, together in one package. YAY...
We went to Costco yesterday. I had forgotten how seductive that place can be. We did find some stuff for later purchase though, unless someone else gets it. Work sox -- about $400-500 will purchase enough sox to put two pair in each bag. Trail mix -- about $250 will put two packages in each bag. Bar towels -- about $200 will put two in each bag.
I wanted to buy some paper bags, some inexpensive bread and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give away, but himself wasn't keen on the idea. He was worried about where we would do it. I suppose he is right. I just want to DO something for someone, darn it.
Later today we are going to have a cupcake baking marathon. And I am going to give those darn cupcakes away. I don't care what he says. I will find somewhere to do it. Probably the senior center. Here, have a cupcake, even if you aren't a mother. Tonight is bingo. I'm getting to be such an old lady, with my bingo and my cupcakes, and the rose gardens. I'm enjoying it. that's what counts.
They came with chocolates. Now who can resist that. Roses and chocolates. Pure bliss. The best that mother nature and humankind can make, together in one package. YAY...
We went to Costco yesterday. I had forgotten how seductive that place can be. We did find some stuff for later purchase though, unless someone else gets it. Work sox -- about $400-500 will purchase enough sox to put two pair in each bag. Trail mix -- about $250 will put two packages in each bag. Bar towels -- about $200 will put two in each bag.
I wanted to buy some paper bags, some inexpensive bread and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give away, but himself wasn't keen on the idea. He was worried about where we would do it. I suppose he is right. I just want to DO something for someone, darn it.
Later today we are going to have a cupcake baking marathon. And I am going to give those darn cupcakes away. I don't care what he says. I will find somewhere to do it. Probably the senior center. Here, have a cupcake, even if you aren't a mother. Tonight is bingo. I'm getting to be such an old lady, with my bingo and my cupcakes, and the rose gardens. I'm enjoying it. that's what counts.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Into the Bags
How Exciting! As you can see from the notes on Operation Backpack on the right, we have found an outlet for excellent quality new backpacks at a very low price, only $5 each. We have purchased 300 of them, so now it is time to start acquiring items to fill the bags. We will need 300 of each thing, a daunting task.
I'm thinking Costco, LOL. There's one near me here, and I'm betting I can find a lot of this stuff at great prices. But first, I'm going to let my readers commit themselves to fulfilling some of these needs. Then we will fill in the gaps.
Remember, we need three hundred of each of these things. Check out prices when you are in Costco, on-line, Sams, wherever and let me know if you can and will commit to getting any of these.
Wet wipes, large
Work socks, average size. They usually come in 3-packs
Work gloves, average size
Boxer shorts, average size -- imagine how nice it is to have clean underwear! LOL
Life Savers -- two rolls per bag would be nice
Pens
Power bars - not granola bars, they would break and crumble
Plastic drinking bottle
Soap
Tooth paste and tooth brush
Wash cloth - bar towels would work, or small wash cloths
Knit cap
Neck scarf -- warm, acrylic or cotton (some people are allergic to wool)
Tissues - for noses, etc.
comb or brush
Small notebook
Small flashlight
Pocket radio
You don't need to commit to 300 -- though it would be nice. But commit to whatever you can. Just please, do NOT commit unless you are actually sending it, and send the stuff to the address given under Operation Backpack on the right. List your commitment here in the comments section. You don't have to give your name. If you are sending stuff, please send a note along with your items. We will copy it and make sure it goes in each backpack.
I'm thinking Costco, LOL. There's one near me here, and I'm betting I can find a lot of this stuff at great prices. But first, I'm going to let my readers commit themselves to fulfilling some of these needs. Then we will fill in the gaps.
Remember, we need three hundred of each of these things. Check out prices when you are in Costco, on-line, Sams, wherever and let me know if you can and will commit to getting any of these.
Wet wipes, large
Work socks, average size. They usually come in 3-packs
Work gloves, average size
Boxer shorts, average size -- imagine how nice it is to have clean underwear! LOL
Life Savers -- two rolls per bag would be nice
Pens
Power bars - not granola bars, they would break and crumble
Plastic drinking bottle
Soap
Tooth paste and tooth brush
Wash cloth - bar towels would work, or small wash cloths
Knit cap
Neck scarf -- warm, acrylic or cotton (some people are allergic to wool)
Tissues - for noses, etc.
comb or brush
Small notebook
Small flashlight
Pocket radio
You don't need to commit to 300 -- though it would be nice. But commit to whatever you can. Just please, do NOT commit unless you are actually sending it, and send the stuff to the address given under Operation Backpack on the right. List your commitment here in the comments section. You don't have to give your name. If you are sending stuff, please send a note along with your items. We will copy it and make sure it goes in each backpack.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
When Small Truly Is Better
I've been reading a lot lately about microloans ala the Grameen Bank, and about small social action groups. They are very effective, it turns out, at helping people turn their lives around or in some cases just get their lives started. Most of the people who get loans from the Grameen Bank and its many imitators are living at the minimal subsistence level. And the average is a phenomenal one to two years for them to go from that level to nearly self-sufficient and a level of comfort previously undreamed of.
Small social action groups it turns out are equally effective. We did a test recently, recruiting a handful of friends to go armed with gloves, plastic bags, rakes, and shovels to clean an especially bad lot in what is considered a more dangerous part of town. We notified the local police precinct that we were coming, and they provided a very visible police presence throughout the day. Here was a vacant lot in what is known as the cleanest city in the country, filled with every imaginable kind of rubbish. We brought lots of extra bags and extra gloves, and a large sign which we put up inviting people to come and help. Before long some of the neighborhood kids wandered in, a few acting tough until the police presence made itself known. It took the offer of some Mountain Dew and open friendship to entice more than a few of them to pick up bags and gloves and chip in.
By hour three of the project we had about 30 neighborhood people working away. One of the local preachers came by, observed for a while, and then left. Two hours later he arrived followed by a truck from a local nursery filled with several evergreen bushes and three flats of flowers. Another truck arrived from a local gardening service, and before we knew it a corner of the lot was being dug and mulched and planted.
Hour five was marked by the arrival of unexpected pizzas, homemade lemonade, and fresh pies from a couple of houses next door to the lot. Man, those women could bake! By that time we had a boom box going, provided by a neighborhood kid, and no one seemed to object to the choice of classic rock and roll as a stimulus for work.
Shortly after the pizzas arrived, the newshounds showed up. Apparently a local television station got a call and decided to send someone to see what was happening. A couple of the cops who had been on patrol earlier in the morning had gotten off duty and showed up in civies to work.
One of the more surprising -- and welcome -- occurrences was the appearance of the fairly large local street gang with promises that they would maintain the lot, keep it clean and keep the garden growing. They informed us that they would put out the word on the street that this was their turf, open for everyone in the neighborhood and not to be molested.
The one absent element in the day was the owner of the property. Turns out no one is sure who owns it, but the local city councilwoman who showed up promised to put her office on the search. Portland has some sort of ordinance for taking over property that has been deemed abandoned for a period of time. The locals tell us this corner lot had been vacant, dangerous, and trash ridden for at least three years.
Last weekend we drove over to see how "our" lot was doing. We had a joyous surprise waiting for us. Not only was the lot still clean, and the garden doing well; but two blocks away as we drove to the site we saw a group of people out in gloves with garbage bags, cleaning up another yard around the local community center. And we couldn't help but notice that the sidewalks and streets around the lot we cleaned were free of trash and litter. And right next to the garden stood a welcome sight: a city garbage can, filled with litter waiting for pickup.
It is my personal opinion that micro-loans and small social action groups work because of necessity they require intimate personal interaction. This kind of giving is not faceless paperwork or large scale grant endowments. It is people extending a hand to other people, as equals, partners in the task of making the world better. It cannot work with the "I'm up, you're down" structure inherent in big banks, large social service organizations, or grant-giving institutions. Those have their place, no doubt about it. But when people give to people, be it Oprah or Brad Pitt or John Smith, something special happens.
Steve, the fellow who won Oprah's Big Give, won I believe because he put himself into every single give, not just money, not just organization, but himself, his smile, his energy, his labor, his heart. This is when small truly is better.
Small social action groups it turns out are equally effective. We did a test recently, recruiting a handful of friends to go armed with gloves, plastic bags, rakes, and shovels to clean an especially bad lot in what is considered a more dangerous part of town. We notified the local police precinct that we were coming, and they provided a very visible police presence throughout the day. Here was a vacant lot in what is known as the cleanest city in the country, filled with every imaginable kind of rubbish. We brought lots of extra bags and extra gloves, and a large sign which we put up inviting people to come and help. Before long some of the neighborhood kids wandered in, a few acting tough until the police presence made itself known. It took the offer of some Mountain Dew and open friendship to entice more than a few of them to pick up bags and gloves and chip in.
By hour three of the project we had about 30 neighborhood people working away. One of the local preachers came by, observed for a while, and then left. Two hours later he arrived followed by a truck from a local nursery filled with several evergreen bushes and three flats of flowers. Another truck arrived from a local gardening service, and before we knew it a corner of the lot was being dug and mulched and planted.
Hour five was marked by the arrival of unexpected pizzas, homemade lemonade, and fresh pies from a couple of houses next door to the lot. Man, those women could bake! By that time we had a boom box going, provided by a neighborhood kid, and no one seemed to object to the choice of classic rock and roll as a stimulus for work.
Shortly after the pizzas arrived, the newshounds showed up. Apparently a local television station got a call and decided to send someone to see what was happening. A couple of the cops who had been on patrol earlier in the morning had gotten off duty and showed up in civies to work.
One of the more surprising -- and welcome -- occurrences was the appearance of the fairly large local street gang with promises that they would maintain the lot, keep it clean and keep the garden growing. They informed us that they would put out the word on the street that this was their turf, open for everyone in the neighborhood and not to be molested.
The one absent element in the day was the owner of the property. Turns out no one is sure who owns it, but the local city councilwoman who showed up promised to put her office on the search. Portland has some sort of ordinance for taking over property that has been deemed abandoned for a period of time. The locals tell us this corner lot had been vacant, dangerous, and trash ridden for at least three years.
Last weekend we drove over to see how "our" lot was doing. We had a joyous surprise waiting for us. Not only was the lot still clean, and the garden doing well; but two blocks away as we drove to the site we saw a group of people out in gloves with garbage bags, cleaning up another yard around the local community center. And we couldn't help but notice that the sidewalks and streets around the lot we cleaned were free of trash and litter. And right next to the garden stood a welcome sight: a city garbage can, filled with litter waiting for pickup.
It is my personal opinion that micro-loans and small social action groups work because of necessity they require intimate personal interaction. This kind of giving is not faceless paperwork or large scale grant endowments. It is people extending a hand to other people, as equals, partners in the task of making the world better. It cannot work with the "I'm up, you're down" structure inherent in big banks, large social service organizations, or grant-giving institutions. Those have their place, no doubt about it. But when people give to people, be it Oprah or Brad Pitt or John Smith, something special happens.
Steve, the fellow who won Oprah's Big Give, won I believe because he put himself into every single give, not just money, not just organization, but himself, his smile, his energy, his labor, his heart. This is when small truly is better.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Operation Backpack Takes Off
So here we go. Operation Backpack into full swing. To reitterate, the goal is to get as many backpacks, new and used, as possible by October, at which time we will start filling them with stuff like wet wipes, combs, bus tickets, power bars, stationery and pens and stamps, scarves, sox, warm caps, whatever we can get to put into them.
I have found a distribution center through the Disabled American Veterans. They have an outreach meeting in November and again in June, and they are able to contact a fairly substantial number of veterans who live on the streets. They are more than happy to coordinate with us. I have also found a Unitarian Church whose youth group will help with cleaning and packing the backpacks.
Donations of backpacks should be sent to Operation Backpack, c/o Jemison; 12240 SW Horizon Boulevard, Box 103; Beaverton, Oregon 97007. Please do not send anything but backpacks for now. We will put up a list of wanted items later. We need to work with the DAV and a couple of other organizations to determine exactly what items are most needed and would not put the user in jeopardy -- there is a lot of theft among the homeless community, unfortunately. We do not want our largesse to put our recipients at risk of being mugged.
If you want to slip a note of compassion, good cheer, comfort, etc. into the backpacks you are sending, please do so. It will be much appreciated. Please resist the urge to put religious or political messages in the packs. I know that they would be well intentioned, but this is neither a religious or a political project. It is just people helping other people. Thank you for complying with this request.
I am putting the shipping address in the right hand column here so it is always there. We will add the list of items as we gather it together.
Thank you for supporting this project. I am certain it will make a huge difference in many peoples' lives.
I have found a distribution center through the Disabled American Veterans. They have an outreach meeting in November and again in June, and they are able to contact a fairly substantial number of veterans who live on the streets. They are more than happy to coordinate with us. I have also found a Unitarian Church whose youth group will help with cleaning and packing the backpacks.
Donations of backpacks should be sent to Operation Backpack, c/o Jemison; 12240 SW Horizon Boulevard, Box 103; Beaverton, Oregon 97007. Please do not send anything but backpacks for now. We will put up a list of wanted items later. We need to work with the DAV and a couple of other organizations to determine exactly what items are most needed and would not put the user in jeopardy -- there is a lot of theft among the homeless community, unfortunately. We do not want our largesse to put our recipients at risk of being mugged.
If you want to slip a note of compassion, good cheer, comfort, etc. into the backpacks you are sending, please do so. It will be much appreciated. Please resist the urge to put religious or political messages in the packs. I know that they would be well intentioned, but this is neither a religious or a political project. It is just people helping other people. Thank you for complying with this request.
I am putting the shipping address in the right hand column here so it is always there. We will add the list of items as we gather it together.
Thank you for supporting this project. I am certain it will make a huge difference in many peoples' lives.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
The Many Ways to Fill a Bag
I've been spending a bit of my spare time making lists of things we can put into the backpacks we are gathering, and especially things that people may want to provide who don't have the money or contacts to buy a backpack or get soap or whatever. (We will talk another day about the many cheap ways to get backpacks and the stuff that goes into them.)
A few people have asked me why this project. It's very simple. I am opposed to the war, have been since the beginning, actually am opposed to any and all wars. War is a lousy way to solve a social or economic problem. It's the bullies' way out of negotiation. And both sides are bullies, plain and simple. BUT, we are involved in a war. And there are a lot of young men and women (and not so young ones) who are paying the price for our nation's choice of how to solve a problem. And honestly we treat them like crap when they come home. They don't get adequate care physically, emotionally or spiritually. The sad but true fact is that over 70% of the homeless street people in our cities are veterans. That is shameful in the extreme. So this is my small way of saying that some of us really care, some of us think they deserve better, some of us want to reach out a hand in love and friendship and help if wanted.
The first idea I came up with is a note. A simple card with a handwritten note saying that even though the recipient may not think so, somebody cares about them and respects what they have done, who they are, what happens to them. Someone thinks they are valuable, loveable, worth caring for. If you have a printer you can print a nice card, so you don't even have to go buy one. Of course, you will have to get it to me, but an envelope within an envelope is still only going to cost one stamp. it would be good to have a note to go into every bag. I would like that. It would be even cooler if the note could have a $5 bill inside of it. That's two cappuccinos (in some places -- here it's 1-1/2).
A handmade scarf, crotched out of leftover yarn from that last project, or made from $5 worth of red heart yarn from wallieworld. It needs to be warm.
A pair of work socks. Large size. Warm, heavy work socks. So nice for cold, painful feet.
Remember that vacation trip you went on, and all those unused soaps you brought back that the hotel so nicely put out for you? They wouldn't cost much to send to me, now would they. LOL (HUGs to you all)
Can anyone else think of free or very low cost things to put in these packs that will make a difference?
The email address to send notification to me, until I have a shipping address is: shoshana.edwards@gmail.com and soon I will have a shipping address for you to start sending things.
A few people have asked me why this project. It's very simple. I am opposed to the war, have been since the beginning, actually am opposed to any and all wars. War is a lousy way to solve a social or economic problem. It's the bullies' way out of negotiation. And both sides are bullies, plain and simple. BUT, we are involved in a war. And there are a lot of young men and women (and not so young ones) who are paying the price for our nation's choice of how to solve a problem. And honestly we treat them like crap when they come home. They don't get adequate care physically, emotionally or spiritually. The sad but true fact is that over 70% of the homeless street people in our cities are veterans. That is shameful in the extreme. So this is my small way of saying that some of us really care, some of us think they deserve better, some of us want to reach out a hand in love and friendship and help if wanted.
The first idea I came up with is a note. A simple card with a handwritten note saying that even though the recipient may not think so, somebody cares about them and respects what they have done, who they are, what happens to them. Someone thinks they are valuable, loveable, worth caring for. If you have a printer you can print a nice card, so you don't even have to go buy one. Of course, you will have to get it to me, but an envelope within an envelope is still only going to cost one stamp. it would be good to have a note to go into every bag. I would like that. It would be even cooler if the note could have a $5 bill inside of it. That's two cappuccinos (in some places -- here it's 1-1/2).
A handmade scarf, crotched out of leftover yarn from that last project, or made from $5 worth of red heart yarn from wallieworld. It needs to be warm.
A pair of work socks. Large size. Warm, heavy work socks. So nice for cold, painful feet.
Remember that vacation trip you went on, and all those unused soaps you brought back that the hotel so nicely put out for you? They wouldn't cost much to send to me, now would they. LOL (HUGs to you all)
Can anyone else think of free or very low cost things to put in these packs that will make a difference?
The email address to send notification to me, until I have a shipping address is: shoshana.edwards@gmail.com and soon I will have a shipping address for you to start sending things.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
The Joy of Giving
So far, all of my meditations, reflections, quiet time, etc. have led me back to giving as the ultimate pleasure for me. I guess I will just have to indulge myself. I'm trying to be creative about it, about the need to give, the urge to give.
I'd love to hear how some of you who read this give. I'm interested in the small, personal giving that requires you to give something of yourself as well as your pocket book. Getting down and dirty is no longer an option for me. But as noble as anonymous giving might be to some people, there is a physical and spiritual connection when you can actually "give" something to someone. It gives them a chance to thank you, and to discuss how they might pay it on.
My large project this year is backpacks. I want to accumulate enough backpacks to hand out to a significant number of homeless veterans. So I am asking you to see if you have backpacks in good shape that grown children no longer use. Ask your friends. Ask them to ask their friends. Perhaps you can just buy a backpack when they are on sale. If I get enough people responding to me at shoshana.edwards@gmail.com saying they will send a backpack, I will get a small storage unit and an address for you to send them. I will then start hounding local organizations, stores, etc. for items to put into the backpacks: energy bars, toothbrush and paste, a comb or brush, bus tokens, writing paper and envelopes and some stamps, a small bar of soap, packs of wet wipes, tissue, that kind of thing. The small things that make a difference, and that say someone cares.
We have seven months until the cold hits here in Portland enough to make life miserable. I would like to have a minimum of 100 backpacks by then. I'm starting the project with 5 that I have managed to accumulate. Write to me at that address above, and if you want to send something now, I will give you an address. But do check those closets and ask friends to check too. Thanks.
I'd love to hear how some of you who read this give. I'm interested in the small, personal giving that requires you to give something of yourself as well as your pocket book. Getting down and dirty is no longer an option for me. But as noble as anonymous giving might be to some people, there is a physical and spiritual connection when you can actually "give" something to someone. It gives them a chance to thank you, and to discuss how they might pay it on.
My large project this year is backpacks. I want to accumulate enough backpacks to hand out to a significant number of homeless veterans. So I am asking you to see if you have backpacks in good shape that grown children no longer use. Ask your friends. Ask them to ask their friends. Perhaps you can just buy a backpack when they are on sale. If I get enough people responding to me at shoshana.edwards@gmail.com saying they will send a backpack, I will get a small storage unit and an address for you to send them. I will then start hounding local organizations, stores, etc. for items to put into the backpacks: energy bars, toothbrush and paste, a comb or brush, bus tokens, writing paper and envelopes and some stamps, a small bar of soap, packs of wet wipes, tissue, that kind of thing. The small things that make a difference, and that say someone cares.
We have seven months until the cold hits here in Portland enough to make life miserable. I would like to have a minimum of 100 backpacks by then. I'm starting the project with 5 that I have managed to accumulate. Write to me at that address above, and if you want to send something now, I will give you an address. But do check those closets and ask friends to check too. Thanks.
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