Holiday Give Unto Others Idea

[Hapless Bills Fan]

This holiday, if you have a little extra, consider giving unto others

 

Food banks can stretch your donation by buying wholesale

but

Some foodbanks require proof of eligibility (some don't), so neighborhood pantries which operate on a "take if you need, give if you can" basis have their place

 

One thing we did at Thanksgiving is to buy and prepare several "meal bags" to put into local community-run "Pantry Boxes"

 

A gallon ziplock bag holds:

8 oz can of ham or chicken breast

1 can green beans

1 can corn

1-2 packets instant Sweet Potatoes

1 packet instant Mashed Potatoes

Something sweet - Chocolate bar, Payday, Wrapped peppermint candies, whatever you have

 

The whole thing cost $5-$6 and would feed 2-4 people with no leftovers, depending on appetite

My neighbor suggests, throw in a can opener from the Dollar Store

 

We'll be doing this again this week

 

Normally, very popular items around here include packets of instant mashed potatoes and small cans of Vienna sausages (food that can be prepared with hot tap water and doesn't require special storage - Aldi) - individual servings of veg (Walmart) or fruit (Dollar Tree), and pop tarts or snack bars.

 

If you have food box pantries in your neighborhood, what are the favorite items there?

 

 

 

[Beerball]

What's in it for me?

[muppy]

soup, canned tuna, beans, pasta, peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables.

 

this next thing actually happened to me. I had my car turn blinker to go right into a starbucks drive through, I waved the lady with a left blinker to go ahead.

 

That lady unbeknownst to me told the cashier "tell her I said thank you for letting me first Im paying for your coffee.

 

HOLY COW did that make me feel great I nearly cried with the sweetness  of that.

 

People are known to pay for a person in line groceries if it appears it is very meager, also at Dennys pay for someones breakfast.

 

I LOVE the foodbank idea they stretch the money the very furthest.

[Just Jack]

10 hours ago, Beerball said:

What's in it for me?

 

That depends.  Are you looking to give or to receive? 

[Augie]

Earlier today I got an email from the Louisiana food bank for my $27.27 donations for Tre White. It reminded me of how easy it was, and how much more it meant to others than it did to us. We used to be occasionally involved with the food bank in Sarasota and I was always moved by the volume of food they handled and the extent of the need. There were people we knew back in the 2006-2008 era who went from donors to the other end of the equation. It can change that quickly. 

 

Years ago our son would go to Publix and buy a ton of food (on our dime, but gladly), then come home and make countless sandwiches. He’d make bag lunches with chips/cookies, a bottle of water, etc. then load them in the car and take them to Piedmont Park in ATL. You will see some homeless people there on almost any visit, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. They set up camps back in the woods where you’ll never know they are there. He would deliver these lunches to people who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. It was a blend of kindness and a bit of crazy on his part, to be honest, but he made us proud. 

 

 

.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Augie

[Wacka]

One of the FB groups I'm in is where people post old photos of Buffalo.  People are always crying "why didn't they save them?" 

Reasons are a lot of them were already old in the photos  or the building burned down or weren't made to last long.

Millard Filmore's house was where city hall is now.  It burned to the ground after he died. I think the same thing happened to the Fargo Estate which occupied a whole block on the west side.  The  Pan Am  buildings were made of a horsehair paper machie stuff and were already falling apart when the fair ended.  They had pictures of multi-story hotels that burned up.  Until the Ellicott Square Building was built, building could only go up maybe 7-8 stories because they didn't use steel beams. Lot of wood in them  and  wood burning stoves. The captions say "built in XXXX and burned down 20-30 years later.

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

I think I, and we, will be forgiven if this old article gets a bump:

 

JON CARROLL -- It's Time Again For the Untied Way

Jon Carroll

Updated: Feb. 13, 2012 10:43 p.m.

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WE TAKE AS OUR text this year a quotation from Rabbi Schmelke as reprinted in the Street Spirit, an East Bay homeless newspaper sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee:

"When a poor man asks you for aid, do not use his faults as an excuse for not helping him. For then God will look for your offenses, and he is sure to find many of them. Keep in mind that a poor man's transgressions have been atoned for by his poverty while yours still remain with you."

Whether you agree with the specific cosmology, the basic message is clear: Have a little humility in the face of want and need. There but for the grace of God go you.

In this joyous holiday season, there is want and need freely available in major shopping areas. There are human beings who are, quite frankly, seeking your money. Most of them are standing behind counters and offering you overpriced consumer goods, but some of them are squatting in doorways and offering you nothing at all.

Sometimes, even if you give them money, they don't say "thank you." They don't make you feel good about yourself. They're too busy being cold.

Technically speaking, charity is not about feeling good. It's about need and want. The Untied Way is about need and want.

The Untied Way has no central office, no paid employees, no brochures or fund-raisers, no celebrity spokeshumans, no gala benefits. The Untied Way has only volunteers, has only one plan. It seeks to reach those people who require reaching.

When someone squats in a doorway and asks for money, it is a fair assumption that he or she requires reaching.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: Go to your ATM and take out $100 in crisp $20 bills. The $100 figure is a suggestion only; $200 would be better and $40 would be splendid, too. What's one-five-hundredth of your annual gross income? Surely that's little enough to handle the need and want in your area.

Take these lovely bills and go to a busy area in your community. If your community does not have a busy area, downtown San Francisco is darned busy this time of year.

Walk along the street admiring whatever you choose to admire. When someone asks you for money, give that person a $20 bill. Repeat this process until all the 20s are gone. Voila and zip: the Untied Way.

NOW IT MAY BE that some of the people to whom you give money will spend it unwisely. They will not use it to update their resumes; they might not even put it toward the purchase of a better pair of shoes.

Some of the people experiencing need and want are also suffering from confusion. This confusion is often chemical. Sometimes the chemicals are ingested; sometimes they are produced naturally by the brain. Naturally, it would be better if they sought help. It would be better if you sought help sometimes, too, and you have not always done so.

Within the context of need and want, we owe people the dignity of their own confusion. We are not performing triage here, nor are we sitting on a golden throne. We are doing what we can. We are aware that it is not enough, and still we are doing it. That's the Untied Way.

Gratitude may not be apparent at all, or it may be embarrassing and overly effusive. It would be unwise to have an opinion about that. When a person is in a doorway, the concept of "appropriate" may be a little fuzzy.

You can be sure the money has gone to someone who needs it. You can be sure that your client will spend 100 percent of the donation on self-identified need areas. You can use the experience to meditate on the nature of charity, or the fragility of personal narrative, or anything else -- it's a little koan-in-a-box, just for this holiday season.

Written By

Jon Carroll

 

https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/carroll/amp/JON-CARROLL-It-s-Time-Again-For-the-Untied-Way-3318295.php

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

I'm more a pain in the ass than visionary, but just sharing some experiences.  Winter time is a very good time to deliver socks, gloves, hats, jackets, water, food, blankets, etc. to homeless people.  Using apps like nextdoor, a lot of people are willing to donate goods for a good cause- next part is going out there to say 'hello' and distribute said goods.

Drag the family out... and the random friends and neighbors- it's kinda amazing the interactions you have that make you realize things about humanity you probably should've realized a long time ago. 
 

be something less than stupid and you'll probably find there wasn't all that much to be worried about in the first place.  It's not about being appreciated, in fact quite the opposite, but you'll recognize that people in need are appreciative pretty quick.  They ain't slaying the golden goose, most work together to help distribute the right stuff to the right people- but not all, so there's(minorly) that.  
 

I'm not implying to do more, less, or otherwise... just sharing my last 5 years, and some random other moments that I know have actually done some good.  
 

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

I read a great idea where a group of 17 friends get together this time every year and go have breakfast at a greasy spoon type diner. They rotate the restaurant every year. Each one of them brings a $100 bill.

 

Usually the total food bill comes to around $300 and they lay the $1700 down and tell the waitress to have a Merry Christmas.

 

I thought it was a great idea to really impact someone’s life and individually it doesn’t cost each person that much. 

[Just Jack]

13 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

I thought it was a great idea to really impact someone’s life and individually it doesn’t cost each person that much. 

 

It could cost someone their job.

https://www.news9.com/story/61bcf5f91f193f0bf5a8a254/waitress-fired-after-receiving-2200-tip

 

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

10 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

It could cost someone their job.

https://www.news9.com/story/61bcf5f91f193f0bf5a8a254/waitress-fired-after-receiving-2200-tip

 

 

Man, that’s extreme. A bah-humbug to that employer. 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Every year for the past 3-4 years, we leave out a “please take” snack and drink box for the delivery drivers. My wife frequents Amazon so often that we get to know the drivers (informally) and they always seem to appreciate the small gesture.

 

The note reads something like, “thanks for all the deliveries this holiday season and year round.” We fill it with Gatorade, water, soda, pop tarts, granola bars, assortments of candies, gum and trail mix. 
 

It’s simple, easy and a small way to brighten someone’s day. 

[Poleshifter]

There is a man who pushes a large cart full of empty deposit bottles through North Buffalo.

 

If I see him again, I would like to give him $50. Imagine how hard this guy works, pushing that thing all over the place.

 

Now, I just have to find him again. I've missed Christmas, but I'm sure he could use the help any day.