Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

So in case you haven't heard yet Boston is going to be getting a boatload of snow in the afternoon hours. YEAH! I know I am probably the only person excited about the impending storm but then again I grew up in the Midwest and I am used to being covered in snow.

When there is a foot of snow you really see the true nature of people. I have seen neighbors come together to shovel out each other's driveway, and everyone seems to pull together. This is when I experience the most random kindness from strangers which is always appreciated and wish it didn't just happen when it was snowing.

So you want to volunteer? Get out and shovel a neighbor's sidewalk. You don't even understand how many pedestrians will thank you for the safe footing underneath! Plus the gratitude from your neighbors!

Related Posts: My Knights in Shining Denim, Please shovel your sidewalks

Picture Courtesy of: http://www.fnal.gov/pub/today/archive_2007/today07-12-17.html

Sock Monkeys for Charity

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a fan of sock monkeys. "Fan" may be understating it, I think. I've made 19 sock monkeys, 3 sock dogs, and 1 sock flamingo - most of them have been gifts. Friends and family have been requesting these special goofy souls since I started making them. Making them is fairly simple, though time consuming.

However, if you have the sewing knack or even just the desire and access to a sewing machine, now's your chance to make a monkey to help others. There are two opportunities:

Fresh Art in New York, NY

This organization provides "expanded artistic, personal development, and entrepreneurial opportunities" to New York area adults with special needs. They're kind of like the Special Olympics, only they should be called the Special Artists. To raise funds to support their initiatives, Fresh Art sells sock monkeys online made by interested individuals and some of the artists they help.

Similar to knitting circles, they have "sock monkey circles" (well, they don't call them that, but I do) every Monday evening in NY. If you would like to make one to be sold but don't live in "The City," you can simply follow these instructions and mail it to Fresh Art at 548 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY10012

Softies for Mirabel in Australia

This local craft shop owner in Melbourne, Australia has organized an online "softies" auction, all proceeds of which will go to the Mirabel Foundation. The foundation works to help kids who have been negatively impacted by their caretakers' substance abuse issues, a worthy cause for sure. The deadline for sending homemade "softies" (or stuffed animals as we know them) for the auction has passed, but the group is still collecting animals to be given to kids at Christmas.

If you have a sock animal or some other creature you'd like to donate, mail it to Meet Me at Mikes, 63 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia.

If my sewing area weren't otherwise occupied right now, I might craft one of these monkeys today.. but there's always next week. Crafting for a cause never goes out of style!

Related Posts: Quilting for a Cause; Wine Tasting July 24; Helping a little old lady; Mullets for Charity; Hearts and Crafts
In the photo above, I'm on the left, my previous rooommate Christina is on the right, and her 'goodbye monkey' wearing a tutu is in the middle. They both now live in Iowa... or Missouri. Or somewhere in the Midwest.

Jamming, the local way

All this talk about food and being green and CSAs has really gotten me excited. But it's not just organic food (though I certainly have enjoyed the organic produce we've gotten at work from Boston Organics), it's local food. There's something to be said for actually seeing where your food is produced, whether it's meat or veggies or fruit.

This past weekend on the way home from camping, my boyfriend and I stopped off in West Boxford at Ingaldsby Farm for a little strawberry picking. This was no simple strawberry picking, however. This was picking with a purpose: I was going to make jam.

The whole local food thing has inspired me to produce more of the food I eat. Sure, I cook. But it's with mangos from Nicaragua, rice from the Midwest, and pork from.. well, I don't know where my meat comes from, actually. I was going to produce something that would have a shelf life, and that has an ingredient that I picked with my own hands.

Yes, I'm romanticizing the whole process. But let me tell you, it was satisfying. Two of my girl friends came over, we washed and hulled the berries, sterilized the jars, and mixed together all the ingredients while we discussed our jobs, relationships, and other stereotypical "girl" things.

Oh, and yes the sugar was from Florida, and the pectin (from apples) produced elsewhere... but the main ingredient was local, and that counts for something, right? Baby steps, as my mom would say.

So. If you're looking for a way to take advantage of that local, in season produce, consider making jam. Or jelly. Or preserves. You'll have yourself a tasty treat, and a nice gift, all while staying a little greener and getting in touch with our dear Mother Earth.

Related Posts: CSAs Rock; Food Prices are Rising; Quilting for a Cause
Photo of my very own jam courtesy of me. Thanks to Danielle and Kate for your help making the jam! Those mason jar lids are tricky.

Flooded Midwesterners Still Need Your Help.

The Midwest was hammered with copious amounts of rain recently, which has led to many of the rivers flooded and has killed 22 individuals. Throughout most of the Midwest there are scenes of houses that were completely flooded and roads that were incapable of being traveled. Disaster areas have been declared throughout parts of Indiana, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Pretty serious stuff. As a Midwesterner myself, this certainly hits home with me, quite literally. Although the rivers are now receding the people from the Midwest still need our help.

The Red Cross shows how a little money can go a long way:

• $25 provides five blankets at an emergency shelter.
• $75 can cover a doctor's visit for an individual injured in a disaster.
• $350 will provide emergency food and shelter for 25 disaster victims for one day.
• $2,500 deploys one Emergency Response Vehicle and drivers (including housing and meals for drivers) to a disaster relief operation.
• $3,200 is the average yearly maintenance and fuel for one Emergency

Through the American Red Cross Site you can also find opportunities to volunteer your time for those communities affected.

You can also donate to the United Way 2008 Midwest Flood Recovery Fund to help provide housing and bring back the community even better than before.

Related Posts: Quilting for a Cause - Midwestern Tornadoes, Tornadoes, Cyclones, and Disaster Relief, Oh My!, If I Had a Million Dollars

Photos courtesy of usatoday.com.

Quilting for a Cause - Midwestern Tornadoes

OYFP promotes volunteerism by educating all y'all in a very casual way about our partner non-profits, and by holding one day volunteer events. But you still may not be convinced that your actions are going to make a difference, or perhaps you're still iffy on the whole "commitment" thing.

We understand that not everyone wants or is able to volunteer hours after hours a week for the good of others. But let this post serve as a reminder that you don't have to volunteer hours after hours to make a difference in someone else's life.

My cousin Liz learned from her friend Adam when that his 91 year old grandmother, who lives in the Midwest, lost everything she owned in the recent tornadoes and floods. Everything she owned. And she's 91!

Instead of just sending a card, making a donation, or casting about for a disaster relief organization with which to volunteer, Liz emailed everyone she knew who sewed, and asked them to put together some quilt squares. She would then piece together the entire thing and send it to Granny, so at the very least she would have a blanket she could call her own.

Liz took action.

In this case, Liz was close to someone who was impacted by the disaster. Sometimes that personal connection makes it a little more real, and makes a little more likely to act. Earlier this year I blogged about my co-worker Fred, who set a fundraising goal ($500), collected donations, and then cut his hair into a mullet. He sent the money off to the Lupus Foundation of New England, mentioning that he knew someone impacted by the disease.

So. Don't wait, act. Think about something you know how to do - maybe you cook a mean scrambled egg - and then use that skill to help someone else (Meals on Wheels, Culinary Corps, or organize your own fundraising breakfast). Let us know actions you take, and we'll help you promote your cause, and be successful.

"What do you think? Should I make some quilt squares to help a 91 year old Nana?"

Related Posts: Flooded Midwesterners still need your help; How you can help with a Mullet; Boston Cares Corporate Volunteer Day; Chinese Earthquake: How to Help; Volunteering at Lunch: It's reading time!

Photos courtesy of Casey (the overlapping squares are hers), Susan (she made four of the pink squares), and Liz (who made the six calico squares).

Tornadoes, Cyclones, and Disaster Relief, Oh My!

Tornadoes struck Oklahoma, Missouri, and Georgia on Saturday. Twenty one people have been confirmed dead, and the tornadoes left devastation in their paths. Small towns across the midwest, many of which were already suffering economically, now have to mount an enormous recovery effort.

Thank goodness, though, our government and our strong network of non-profits are able to provide aid to those families in need. Yes, sometimes the response is imperfect or severely lacking (Hurricane Katrina, anyone?), but some is better than none.

Many people in Myanmar are still waiting for disaster relief, ten days out from when the cyclones struck and massive flooding occurred.

Did I say many? I meant most. The military junta in control of the country has insisted on distributing all aid, and are preventing most donated supplies from even entering the country. Slowly, though, the government is letting in air shipments of supplies and distributing it themselves (and taking credit for it). Unfortunately a boat bearing Red Cross supplies intended for victims living in the Irawaddy Delta hit a tree in the flood waters and sank, leaving even more families without food and fresh water.

Many disaster relief experts talk about the "ten day mark," which is when we can expect to see another wave of deaths due to the lack of clean water, food, and shelter. Today is the tenth day since the cyclones in Burma, and we can only expect the news to get worse.

Still, even in the face of all this death and suffering, the Myanmar government will still not let trained disaster relief staff into the country to help their people, nor will it let in all the supplies that the world is willing to give!

If you wish to help victims of the recent tornadoes in the US or the cyclones in Myanmar, please consider donating to the Red Cross. You can specify where your donation will be used.

A section of the Irawaddy Delta, which has been completely flooded.

Related Posts: Global Volunteering; Myanmar Cyclones and what you can do to help

Photo of US tornado courtesy of the Associated Press.
Photo of flooded Myanman courtesy of Doctors Without Borders.