Let's Fight Hunger Together

I was looking through my ibotta app (for once before I go to the store) to see if there are any good rebates available. There's one for Gold Peak tea that looked good, and that's where I read that Gold Peak is partnering with Feeding America to help provide meals for people in need. Simply text GIVE to 26739 - and they will donate $1 to Feeding America.

And, you can text every day through the end of June, which means your texts can add up to a lot of donations.  Message and data rates may apply, but if your phone plan is anything like ours, you've probably got unlimited text messages available, so why not use some of them for good? I'm thinking of setting a reminder on my phone so I don't forget to text every day...

For more information and to see how you can support your local food bank - the 10 food banks with the most support will each get $1000 - visit https://www.goldpeakbeverages.com/give/

The Advantages of Getting Ready to Move

We took a whole trailer-load of stuff to Goodwill today and got rid of it.  Hopefully they can sell it, recycle it, donate it, or something else that will benefit them or somebody else.  We certainly didn't need all that stuff here.  The problem with having room for all the stuff is that we tend to keep all the stuff.

Until we start thinking about moving and realize how many trailer trips it would take to move it all and how much all that stuff weighs - and how much it would cost to have a moving company pack it all up and move it for us.  That's when we start thinking about getting rid of everything we don't really need, because why pay to move something that's just going to go and sit on another shelf?

We've also had our house completely inspected and know that everything is in good shape - not that we were worried about that, but it's still good to know.  I mean, we did have practically everything redone 2 years ago after the tornado, pretty much everything except closed cell spray foam ottawa. The only thing we had to get fixed was the water heater because it supposedly wasn't installed properly.  However, when we were going through things last night, Jeffrey found the packaging from the gas connector from the original installation, and it specifically says that it's for a water heater.  So I don't understand what was wrong about it.

Oh well, at least it was a fairly quick fix and wasn't something like insufficient insulation which would have required installation of spray foam insulation ottawa or something like that.  I know proper insulation helps decrease power bills, but still, that's more than we would have wanted to deal with.  And, thankfully, our house is nice and cozy - except sometimes our bathroom floor.  What I wish we'd done is put some heat in the floor when we had the tile done, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the inspection.

Knowing the house is in good shape is good, but I'd say the biggest advantage of getting ready to move is the purging, sorting and organizing.  Less stuff is better, right?  And if we're not using it, somebody should be able to.

Send Cookies to Our Troops

I just found out about this today, and I think it's an awesome idea.

Kenmore and The Food Network’s Sunny Anderson have launched Kenmore “Baking for the Troops” to send up to 250,000 cookies to deployed troops along with messages of support from Americans. Kenmore recognizes the holidays are a time loved ones gather, share meals and make memories. With that in mind, the company has created a means for Americans to share warm thoughts and delicious treats with troops away from home. Americans can participate by visiting the Kenmore Facebook page and asking Kenmore to bake and ship a dozen cookies on their behalf. Even sweeter – when the 250,000 cookies are sent to the troops, the company will donate $50,000 to Heroes at Home Wish Registry*  to assist military families in need stateside.

The program kicked off last Friday Dec. 2 in Chicago. Chicagoans and local tourists were given the opportunity to be among the first to send their thanks and support to the troops by creating personalized messages in the Kenmore Live Studio at 678 N. Wells Street, where they also got to sample cookies fresh from the new, onsite Kenmore Elite ovens.
 

“Kenmore is proud of our continued commitment to the troops and this program serves as a means to show a small token of our gratitude,” said Guenther Trieb, president, Sears Brands. “Our ‘Baking for the Troops’ program ships cookies and messages of thanks throughout the holiday and into January, for a post-holiday pick-me-up to let them know we think of them year round.”

With the help of Operation Support Our Troops Illinois (OSOTIL) and the USO, all of the cookies will be shipped to individual members of our overseas troops throughout the holiday season. To learn more about the program or to send your own message with a dozen cookies, visit Kenmore on Facebook.

*Donations made to the Heroes at Home Wish Registry are not tax deductible and will be used to purchase Sears gift cards for registered families.

Still Walking

I started walking in the mornings way back when Cory was a baby.  He's now 17, and I've been walking for almost 17 years.  (I started in the Spring before he turned 1)  That is a lot of miles!  I really never kept track of the miles, just walked about 2 miles every weekday morning, weather permitting.  I did try keeping track of my miles in the last year or so, mainly to see how long a pair of shoes lasts.  Sometimes it seems like they wear out so fast, but when I actually log the miles I find that they are doing just what they're supposed to.

Starting last April, I started faithfully logging my miles at BeeWellforLife (it was BeeWell Miles then)  Between April 1st and October 31st, every mile equaled a 15¢ donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  This year, instead of waiting until April to start the program, BeeWellforLife has already started donating - so every mile walking, running, or cycling and logged at BeeWellforLife means a 15¢ donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength.

For every mile you log in your account, Bumble Bee will make a $0.15 donation to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. We once again challenge all of us to walk 1 million miles as a community. Just by doing so, Bumble Bee will donate an additional $50,000 to Breast Cancer Network of Strength for a total donation of $200,000!

In 2009, we donated $150,000. This year, let's go above and beyond to do our part so that no one has to face breast cancer alone. You can Bee The Difference. Join us.

I love that by recording something I'm already doing, I can be doing something positive for someone else, too.  So far I've logged a total of 382 miles since April 1, 2009.  277 of those miles went toward the donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength in 2009, and so far I've got 34 miles counted in 2010.  It all adds up, and it's fun to see those miles go by.  If you're not already walking, BeeWellforLife also has plenty of tools to get you started and keep you going.  Check it out.

Miles for a Cause (and Good Health too)

I've been logging all the miles I walk at BeeWell Miles for a little over a month now. As of this morning, I have logged 44 miles there. And, since Bumble Bee Foods will donate $0.15/mile for every mile logged at BeeWellMiles.com (up to $200,000), that means they have donated $6.60 for the miles I've walked so far. All donations go to Breast Cancer Network of Strength which provides support and emotional relief to anyone affected by breast cancer.

Like I said before, I would be walking anyway. I've been walking practically every weekday morning since Cory was a baby - that makes 16 years, and that's a lot of miles. I wish all those miles had been going toward a good cause, but at least they've kept me in shape and my clothes fitting! Apparently Bumble Bee Foods has done this before, at least once, because I read on the site that they donated $150,000 last year. If only I had known, because I love the idea that the miles I'm walking are helping to support a good cause.

Anyway, I can't change the past, but I am doing my best to spread the word about BeeWell Miles since I found out about it. Right after I registered (it's free) on the BeeWell Miles site, they started a walking program where Jeffrey works, and spouses can be on the teams, too. We're all supposed to log our miles on another site. I told Jeffrey that we should all log them at BeeWell Miles so all those miles will go toward a good cause. He and his boss both sounded interested, so I shared the link. There's nothing that says they can't log their miles on both sites, that's what I've been doing. I just set both sites as the home page on my browser so I remember to log the miles first thing in the morning.

There's still plenty of time to get started at BeeWell Miles . Miles logged through the end of October will count toward the donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength. There are also plenty of great resources to help you get on the path to a healthy lifestyle, so you can help yourself while you help others.

A Reminder

I'm reminding myself as much as I'm reminding you.

A while back I wrote about the Sears heroes at home wish registry. It's a great program. Members of the military and their families can register, tell their stories, and create wish lists. Many of these military members have to be away from their families for months, some of them more than a year. While they are doing their job serving our country, their families are left at home, doing their best to have a normal life while they wait for the family to be reunited. Their greatest wish is to be together again.

We can't make that particular wish come true, but we can help make some of their other wishes come true by making a donation to the Sears Heroes at Home program. I was reading some of the stories today and came across one about a father who was deployed when his baby girl was 3 months old. He'll be gone over a year and miss so many of her firsts. One of the items on his wish list is a video camera. It won't be the same as being there, but a video camera will let him enjoy some of those precious moments he's missing. Donations won't go to any particular family but are distributed equally, in the form of Sears gift cards, among all the registered families, but I'd like to think my donation will help this man's family get that video camera.

When I found out about this Heroes at Home wish registry and read some of the stories, I had every intention of making a donation, but I didn't do it right then. I even posted the badge in my sidebar, and then, I hate to admit it, I didn't go back until today. So, today I'm making that donation, and I'd like to encourage you to give a little something, too. Let your dollar be a hero:



Donations are not tax deductible, but that's not really why you're giving anyway, is it?

Thank Our Heroes

I should probably be more appreciative of the fact that I got to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family, in spite of the hassle of getting there and back. Some people don't get to spend holidays with their families, and it's not just because of a little traffic. OK, a lot of traffic and I don't plan to do that again soon, but something tells me that if our military men and women had the chance to sit in traffic so they could be with their families, they'd take it.

Since they can't do that and many of them are away from home, not just for the holidays but for months at a time, Sears has set up the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry. It's a great way to thank our heroes and do something slightly heroic ourselves.

Military families can register, tell their stories, and create wishlists for their families. Then the rest of us can read their stories, see what they wish for their families, and help fulfill their wishes. I've read a few of the stories and looked at the wishlists, a family of 6 from Tennessee, a family of 5 from New York. Please visit the Sears site, read some of the stories yourself and consider helping to fulfill some of those holiday wishes. All donations will be used to purchase Sears gift cards, which will be distributed equally to all registered families.

Whether or not you want to make a donation, you can still post a message of support to let our military men and women, and their families, know we are thinking of them and appreciate their service and sacrifice.

Give Thanks and Give a Drop

Image via WikipediaThanksgiving is coming up on Thursday, and it's a good time to stop and reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives. Something that a lot of us take for granted is our access to clean water, but more than a billion people around the world don't have access to clean water.

Project Clean Water is an initiative that targets villages around the world that have water problems and finds sustainable solutions to provide them with safe drinking water. Virgin Money is working to raise money for Project Clean Water during the Thanksgiving season. They will donate $1 to “Give a Drop” for each person who visits the Virgin site and simply posts a picture and caption of someone or something they are thankful for.

I'm sure you have plenty to be thankful for, so please, Give Thanks and Give a Drop.

ETA: You can continue to upload your pictures and let everyone know what you're thankful for. Virgin Money will continue to donate $1 for each one through December 31.

It Just Keeps Coming

I've been trying to clean up around here. I cannot believe all the junk mail that comes into this house. I do try to go through the mail as it comes and toss it as quickly as I can. But something always seems to slip through. I keep it because I might be interested, but I just don't have time to deal with it now. Not a good idea because things just seem to pile up, and I never get back to it. So, tip #1 - deal with it right away. Don't wait for later, because later never comes.

Also, I can't believe the number of promotional products I keep receiving. Mostly all these different organizations send out address labels. There aren't very many things I mail any more, so I have enough address labels to last me into the next century. Lately, the big thing to send seems to be calendars. I have 4 or 5 of them around here now. They send something, thinking that I'll feel so appreciative, or guilty about getting something for nothing, that I'll donate to their cause. Every once in a while I do go ahead and donate, if I like what they're doing. What I've learned though is that they don't go away after you donate. No, now they know I have money, so I continually get stuff asking for more. So, tip #2 - don't donate unless you want more mail.

DonorsChoose.org

I saw this on 20/20 tonight. Unfortunately there are many teachers in this country who lack basic supplies in the classroom. A teacher featured on 20/20 had to use her old socks to erase the board in the classroom because she didn't even have erasers. While many teachers are creative and resourceful, this lack of supplies does affect the education their students receive. Now, what if there was a way to connect classrooms in need with people who want to help? There is! It's called DonorsChoose.org.

Teachers submit proposals for projects they want to do with their class. They detail the project and all the supplies needed. The projects are then listed on the website. People can search through the projects and choose to fund all or part of the projects that interest them. Once a project is funded, the people at Donors Choose package all the supplies and send them to the teacher, along with a disposable camera for him or her to document the project as the students learn. At the end of the project, donors who either give a partial donation of $100 or more or who made the final donation to complete a project receive a feedback package that contains thank you cards from the students, pictures, and an impact letter from the teacher, to see just how their donation helped that class.

It's sad that schools and teachers don't have all the supplies needed to provide their students the best education possible. I think this is a great idea that will hopefully make a difference. So far, 50.961 donors have funded 39,360 classroom projects and supported 892.775 students. (See Detailed Results)

It's Not Too Late

World Alzheimer's Day was September 21. Memory Walks are going on all over the country this month, and, at least in my area, the early part of next month. Since I'm going to be out of town and wasn't sure I would be back in time, I didn't seriously consider walking. I would love to do the walking part. It's the fundraising that bothers me. Anyway, since I'm not walking, I figured I could still help in a small way - so I promised to donate the money I got paid for blogging about the Memory Walk and helping get the word out. When I got ready to donate, I read on the PPP blog that Harrah's Foundation has promised to match all donations in the month of September - up to 1 million dollars. So, in effect, my donation is doubled.

It's not too late. If you were planning to donate, be sure to donate to the Alzheimer's Association by the end of September, so your donation can be doubled, too. And, if your employer matches your donation, you could probably combine that, too.