Proposal: DU Food, Blanket, Coats, Toys etc drives

After reading tmfun's post on the homeless guy who asked for his dishwasher box I thought, why can't we organize something like this?

I'm sure we can get regional on this, and I'm sure there are those among us with connections to local charities. The holidays are coming up too.

Maybe we can organize a local drop off point, with local connections and volunteers to sort and distribute, etc.

My family and I do some small things, but as a growing, progressive online community, we should be able to make this work. Doesn't have to be a massive operation, all things start off small.

Ideas? :shrug:

We are having a local meetup tomorrow night and I will email everyone and ask them to bring a canned good.

Thanks for the suggestion!

But I wonder if it is efficient to replicate the distribution process when there are already food banks and charities ready to receive and sort toys, blankets, food?

DU-ers could do the soliciting and deliver the stuff to the existing charities and not duplicate efforts.

Thanks for caring, and happy holidays to you!

I just donated a bunch of toys to toys for tots last night, and next week I'm going to be clearing out a ton of clothes and a ton more toys and driving them to our local salvation army. There is no shortage already of places to donate things to, and every single one of us should have one in pretty close proximity if we wanted to donate.

My recommendation? Just go grab some stuff and go! :)

Wouldn`t it be great to have a place here to post our DU CARES ideas and activities? It would warm my heart so to read about a real grassroots person-to-person effort.

First Thursday of every month, Lincoln School in Wheaton, IL. I put the collection boxes out by 8 am and pick them up at 4 pm if anyone wants to participate. The People's Resource Center in Wheaton is also located just down the street at the end of Naperville Rd. if you want to make a drop-off any other time.

Put your activism where you mouth is - get involved and do something for your community!!! It's the best way to show you are a REAL Dem who practices your principles.

DU stickers on a box dropped off at the food bank, for example.

I also encourage all DUers to participate in local groups who provide services for the less fortunate.
Donate, volunteer time. And not just during the holiday season. Make it a weekly, bi-monthly,or even just an annual event.

Tutor others through your local library. Deliver meals for your local agency. Form a "Fix-it" group and do some minor repairs for the elderly. Visit a nursing or retirement home with your pet or chamber group. Take flowers from your garden, or a potted plant. You can turn just about any interest of yours into a good deed.

I started a donation drive for toys (new ones) for kids in the local battered women's shelter, for kids at the homeless shelter and Pelathe (the local Indian Center) when I was in college. At the time I was also on the BoD of the Indian Center and got some complaints from some of the people we gave donated toys to at Christmas time. I had one mom come in and tell me that her son thought Santa hated him because he got a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. I went out and solicited new toys for her and other families that had similar problems with what they were given. The next year I started the drive. After the cut-off date we were still getting toys, so we decided to take them to the battered women's shelter with the understanding that the toys belonged to the children not the shelter. There's nothing sadder than a child who has to leave home because of an abusive parent and not get presents at holiday time. I believe they are still doing it.

fwiw, I took a couple of blankets to a homeless guy who lives in a nearby park the other day. I do it every year.

I set up a box in the closet and add to it during the year and then twice a year (right before my daughter's birthday and right before Christmas) my eight-year-old and I sort through everything. The rule is, if you haven't used it in 6 months and the reason isn't seasonal, then it goes to charity. It's a great lesson for the kiddo, not only in giving, but in also in how not to be a pack rat!

create some downloadable/print-out-able 'gift letter' and use it to accompany gifts given directly to the needy or to established charitable organizations.

In the past, we've given directly to a nearby inner city church that is located in the very poorest section of the city. Having the letter to accompany each gift would connect it to the DU community and eliminate all the hassle of the organization.

Local Food Pantry tickets. Ours are either $1.00, $3.00 or $5.00. You simply rip one off as you`re going through the checkout line and it`s added to your grocery bill. The money is guaranteed to go to a LOCAL food pantry. I try to do it every other time I shop, even if all I can spare is $1.00. Has anyone else seen these tickets?

I plan on donating to that which our family does every year. Also, the local Walmart-maybe all Walmarts do the same?-usually has trees in the lobby with paper ornaments with first names of needy kids-14 or younger-who make a small list of things they need or want. It is heartbreaking reading the lists because more often than not instead of toys or gadgets, the kids want basic things like a new jeans or a warm jacket or socks. :cry:

etc. We decided to do this several years ago when our extended family grew so large it was impossible to keep buying for everyone, even something small.

This way, we can help and feel good about doing it. Even the small children in the family donate some of their piggy bank money toward it so they learn how good it feels to help others.

Create a list, one in each state forum, where people can post of local efforts and encourage others to participate in those efforts? It would take far less resources to join something already in progress, which leaves more resources available to give.

Every year in our city Project Warmth collects winter coats and distributes them. Last weekend we bundled up about a dozen warm coats and delivered them to one of the drop-off points. There's probably something similar in every cold-weather city. The thought of children to going to school without a warm coat in the winter is just terrible.

controlled more actual charity than liberal groups.