Food and Shelter

Next time you do your grocery shopping, pick up a large bag of cat or dog food to donate to a local animal shelter. Your goodwill will be repaid to you with many loving licks.

From Growing Up Homeless to Helping the Homeless

    NFL player James Jones knows it’s better to give than to receive. “Being homeless made me a better man,” says James Jones, wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders since 2014. “And while I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through that, I wouldn’t change anything as far as how I grew up.” Having slept in shelters and on park benches for the first 15 years of his life, Jones’ success as an athlete defies stereotypes about homelessness and poverty. 

    He has taken his challenging experiences to heart. Since being drafted to the NFL in 2007, he has volunteered for many community organizations, and in 2008, started his own with his wife, Tamika. The Love Jones 4 Kids foundation (lovejones4kids.com) provides funding for school supplies, football camps, and pep talks to underprivileged children, many of them living in the same conditions that Jones did growing up. 

    “People are used to hearing about a homeless person or kid and don’t think it’s possible to be a professional football player. But down on your luck doesn’t mean down and out.” Touchdown!

Your Friends from the Farm

    Gene and Lorri Bauston found a living sheep abandoned on a stockyard “dead pile” in 1986. Once they recovered from the shock, they rescued the sheep, named her Hilda, and went to work creating the Farm Sanctuary. Within ten years, Farm Sanctuary became the nation’s largest farm animal rescue and protection organization. They now have a New York shelter and one in California, 100 miles north of Sacramento. Their website is farmsanctuary.org. Not only does their organization rescue thousands of farm animals each year, but they are also involved in groundbreaking campaigns to help animals. Another way you can support this effort is to visit a sanctuary with your kids, as they often include quaint petting zoos with fuzzy critters!

Food and Shelter

Next time you do your grocery shopping, pick up a large bag of cat or dog food to donate to a local animal shelter. Your goodwill will be repaid to you with many loving licks.

Care package

    Instead of throwing old luggage away, donate your used suitcases and roller bags to foster homes. The children there often pack their clothes in garbage bags. Contact Family Services in your county to ask how to donate.

Compassionate Crafts

    Some of my friends love to knit and crochet. Everyone I know has already had a colorful throw given to them, so what to do with all the products of all that handiwork? Look no further! 

    The Red Scarf Project (fc2success.org/how-you-can-help/red-scarf-project/) is looking for knitters to donate homemade red scarves for foster children in school. Whether you just learned to knit and purl or you are an expert, you can send encouragement and warmth to a foster student with a simple scarf. 

    Newborns in Need (newbornsinneed.org) would love clothing and bedding items for newborn, sick, needy, and premature babies. You can donate blankets, hats, booties, and afghans. All they ask is that you use the softest yarn possible. 

    Warming Families (warmingfamilies.webs.com) is a 100% volunteer-run project that delivers donated blankets and other warm items to the homeless and displaced. They supply to local shelters and nursing homes.

Puppy Love

    Show that you are well trained and buy a Kona Benellie blanket for your pup at konabenellie.com, and you’ll also keep shelter dogs warm and cozy. Dog is your co-pilot, right?

The Art of the Free

    The free box is a very workable concept, as the longevity of the Bolinas Free Box attests, but there are problems to be avoided. Dropping off damaged, soiled, or unusable items is inappropriate. Also, tidiness must be taken into consideration. The best-case scenario is an organized walk-in so that people can see what freebies are available. A free box initially really needs a shed or other weather-proof shelter that people can easily access, and committed volunteers are essential to keep the stock in reasonable order. It works the other way around, too, thanks to places like DonationTown.org, who will come and pick up stuff you are ready to “free up” into the world. After all, donating household items gives a second life to the things you no longer need.

A Litter of Love

    June is the ASPCA’s Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat month. Millions of cats roam our streets. Some are looking for a kind person to take them in and give them a new home. This population swells at this time of year since shelters are overflowing with all the kittens born during the springtime. Shelter cats make excellent companions. However, just as cats give people love and companionship, humans need to care for their cat and provide her with an appropriate loving home. Careful research and planning is the key to adopting the right cat for your family, since adopting one should never be an impulse decision and indoor felines can live up to 20 years.

Honor Abused Women and Children's Awareness Day

    Collect coupons for life's little essentials, buy the merchandise, and then donate them to a homeless shelter or a home for abused women and children. I donate magazines and books to my shelter of choice, the fantastic Delancey Street (delanceystreetfoundation.org). They have been making a difference in people's lives for decades and turned thousands of lives around.

Calling All Cat Cuddlers

    Yes, there is a thing as ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Day. Consider rescuing an animal from a shelter, and if you don't do that, volunteer at your local animal shelter as a dog walker, cat cuddles, or whatever else they need. Most of my friends who adopt a pet are at least 200% happier thanks to their new family member.