A Mission of Importance

    When I lived in the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco, I drove for a food bank for AIDS patients in my rusted-out little car that I brought all the way from West Virginia. I had arrived in the mid-eighties, which we may all remember as the height of the AIDS crisis. One early morning, I was walking to the Church Street MUNI station and there was the food bank, with giant pink letters announcing itself as a place to lend a hand for the AIDS crisis. I went in and within two minutes had a shift and assignments for the week. Everyone in there seemed extremely cool to me. They were not grim at all, but seemed to have a mission of importance. It seemed such a small way to help during that scary time. I learned that regardless of what you can give, large or small, it is important to give of yourself. And it all does add up!

    Feeding America is the largest hunger relief organization in the United States and they need you.  Please visit feedingamerica.org to find your local food bank or hunger organization. Get involved- you'll make a difference and you'll make friends along the way. I sure did, and they remain my friends to this day.

360 Degrees of Giving

     My favorite kinds of gifts are the ones that keep on giving. The FEED Project has many cool options that are made in America and crafted with love and pride. A beautifully carved cutting board for your best friend's birthday from FeedProjects.com will not only impress them but help feed the hungry. I love their FEED bags, which are a handy way to ditch the plastic and the paper, too.

Thank-You Power

     Upon learning about the Veteran's History Project, I was reminded that our servicemen and women are doing just that: service. And they should be thanked for it. Many of these noble souls are very far away on active duty and receive little mail to their camp or barrack. Take a few moments to acknowledge their contribution and offer a friendly hello back home in the USA. You can learn all about Operation Write Home at operationwritehome.gov. I have heard of great pen pal relationships that result from this gesture of gratitude.

We All Have a Story

     My dad loves to tell stories of being in World War II and he did have many dramatic tales of saving lives. He even delivered a Japanese POW's letter to his parents in Tokyo, a major act of kindness that involved a great deal of risk. I really wish I had recorded them, but I still carry Dad's stories and share them in his honor. Our elders, in particular, have much to share and life lessons we could all learn from. The Library of Congress is gathering these by sending out volunteers to video record in the Veteran's History Project (loc.gov.vets). To me, one of the most special aspects of this oral history project is that it not only includes the Greatest Generation, but also features young people coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, whose stories are equally precious. I think we are learning that every generation has true greatness.

Helping Those Who Want to Help Themselves

     We all remember the Biblical parable about teaching a man to fish so he can provide for himself and his family. Two thousand years later, we can do exactly this. My dad taught me how to fish in a pond back home on the farm in West Virginia. Even as a seven-year-old, I noticed that we not only got a couple of day's worth of yummy trout for our effort buy my papa, a former Marine with many battle scars, seemed to relax after an afternoon at the pond. You can gift a $49 fishing kit in a loved one's name or set up a recurring monthly donation at Action Against Hunger (ActionAgainstHunger.org), which feeds over 7 million people each year. Go fish!

Sharing Your Strength

    The I worked on the Random Acts of Kindness project, we looked around for places to donate profits from the books and Share Our Strength came highly recommended. It reminds an organization I deem to be a real good in the world. Did you know one in five children live in a home that struggles to put food on the table? Join SOS' campaign nokidhungry.org so we can take care of those who need it most.

Help Girls Score!

    Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Started in 1987, it brings attention to the positive influence that sports participation has and to how it advances equality. The Women's Sports Foundation encourages moms to get more involved with their daughters' sports. Their website womenssportsfoundation.org, gives lots of advice on how to get involved, prevent discrimination, and increase participation, along with information on coaching issues, clinics, funding, and more. Sports can be a huge help with young girls' self-confidence, skill, determination, and inner success, all of which can carry through into their later years. If you succeed in sports, you lead in life.