This thing I do...

[lagilman]

I'm careful about where I give my charity money. I do my research, I look at the percentage of money that actually goes to the work versus the administration (I'm looking at you, so-called cancer cure charities), and their overall actual impact.

And one of the charities I give to regularly is my local food bank.

This year in the United States, with the Shutdown and the cuts, even more people are relying on food banks. Possibly people we know, people we live near, work with, go to school with.

I'm not going to insist that everyone here to go make a donation. You can't coerce charity - well, you can, but guilt only goes so far.

A carrot, on the other hand.....

So here's this year's deal. If I get 10 people to send in a screen shot of a donation made to their local food bank/soup kitchen/whatever, either in cash or kind of no less than $10 (or 10 of your local currency), I will post an original short story to my site.

If I get more than 25 people to do it, it's a novella.

Your deadline is the US Thanksgiving (November 28th).


[send the screen shot to lag@lauraannegilman.net]

EtA: the count currently stands at 19!

Comments

[girasole.livejournal.com]

What is your local food bank? I have given to Food Bank of NY, but I would rather give directly to one in our local borough. Do you know of one?

[lagilman]

most of the local ones hereabouts that aren't affiliated with Food Bank are religion-based. There is the South Bronx Food Co-Op, but I don't know anything about them....

[deire.livejournal.com]

Donating here, but recompense not required. My mom also volunteers at a local food pantry. I love my mom. She might not be perfect, but she is good people. My dad brings sandwiches to the beggar at the highway exit too. (About five exits I know regularly have people with signs at them.)

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

We do this too, giving to the local charity that supplies not only food but emergency vouchers for gas/electricity, clothing via a partner thrift store, and temporary rent.

This year we're short on cash, so I've been knitting stuff for them to either include in their holiday packages for seniors or sell in their shop. The dollar value of the donations is around $150 so far. Do you want to count that?

[lagilman]

It's in cash or kind, all I'm asking for is some sort of visual proof (not because I don't trust people but because it's easier for me to keep count that way)

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

They'll send a receipt...eventually. By the end of the year. Maybe. So, sigh, don't count on it.

[0eris0.livejournal.com]

That's a great idea. :-)

[editrx.livejournal.com]

We'll be doing a town-wide food shelf donation drive in Bradford, VT, where my new bookstore will be during the week leading up to Dec 1, at which time we'll hold a benefit concert at the local coffee shop and a final push with the theme of the kids in town hunting for the "food shelf elf" throughout the stores in town, where we'll have the some final cans of food for them to bring to the coffee shop for pickup.

Alas, it's after your deadline, but thought you'd like to know.

[rosefox]

No screenshot because I forgot to keep the receipts, but I gave $10 to the Long Island Cares food pantry via Stop 'n' Shop when I was doing grocery shopping for my vacation. Figured it's the least I can do to support the community I'm visiting.

[gwinnydedanann.livejournal.com]

Hope you got mine - it went to the Redwood Empire Food Bank here in Sonoma County. Food banks are wonderful; I've volunteered at times for the one at my sister's church, and this is a reminder for me to do that some more.

[wood-dragon.livejournal.com]

Hope you received mine too. It went to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.