3 Ways To Do Good!

I couldn't resist sharing 3 of my favorite "do-good" websites.  Check them out!

Do Good!

3.  Kickstarter:  On this site you'll find people trying to fund projects - from Little Free Libraries (we have helped fund several), to books, to music projects.  We had a micro brewery here in town just get funded through Kickstarter!  All projects list a timeframe to raise money, how much they want to raise, and there are usually perks for those donating - the larger the pledge the greater the perk.   If you find something you are interested in funding you pledge whatever amount you wish.  Then if the project reaches its goal you are actually charged when the fundraising ends.  If the project is not completely funded you are charged nothing. 

Check it out here.  

2.  Animal Rescue Site:  I love that this costs nothing!  Your click on this site feeds animals in shelters.  You can sign up to be reminded to click with a daily e-mail.   You can do this level only.

They also have a smartphone app I downloaded which allows me to "pet" 3 animals in one session, giving rescue animals additional kibble.  I have added this and do this one as well. 

In addition, for the animal lovers,  there is a pet-themed store where you can shop their products.  Those purchases give additional food to shelter animals.  Depending on what you purchase from the store, your donation is defined as "X bowls of food".  Purchasing items is optional. 

To help feed animals in shelters click here.

1.  Sevenly:  This is one I learned about recently from one of the "Salt girls,"  Ashley.  Each week this site partners with a great charity and offers a T-shirt (and sometimes other products as well).  For each item purchased they donate money to that charity.  Last week's charity was Made In a Free World which is fighting child slave labor in India where children are made to work in dangerous mines, sometimes as early as when they learn to walk.  This charity is working to get the children out of the mines and in schools, where they belong. 

Check this week's cause here.  

Do good!!

A Tale of Two Shingles

I've never lived in a windier part of Iowa than I do now.  The gentle, soothing rains that I experienced growing up seem to be a thing of the past.  I could be wrong.  Maybe my memory is turning selective, but it truly feels like every time we get rain here it involves a thunderstorm and wind, and I mean strong wind!  

So I probably should not have been surprised to see a storm chasing vehicle leaving town just a few days ago.  If you've never spotted one on the road before, they look like a high school shop project gone awry.  Don't get me wrong, those vehicles are high-tech on the inside, but on the outside they are pretty crude and industrial looking, and I guess that is for a good reason.  If you are surrounded by tornado-like high winds you really don't care how stylin' your vehicle looks, your goal is simply to survive.  Luckily on that day there were no tornadoes in our area for them to chase so they were heading west out of town.  

In true central Iowa fashion, however, we did have some very strong winds a week ago (although thankfully not of tornado caliber).  I woke up the next morning and went to get something off the front step when I noticed a shingle laying on the sidewalk by the front door and another one in the front yard.  On further inspection, I saw they had come off the garage.   I was thankful that God had placed them where I would spot them easily.  He knows I can miss the obvious of things on most days.  

Last fall when we joined our church the first people we met were Dick and Paula.  They introduced us to our connection group and have been a tremendous blessing to us in the few short months we have known them by encouraging us and celebrating joys with us.....and it just so happens that Dick owns a roofing business.  

Isn't God awesome?

So Michael called Dick and asked him if he would have time to look at our roof and replace the shingles.  He came over the next day and checked it out.  A few days later he was back putting new shingles on.  

When he was done Michael asked him how much we owed him.  Dick's response, "Just pay it forward." Michael said, "No seriously, what do we owe you for the shingles and labor?"  Dick again repeated, "Nothing, just pay it forward."

So we put some thought into how we wanted to repay his act of kindness.  Dick, Paula, and their family pool resources and help out a struggling family or two at the holidays, so we thought donating some groceries to the local food pantry would be a good deed they would appreciate.  

We excitedly headed to Hy-Vee and did some shopping. We picked up soups, pasta, spaghetti sauce, pizza crust mixes, canned fruits and vegetables, muffin mixes, mac and cheese, hot chocolate mix, some cleaning items, etc.  I know a lot of people don't like to go grocery shopping, but we love it!  We get giddy at checking out a store we have never been in before to see what they might carry that is new to us.  

Yes, we are easily entertained. 

As if we didn't enjoy grocery shopping enough, we discovered it is even more fun when you are shopping for someone else and ended up with 5 sacks of groceries.  The next day we headed to the drop off location.    

When Dick gave us the opportunity to pay it forward not only did we get our roof fixed, we were given the chance to do something for someone else with Dick and Paula in mind.  But we also were able to help out a few families in our area. 

We have never had so much fun "paying" a home repair bill!

God bless Dick & Paula.  

Mine! Mine!

How much stuff do you have?  
Are your closets overflowing?  
How about your basement or garage?  
Is your car a moving storage unit in addition to a mode of transportation?  
Do you have actual storage units for the things that don't fit anywhere else?

I'm guilty of chasing after stuff.  If I had a dollar for each time I've said, "Oh, I want that!"... well I would be able to get a lot more stuff!!  

(sigh)  

It's sad, but true.

There have been times in life when I have been pretty focused on getting material things I thought I "deserved."  I would like to think it is a phase we all go through.... at least that thought makes me feel better. 

A month or so ago I was dusting around some memorabilia-type things.  I enjoy having them, but thought maybe it was time to put them away as I was tired of having to move them each time I cleaned.

Enter God.

The message in church the following Sunday was about our "stuff."  

How we yearn for it.  

How we collect it.  

How we covet it.  

How we always, always want more.   

It is a vicious circle:  chasing after, buying, and squirreling away things we don't really need.  This constant craving keeps us in a state of discontent and as a result we are never happy with what we have, because it is never enough.  We spend so much time and energy in the pursuit of our stuff that often we have no energy or time for the really important things in life.

This topic made me think of the seagulls in the movie Finding Nemo.  They are continually plowing each other over trying to get fish, unashamedly and exuberantly squabbling with each other for what they feel is rightfully theirs, while  the whole time screeching at the top of their lungs, "Mine! Mine!" 

Not a very pretty picture, is it? 


Like the seagulls, we get a "fish" and should be content for a bit, but then we spot another one that looks even bigger and better, screech a possessive "Mine!"... and we are off again.  Once in our possession,  those things we worked so hard to get suddenly lose their sparkle and luster...and our interest,  and we find ourselves wanting something new. 

So with the message in church received, I came home and started cleaning closets...again.  I made a pile for Goodwill, a pile of things to give to people that I knew would use them, and a pile of things to put 

on E-Bay.  I told Michael whatever money came about from the sale of the Ebay-items would go toward acts of kindness or charities.  We aren't talking expensive things, but a few items added together can do some good for others.  

Here's what I have done with the money from the E-Bay sales so far:

- Act of Kindness for Shawn B-T (Facebook RAK Project)

- Act of Kindness for Marcia S  (Facebook RAK Project)

- Act of Kindness for Elizabeth R  (Facebook RAK Project)

- Act of Kindness for Chelsea M (Facebook RAK Project)


In addition I purchased items for Alternatives Pregnancy Center in Waterloo, where my stepdaughter Lindsay works.  

 - Diapers for the babies.  

- Devotional books, toothpaste, and shampoo for the moms.  

- Cleaning items for the pregnancy center.

- And we gathered change for the Baby Bottle Drive.

- Lastly, I made a donation to Life 107.1, my favorite radio station.  It is listener funded and keeps me encouraged and inspired whether at home or on the road. 

- An added blessing of the above was that we were sent 2 CD's as a thank you for our donation to Life 107.1.  We kept one CD and passed the other on to share with someone else.  


And I'm not done yet.  

There are still more things that will hopefully sell and I can use that money to do more good.  In addition Michael has been going through things as well and found some items to donate and some to sell.  He will choose where to donate any money that his items bring in.  Talk about fun... there are so many great causes and those checks are so fun to write!

On a deeper level, the message in church that day was a reminder that everything we have is from God.  We don't deserve the blessings He sends our way... but He chooses to bless us anyway.  We do earn our paychecks, but even our jobs are provided by God. All things are from Him, we are simply the temporary caretakers of what He has blessed us with. 

I love the movie Finding Nemo.  I can so relate to Dora.  And I can laugh at the seagulls - even though they get pretty annoying.  But the more I think about it, I wonder if that is how we look to God sometimes.... constantly running in circles, pursuing the next thing that catches our eye,  and screeching as loud as we can, "Mine!" rather than appreciating and doing good with what He has already given us.  

So what are you collecting? 

I'm pretty sure we are all guilty of wanting.  I don't think God begrudges us having nice things,  but I do think some day He will ask me: 
"So Barb, what did you do with all my blessings? Did you use them wisely to benefit others or did you tuck them all away for yourself?"

He will already know the answer.  

I need to make sure it is an answer I can live with.  

I have some work to do friends.

Giving Back Linkup - February

It's time for another monthly linkup about giving back!  
Where did the month of February go???

I love getting ideas from the others on little things we can do to make someone's day.  Hopefully you are as inspired by their posts as I am.  

February

We gave food items to a local food bank

We attended an Iowa Wild event at Incredible Pizza in Urbandale.  This place is kid mecca with a huge game room to keep kids busy for hours after hitting the buffet.  We were each given game cards to use in the game room.  Michael and I gave our cards to some children so they could play just a little longer. 

I continue to buy coffee for someone else at church each Sunday. 

We gave hockey tickets to friends.

We hosted a group of college women from our church for dinner and their weekly Bible study (connection group).  As with many acts of kindness, we received much more than what we gave!

Please comment with things you have done, either here or on my Facebook page.  


Kindness makes the world go round - and it makes our time here so much more enjoyable!!


Check out Liz's post - The "My Life" Project

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” 

― Desmond Tutu