Change Becomes Change

Starting Again

I can't believe that it's a year since we started Change Becomes Change as part of our family Lenten project to do nice deeds for others. We've all learned a lot over the past year and have grown closer as a family in our service journey.

I know we're doing good work in our community and I see little signs that our efforts are also making an impression on the children. We had a special family Valentine's dinner and we each shared what we love about our family. My son said: that we help others.

That kid knows just how to get me all choked up

That same evening we started talking about what we wanted to do for Lent this year. Do we want to make a sacrifice and give something up? Do we want to serve others? It was a unanimous decision to find ways to touch another life each of the next 40 days in a special way.

We generated some new ideas and the kids offered up some of their favorites like feeding the hungry, calling grandparents more often, filling other people's buckets and picking up trash. I was pleased to see that they could reflect back on the past year and recall some of the good deeds they'd accomplished and how good it felt to help.

For today, they bought food for the hungry after school and made special notes for their grandparents who are coming to visit. We'll be sharing some of the new ideas that we're excited about very soon...so stay tuned.

We'd also love to hear of some new ideas you have to get your children involved in helping others. What have you done with your family? 

Here are some of our favorite ways that we've helped others this past year:

Doing Good with One Click

The Little Things That Count

Feeding the Homeless

Building a Hunger Garden

MLK Day "On" for Service

Today is Martin Luther King Day, an ideal time for us to reflect on our shared values and -- more importantly -- to act on them.  Americans from all over will come together to honor Dr. King with a Day of Service.  With Haiti utterly devastated by a recent earthquake, and with our country still reeling from the economic crisis and job losses, we are reminded that our country and the world need service now more than ever.

If you have the day off, make it a "day on" to help others in need. Even if you don't have the day off, there are many simple ways you can make a difference in your community today. Here's a few:

• Make a donation to your local food bank
• Drop off used books to your library or school 
• Clean up a park near your home
• Start up a bottle cap recycling program at your office
• Get your kids involved in helping others (they'll probably love it!)

These are the easier things that take little to no planning but can really have some impact.

What are we doing? We're taking advantage of the open invitation from the Oregon Food Bank to tour their west side facility. They usually only allow older kids to tour the grounds but will open their doors to children of all ages. We're going to stop off at the store to pack up donations and head over.

So, what will you do?

Mangrove Fund: Helping Haiti Since 2007 and Today

There's no doubt in my mind that you've heard, seen and read of the tragedy in Haiti that jeopardizes the country. The recent estimates from the Red Cross are that 45,000 to 50,000 people have died, and those that remain face living conditions that we cannot begin to comprehend. Hospitals, government buildings, homes, orphanages, and Port-au-Prince's air traffic control tower have collapsed or badly damaged. While Haiti has seen devestation and hardship many times, the 7.0 earthquake that shook this poverty-stricken country this week is cataclysmic in impact. More than 3 million people will be affected.

People around the world have watched Haitians suffer and are stepping up to help. The list of countries, organizations, businesses and individuals who are helping is long and growing. For those of us that want to help, there's many ways to do so but I want to share one special option with you today.

Bill and Mary Pierznik began the process of adopting their son, Richelor, from Haiti in early 2007.  They have visited the country a total of more than 12 times but upon their first visit they were captured by the plight and spirit of the Haitian people.  Since then, they have established Mangrove Fund to focus exclusively on support for Haiti. 

Since the tragedy they have focused Mangrove exclusively on relief efforts.  They audit every dollar that they spend and keep zero money for administrative costs meaning 100% of all funds go to Haiti.  Their plan is to split relief money between immediate assistance (such as food, shelter and water) and longer term issues (such as preparing the rural areas for the inevitable human migration out of Port-au-Prince).  

Bill and his team at Mangrove Fund are coordinating with people on the ground in Haiti to ensure that the funds raised are sent directly to the organizations leading the recovery efforts. This coordinated effort will make sure that those in need get help. And fast.

No matter how you're going to help Haiti pull through this tragedy, I hope that you'll do a little homework or make sure that your "trusted friend" has. While it's unthinkable that someone would take advantage of this situation for their own profit, we've already heard of a few scams out there. We all want our hard-earned money to go right to those who need it.

Here's the Mangrove Fund website where you can learn more about Haiti, their project and make a donation to help Haitians recover. Thank you

12 Days of Sharing

For my family, many of our favorite holiday memories involve food: the cookies I baked with my mom and grandma, our family's special Italian dressing that I overindulged in each year, and our traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Lots of food, fun and family.

For many families, the holidays won't be about food. In fact, they might not have anything special at all. If you're been to Change Becomes Change before, you know that hunger in our communities is rising and affects many children each day. While it might seem like a really big problem to tackle, there are simple ways we can all help out.

I'm pretty excited to tell you about the 12 Days of Sharing fund-raising campaign and virtual cookie swap hosted by In Jennie’s Kitchen that I'm participating in this year. Our virtual cookie jar will include cookie recipes from the amazing participating food bloggers.  Each day, there's a different co-host who will help spread the word about how you can make a difference too. Change Becomes Change will co-host the virtual cookie jar on December 16th so make sure you're signed up to receive our updates to your e-mail box.

Did I forget to mention the prizes? If you make a donation by CLICKING HERE, you'll earn a ticket that will enter you for a chance to win one of many fantastic prizes.  Yes – giving has its privileges!

Want to participate in our virtual cookie swap?  Simply post a recipe on your blog with the badge above (and its link too!) and send an email to: injennieskitchen@gmail.com. Include a link to your post and a recipe photo if you want to be a Featured Pick.

Check out the virtual cookie jar every day to discover new holiday treats and help us spread the word by sharing this with friends, family and strangers too, on Facebook, Twitter or however you share your news.

Thinking about change

With the change in season last week, we've been thinking and talking about change around here.  Many different types of changes - changes in the color of leaves that we see on the drive to school, changes in our children now that they've been back in school a few weeks, and personal changes that we're working on like getting in shape and finding time for what's important.

There's another kind of change that we want to work on this fall as the weather starts to turn: we want to help those without the comforts we have. We're incredibly appreciative of our warm home, nutritious food, clean clothes, loving friends and family, and good health, but we recognize that we're fortunate. Very fortunate. Because there are families just like ours that don't know where their next meal might come from and don't have a cozy place to rest their head at night.

So, what can we do to help?

There are easy things like donating food to our local food bank, church and shelters, taking our unwanted clothes, toys and books to places like the Salvation Army or community places like the Neighborhood House here in Portland, and contacting some of these organizations to find out how we can help even more. Check with your church about opportunities to help at a soup kitchen or pack lunches. Meals on Wheels programs around the country are always in need of drivers.

Every city and community has resources for people in need and they're easy to find - so look them up and call them. We are a country with families in need. They need the extra help right now.

If you're making a difference in your community, we want to hear from you. We know that friends like Michelle Stern at What's Cooking in Northern California is helping address childhood hunger. Louise Ross helps people get quality food on a budget at her site Market to Mouth. Mike Lieberman shares one really simple "green" idea every day that helps us be kind to the earth, and our budgets, at his new blog 365 Ways to go Green. When we can save money with resources like these, we're in a better position to help others.

Corporations are stepping up each day. ConAgra will donate $10 to fight childhood hunger for every new fan on their Facebook page through October 10. Macy's wants all of us to help them provide 10 million meals for Feeding America.And there are many more. 

Need a place to start? Want a few new ideas? Check out Volunteer Match - they make it easy for good people to find a good cause to get involved in.

And don't forget that you can earn a free hotel night when you give just one day of your time. Get these simple details here.

Good deeds rewarded with a free hotel stay

As if we needed a reward for helping out in our communities, a hotel management group called Sage Hospitality is offering a pretty enticing offer. Here’s the deal: we give 8 hours of ourselves to our community or other non-profit organization, and they’ll give us a free night stay at one of their hotels as part of their Give a Day, Get a Night promotion.

And these aren’t road-side motels. Here in Portland, the new Nines Hotel is one those participating and who wouldn’t love a free night downtown?

Easy, huh?

So, how can you help out with 8 hours? Here’s a few ideas:

• This is a tough season for Food Banks in terms of help packing food (we did this as a group last year and had so much fun)

• There’s usually end of summer clean up events across the country (here’s a link to SOLV for Oregonians)

• You can check with your local church or shelter to see what you can do to pitch in

• The Ronald McDonald Houses are always looking for volunteers to cook for the families staying there, volunteer at an event or just help maintain the house

This is an easy one. You’ve probably already thought about pitching in for your community or others in need this fall. Now you can enjoy a night of luxury as a little reward. 

Of course, we all know the real reason you do this work, right?

 

Here’s the details and list of hotels. There is a list for hotels offering a free night stay, and others offering a 50% discount on one night. The Give a Day, Get a Night promotion is on now through December 20, 2009.

Finding time to help others

I will often get asked: how do you find time to help others? Between work, family, chores and life…where does it fall? It's hard, I won't kid you. And, the painful truth is that it only happens if it's a priority. The first step (and the hard one) is to look at life and what you want to accomplish. Is it important that your children be active in sports or other activities, or to spend time with close friends and family? How important is having an immaculate home? Is it important for you to have downtime and relax each weekend or do you need to keep busy?

We happen to like being (but not in an over-scheduled way.) Helping others is important to us so we find easy ways to weave it into our lives. We're also really fortunate that we have one stay at home parent so that most of our chores and errands can happen during the work week, leaving our weekends open to play, see friends and family, and serve. I know for many families with two working parents that weekends can quickly get full with errands, sports and other obligations.

So, here's a few doable ideas that might spark some of your own:

• Helping hungry people you see on the road or near a freeway entrance is easy if you keep some granola or energy bars in your car - we stock up from Costco.

• Some families we know have a in and out rule: if new toys or clothes come in the house, some need to leave the house. There are many great organizations across the nation that take used items like Goodwill, Salvation Army and other local places like shelters. Once a month, fill up a bag or two - this kind of cleansing is good for mama's soul too!

• Keep a couple plastic bags in the car to pick up litter when you're out and abut, on a walk or hike, or just out in your neighborhood.

• Feeding the birds is super easy with a pine cone covered in peanut better and rolled in bird seed.

• Before you put something in the trash or recycle bin, think twice. Is there something else you could do with that? We use yogurt cups for painting, empty toilet paper rolls for spotting scopes and magical wands, and glass jars for flowers and homemade salad dressings.

Hopefully one or two of these are easy enough that they can fit right into your schedule. You may already be doing some things like this and not giving yourself credit. If you need more ideas, let me know.

And, please add some of your own ideas in the comments too! Help other families find easy ways to help.  Thanks

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Building a hunger garden

We had such a great time working hard to build a hunger garden at Raleigh Hills Elementary School today. Some friends joined us which made the work so much more enjoyable for everyone. Marcelena had fun picking up fallen sticks and finding worms.

The boys were so proud each time they'd announce "I'm goin' to dump my bucket in the dumpster, mom". They felt really good knowing they were making a difference. And they really did - those boys pulled weeds, gathered branches and helped everyone with whatever was needed.  To give our adult bodies a break, we wrapped up with a walk along the school's fence to pick up trash that's collected there over the winter.

On our way out, we learned that some of the food from this school garden goes to feed folks at the Faith Cafe in downtown Beaverton. Every Sunday, volunteers from various area churches come together to feed over 100 people a hot, homemade meal. For the kids at this school, they know that their efforts help people in their neighborhoods - maybe even fellow students. Our church hosts a dinner almost monthly at the Faith Cafe so we're hoping we can particiate in an upcoming one.

It was a wonderful experience for our family and we're already looking forward to our next opportunity to serve our community. We're working on a few new ideas that we'll share with you soon. Until then, we have our SOLV trash bags in the car and I'm sure the kids will find lots of trash to fill them up.

Warning: Smiles are contageous (& can lead to a good day!)

This put a smile on my face, and some warm fuzzies in my heart...I hope it does the same for you and that you'll pass it along.

Our caring youth - serving their communities

Growing up, we were always involved with some sort of community service work through church or school and I'm so glad to see that youth across our great country are still involved in serving others. Here's just a few examples of upcoming service events run by our youth.

Youth Day of Caring in Battle Creek
On April 24, 300 youths from six area Battle Creek, MI high schools will come together to make our community a better place. The day begins with a short introduction and seminar, then the kids will be sent to 15 different locations around the city to volunteer for 3 hours. The projects range from park clean ups, to running carnivals for younger children, to helping our hospitalized veterans make cards to send to their friends and family. The students will return to a central location for lunch and a special guest speaker.

Health & Fitness Day at Kennedy High
In cooperation with the health, physical education departments and select sports teams, such as the track and field team, the students will host a health and fitness day in the park. The main focus of the day will be a walk/run but the students also imagine having track and field, fitness events and a mini health fair whereby they invite community health and fitness professionals. Several days prior to and after the event will be focused on health and fitness tips and education encouraging students and giving them tools to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Imagine No Hunger
Community food drives to support food banks in Lane County, Marion and Polk counties and in Coos County. Donated food items will go to Food for Lane County, to Marion and Polk Food Share and to South Coast Food Share. Youth members of Camp Fire USA will be leaving bags with lists of healthy foods and proteins to donate on doors in neighborhoods in these counties. The bags will be distributed beginning April 17, 2009. Youngsters will return to pick up donated food items April 25 and 26.

Hands On Inland Empire
TeenConnect is a team-based youth volunteer program that focuses on engaging youth in service. A team of teen volunteers, between the ages of 15-18, will have the opportunity to serve at the Boys and Girls Club of Fontana, CA. The volunteers will lead the youth of the Boys and Girls Club in making a community vegetable and herb garden.

You can find other service opportunities in your area by visiting the Global Youth Service Day website.Or check out Youth Service America, who's purpose is to get youth involved in their communities in a variety of ways.

I'd love to know about other youth groups doing great things in their communities - send information to me via comments or email and I'll cover it here to share!