PART ONE: HOPE IN THE QUAKE
I had written most of the post for today (see part two below) & early this afternoon I found out about the catastrophic earthquake in Japan and subsequent tsunami. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost loved ones, have missing loved ones, those living in the aftermath & for those mobilizing to offer hope in the chaos (may I also include the field journalists who are forming a crucial information network). During these times, we also are reminded of those affected by other recent disasters & violence & for all the efforts to offer hope in those situations.
It seems only fitting to post some links to the Red Cross and to an Emergency Preparedness Site:
Canadian Red Cross: www.redcross.ca (information on today's quake, Christchurch relief efforts, Libya)
Emergency Preparedness- Are you prepared for 72 hours? Do you know what to do before, during & after a quake? This site offers some reminders. Getprepared.ca
BTW: I'm off to buy new batteries, a windup radio & flashlight to add to our kit, with the masses of anxious west-coasters, at Canadian Tire tomorrow AM!
PART TWO: SPRING CLEANING FOR A CAUSE!
(this is the original Day Three post)
If you are a family which includes babies, preschoolers, school-age children (or a man with a large disposable income) you no doubt have toys, toys, toys! All too soon, this stuff comes to the end of its usefulness & it needs a new home. (I can think of a specific "popper" toy that is often confiscated & frequently resides on the top shelf of my closet!) The solution to the clutter is to reduce what we buy, but that is a post of a different matter so I'll steer away from that enviro-preachy sermon for today. So how can all this stuff be a benefit to anyone?
I had written most of the post for today (see part two below) & early this afternoon I found out about the catastrophic earthquake in Japan and subsequent tsunami. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost loved ones, have missing loved ones, those living in the aftermath & for those mobilizing to offer hope in the chaos (may I also include the field journalists who are forming a crucial information network). During these times, we also are reminded of those affected by other recent disasters & violence & for all the efforts to offer hope in those situations.
It seems only fitting to post some links to the Red Cross and to an Emergency Preparedness Site:
Canadian Red Cross: www.redcross.ca (information on today's quake, Christchurch relief efforts, Libya)
Emergency Preparedness- Are you prepared for 72 hours? Do you know what to do before, during & after a quake? This site offers some reminders. Getprepared.ca
BTW: I'm off to buy new batteries, a windup radio & flashlight to add to our kit, with the masses of anxious west-coasters, at Canadian Tire tomorrow AM!
PART TWO: SPRING CLEANING FOR A CAUSE!
(this is the original Day Three post)
If you are a family which includes babies, preschoolers, school-age children (or a man with a large disposable income) you no doubt have toys, toys, toys! All too soon, this stuff comes to the end of its usefulness & it needs a new home. (I can think of a specific "popper" toy that is often confiscated & frequently resides on the top shelf of my closet!) The solution to the clutter is to reduce what we buy, but that is a post of a different matter so I'll steer away from that enviro-preachy sermon for today. So how can all this stuff be a benefit to anyone?
Almost immediately after posting the information about the Clothes Closet, I began to worry that I might have offended you generous folks who donate clothing & goods to other places. There are so many remarkable organizations that do amazing work and offer donation programs so that the proceeds of the low-cost items for sale go to support their work in the community. So all those exersaucers, ride-on toys, even blender #3, can find a cause to support!
Here are a few charities that offer thrift stores & pick-up of goods:
- Salvation Army thriftstore.ca (their website has donation site locator, list of acceptable items and other interesting info.)
- MCC Thrift Shops thrift.mcc.org (Their slogan is: "Where every purchase is a gift to the world!" (take that capitalism!)
- Canadian Diabetes http://www.diabetes.ca/get-involved/supporting-us/clothesline/
- Aunt Leah's http://auntleahs.org/thriftstore.html (their programs support Moms and babies!)
- Hospital Auxiliaries
- Hospice Societies
Pick-Up:
- Big Brothers bigbrothersvancouver.com/clothingpickup/ (despite what their URL says, they take more than just clothing!)
- Developmental Disabilities http://develop.bc.ca/contribute/donate-clothes/pickups.html
(They are the ones who supply items to Value Village, they also have donation bins & bottle donation bins as well!)
All these organizations do such amazing work- perhaps I'll have to revisit some of them later on.
Please feel free to add links to other organizations that offer donation programs in the comment section!
Please feel free to add links to other organizations that offer donation programs in the comment section!
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