Fork it Over

Several months ago, I volunteered for a project called Fork it Over part of the Beaverton School District’s Food redistribution program. This is a great project since it makes use of perishable items that would otherwise go to waste.

There was an article written in yesterday’s Oregonian about this program. They need more volunteers to make sure that the food is distributed from the schools to the food pantries that need it.

The job of the volunteer is only to transport food from one location to another. The whole job takes less than an hour. Check out their website and volunteer to be a helper once a month. You will be making sure food in our city doesn’t go to waste.

For more information about this program or to learn how to volunteer, visit Fork it Over.

Paying it Forward

Today’s mitzvah:

Last summer, my husband and I bid on a package at our children’s camp auction. We received many lovely items in the package. One of the items was 8  tickets to a local puppet theatre we have gone to for many years. When I finally contacted the theatre this week to retrieve the tickets I realized we have seen two out of the three shows they are doing this year. I asked if I could gift some of our tickets back to them. They suggested we give them to someone we choose. My daughter suggested a family that we know with younger kids and I thought it was a perfect idea. I called them and they were delighted to receive the gift. What a wonderful win win for the theatre, the other family and us!

NaBloPoMo chooses December as Mitzvah month

Imagine my delight, when I turned my computer on today and found that my google alerts had found dozens of blogs with the word mitzvah in it. I clicked on one of the blogs and read that NaBloPoMo -National Blog Posting Month has chosen the theme of Mitzvahs for their December inspiration. NaBloPoMO helps people blog more often by providing moral support, inspiration, and the camaraderie that only marathon blogging can provide. They also encourage people to blog daily. My intention is not to get back to daily blogging, especially since most of my daily writing time is now spent preparing my book on the 1000 mitzvah project. I am fairly content now posting once or twice a week, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to officially blog again about mitzvahs. So I am joining the party.

Mitzvah for the day: I attended a “celebration of life” for a friend’s recently deceased mother. Due to the timing, I had to bring my son along after school. It was a lovely informal service and allowed me a chance to learn more about my friend’s mother whom I had only met once. My son of course enjoyed the refreshments!

Birthdays

Today, was my son’s ninth birthday and the anniversary of my father’s death three years ago. The symbolism of life and death continues to be prevalent for me as I remember this same week three years ago.

My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in the spring of 2006. In November 2006, the day before Thanksgiving, he took a turn for the worse. My stepmother thought he wouldn’t survive the next couple of days. I took a red eye flight from Portland, Oregon to Vermont after Thanksgiving dinner. It was a week before my son’s 6^th birthday.

I arrived the next day just after lunch. On the flight, I was nervous and wasn’t sure what to expect. When I arrived, my dad rallied and gave me a great big smile. My bright pink sweater and a necklace caught his eye. He leaned over and whispered that I looked pretty in pink. My family was amazed he had actually spoken to me. They hadn’t expected it. My father continued to decline the next 24 hours and hospice came to our house. My father mumbled and dazed off into space. It seemed as if he was wrestling with thoughts in his mind. I had never spent a large amount of time with someone who was dying before. Rather than being frightened by it, I actually learned a great deal during this time. I touched my father’s head, wiped his lips with a moist swap and rubbed his feet. My stepmother and I agreed that my father was lucky. He was in his own bedroom surrounded by family and friends that loved him. We decided this was probably a peaceful way to die.

As the days continued, there wasn’t much we could do, my father slept a great deal and we took turns sitting with him. In the meantime, the rest of us cooked and cleaned and waited.

On Thursday, after five days of waiting, I had to make a difficult decision. My son’s birthday was on Friday. I was torn because I desperately wanted to be home with him to celebrate. I prayed for help deciding what to do. I wasn’t sure how long I should wait for my father to die. The hospice nurses said my father was a fighter and they couldn’t predict how much longer he might live, they said maybe another week. I missed my family. Since, I lived across the country from my father the flights were not inconsequential in this decision. In the end, I listened to my heart. It told me you have been with your father for several days. You have hugged him, spent time together and and have had time to tell him what you feel and that you love him. Go home to your son for his birthday. I flew home and was able to wake up with my son on the morning of his 6^th birthday. I brought cupcakes to school and we had a small party for him. Around 3 pm that afternoon my stepmother called to tell me that my father had died during a huge thunderstorm that had blown in that afternoon. I had been where I needed to be all week and I was where I needed to be that day. I have never regretted either decision. I think sometimes we don’t listen to that inner voice guiding us, but it is what helps us make the right decision every time. I flew back to Vermont on Saturday night and my son kept his birthday party as scheduled that Sunday morning even though I wasn’t with him.

A friend told me several weeks later that perhaps my father had died on my son’s birthday so it could still be a happy day and one of celebration.

In November, the year following my father’s death, my son and I were discussing what to do for his 7th birthday. He chose the exact same party he had the year before but this time he wanted me there to celebrate. And celebrate we did!

Should I Give to a Pan Handler?

I recently received a tweet from Goodness Magazine a brand new Portland magazine. Their mission: To showcase the many positive accomplishments of those from our community; to use media and each issue of Goodness to create a sense of hopefulness, not helplessness; to preserve the art of storytelling and illuminate the everyday compassion we have for one another. Their magazine provides wonderful uplifting stories as well as concrete ideas for ways you can feel empowered.

The tweet asked, Should I give money to a pan handler? I have often wondered this myself and have not been consistent about an answer. Sometimes I give and sometimes I don’t. The second tweet offered information produced by the  Portland Rescue Mission, a local homeless shelter. I have excerpted some of the main ideas here.  My favorite suggestions were from number five. I  heard a story  a few years ago about a businessman in NYC who  buys loads of gloves and gives them out all winter long to the homeless men and women he sees on the way to work each day.

As panhandlers approach you this winter perhaps you will feel better equipped with this list of proactive ideas.

1. Anticipate the opportunity and be prepared.

2. Smile and actually say hello. Go out of your way to approach rather than avoid them. Acknowledging the person shows respect. It gives dignity.

3. Engage the person. Start a conversation. Take time to listen.

4. Don’t give money. Ask what their greatest need is. If money, what will they do with it? Think creatively about how to help. In most cases, meeting the actual immediate need for food or clothing is best.

5. Offer an alternative. Keep care packages with you that include socks, gloves, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, bottled water, healthy food items: like granola bars or gift certificates for food. If you live in Portland, you can print out meal vouchers from the Portland Rescue Mission.

6. Carry public transportation tickets and encourage them to get to shelter for food, cover and other immediate needs.

Ben Martin – Rallying a community!

Last week, our cousin from Michigan sent us video clip a of her son Matthew who is currently a 5th grader. He had been interviewed on the evening news at a fundraiser held by his school to help a classmate who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. After learning that the doctors felt there was no more hope, the family had elected to travel to Texas to receive alternative treatment at the Burzynski Clinic in Texas.

His community knew since this was an alternative treatment center, the family’s insurance would not cover the costs. They put out an urgent plea and with the help of many of the 5th graders, made posters, created fundraisers and came together to assist the family in paying for the treatment. They felt this was Ben’s window of opportunity, and they wanted to help him.

As I read Ben’s story and heard our young cousin speak about his classmate,  I realized we don’t always know where lives lessons will come from.   There is no way a textbook or teacher could teach these kids the kind of lessons they are learning from this experience. Matthew said, “He got his friends together  and they  collected bottles and cans in his neighborhood and raised $1,300.” These young kids and their parents rallied together as a community to provide a family not only monetarily help but also hope and love. I know that these kids will remember how their classmate bravely faced his treatments  and how their community rallied to help.

I was very moved by this story and so glad our cousin had shared it.

To make a donation towards Ben’s treatment:

If you would like to mail the check rather than present it to Bank of America, please send it to: Family of Benjamin Martin, P.O. Box 120, Novi, MI 48376 .

For additional information, please visit: www.bensfight.org.

Areyvut announces Bnai Mitzvah Video Essay Contest

Daniel Rothner, Founder and Director of Areyvut just emailed me about  Areyvut’s Annual Bnai Mitzvah Video Essay Contest!

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We’re calling all Bnai Mitzvah – Grades 5 Through 10 to share their mitzvah project experiences with the entire Jewish community!

Areyvut recognizes Bnai Mitzvah students throughout the world who have chosen to make a difference by actively contributing to their communities.  First, second and third place winners will be awarded prizes and invited to participate in Areyvut sponsored events.  We will also post your winning video essay on our website as a model for students that are just beginning to plan their Bnai Mitzvah project.

Create a video that captures why and how you incorporated (or will incorporate) the values of chesed (kindness), tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (social justice) into your Bnai Mitzvah celebration.

Deadline is Friday, December 25, 2009.

Please be sure to answer the following questions:

* How did (or how will) you make (or will) the values of chesed, tzedakah and tikkun olam an important part of your Bnai Mitzvah celebration?

* Why did (or will) you participate in a service project?

* Why did you choose this project?

* How did (or how will) this project impact your Bnai Mitzvah celebration?

* If you already had you Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration, how have you continued your project?

Get creative and have fun!

To read more about Areyvut, check out their website.

One Million Acts of Kindness – a Bus Tour

I just learned about Bob Votruba whose mission is to perform One Million Acts of Kindness in his lifetime. The 54-year-old Cleveland native and father of three, has taken his dog Bogart, a Boston Terrier in a converted school bus repainted blue that is their home on the road. His mission to help educate the world on how acts of kindness can transform our world. He is traveling to colleges and schools across the nation to share his important message.

It all started with some stickers Bob created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks over six years ago that said Sow only the Seeds of Love. After the Virginia Tech massacre, he was called to Blacksburg, VA  in the days that followed. There he handed out stickers and talked with many people. When he returned home he received many emails and that powerful emotion stuck with him and he decided he needed to share his message in a bigger way.

His goal is to reach out to children, teens, and young adults when their minds are open and their personalities are developing.  He hopes to teach them kindness, empathy and a generosity for others.  By living in kindness they will discover the happiness that they can bring to those around them, and ultimately to themselves as well.   Nothing could be more important in the world than this.

I know that when Bob makes his way to the West Coast we will connect. Check out his website, One Million Acts of Kindness and you can be part of the Kindness Project when he arrives in your city.

A blogger update…

I have been an infrequent blogger this past month. Many of you know that after completing my 1000^th mitzvah I wasn’t exactly sure what to write about on my blog after I had actually completed the project. I originally thought that I would blog about other do gooders but that hasn’t  materialized very well.

Of course, it is true that since I finished my project in May, I  still continued to do mitzvahs and every once in a while engaged in a certain mitzvah  I would think it would make a great blog post but alas I wouldn’t write the post about it either. I spent most of the summer running an auction for a summer camp my children attend. Luckily, it kept me outside a great deal of the summer but not much blogging took place. It was a wonderful experience and we raised more money than any previous auction so that was a great outcome.  I have continued to be a guest blogger for several months now at the Portland Family Monthly blog with posts about parenting, motherhood or my role as a wife.

So what else have I been doing these past few months? Well, I actually have exciting news. In August, I attended the Willamette Writers Conference here in Portland, Oregon. I pitched my idea of a book about my 1000 Mitzvahs project to several people. The response was overwhelmingly positive. I have been working in earnest the past month making sure to create a proposal for my book that would convey what I learned and share some of my favorite mitzvah stories from my project. It is still far from done and I am not solidified on a publisher yet but I am very excited and passionate again about writing and sharing this experience. I look forward to some mitzvah opportunities during my book development experience. That’s a category I hadn’t originally planned on.

Thanks for reading!

Introducing Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L

In my last post, I mentioned that I had begun a Google Alert on Random Acts of Kindness. Last week, I learned about “Secret Agent L” a women in Pittsburgh who after helping a cross country friend celebrate her birthday by performing an act of kindness was bitten by the “giving” bug.

She began a website and got a bit of a buzz on a few other blogs around the country. L and her army of other affiliated agents leave small gifts usually $5 or less in public places with notes attached, explaining that the found object is a gift from Secret Agent L.

“I love the idea of doing it anonymously because it’s so important that I don’t want to focus on myself,” Secret Agent L says. “

Check out her website maybe you can become a secret agent yourself!