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.

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Summer Reading program with a goodwill mission

It’s summer reading time. Libraries around the country are encouraging children and adults to read every day. One library in Frankenmuth, Michigan is taking this yearly occurrence to  create a community-wide program and hopes to encourage not only reading but also inspire their community to embrace the golden rule through acts of kindness.

The  organizers conceived the One Book One Community event to create a chain of goodwill events in their community.

The two books chosen for this event are  – the novel “Pay it Forward” by Catherine-Ryan Hyde for adults and teens and the children’s picture book “Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler” by Margery Cuyler.

They have arranged activities from now until November including creating a kindness quilt, student essay and photo contests and viewing a movie matinee of the movie Pay it Forward based on the novel.

As residents read the books and develop ideas of how to pass on their own good deeds, volunteer opportunities will build through the fall. The organizers have created a bulletin board for community members to post and recruit their neighbors for their own good will projects.

The One Book, One Community Project is sponsored by the local library and community foundation.

For more information and to learn more about this project visit www.wicksonlibrary.org.

Volunteer Resource

I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Brenden Butler on Wednesday who is the Program Manager for a non profit organization I had never heard about before called Hands On of Greater Portland.   How could I not love an organization whose tag line is Be the Change. Volunteer. That is my mission too!

Their goal is to connect folks who want to volunteer with opportunities that are available locally. How cool is that. By the way there are similar Hands On organizations all over the country! Some possible volunteer opportunities could be to build a house, tutor a child, care for abandoned pets, build hiking trails, lead a volunteer group or join a non profit board just to name a few. Their organization can help you if you want to volunteer for a one day project or commit to an on going volunteer opportunity. So if you are inspired to volunteer and be the change in your community check out this awesome resource.

Senior Wisdom

Volunteers Plant the Seeds of Kindness

” A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up to make new trees.” Lawrence Lovasik, American minister and writer

Last week, I spoke at a volunteer appreciation dessert for a retirement community. The coordinator asked me if in addition to speaking about my mitzvah project I would address the seniors about blogging.

To open the event, the coordinator announced that this group of seniors had given at least 22,000 hours of volunteer service just this year. This was probably  a low estimate of their service hours since several residents hadn’t recorded their time. Wow, that is an impressive number. One senior who was honored as the Volunteer of the Year, told me,  “she hates it when people complain that they are bored or there is nothing to do. She keeps busy and active with daily volunteer duties that she said give her great pleasure. Why not give of yourself and help others rather than complain.” I loved that comment!