End of Year Recap

Let's see what I've accomplished this year:

Here is my list so far:

1. 8 gift boxes to armed forces members
2. 0 trees
3. 49 toothbrushes to homeless shelter
4. 1 bags of dog food to shelter
5. 1 coats to homeless shelter
6. 34 books to a school or shelter
7. visit 2 shut-ins
8. 8 stuffed socks to homeless
9. 0 bags of cat food to shelter
10. 2 bags of cat litter to shelter
11. 16 pairs of shoes to a homeless shelter
12. 0 prepared food dishes to homeless shelter
13. 4 boxes of bandages to homeless shelter
14. 2 towels to animal shelter
15. 0 hours of volunteering at animal shelter
16. 2 toys to battered women’s shelter
17. 7 bags of rice to food bank
18. 2 bags of beans to food bank
19. 2 tarps to homeless for sleeping mats
20. 1 blankets to homeless
21. 60 razors to a homeless shelter - done!
22. 10 quilts to charity (baby, lap, twin, etc)
23. 6 tote bags to charity
24. 5 jars of peanut butter with bread to homeless on weekends
25. 8 pillow cases to homeless/women's shelter
26. 9 bottles of shampoo to homeless/women's shelter
27. 5 books left in random places for anyone who wants to read a book
28. 1 vases of flowers to residents of care homes
29. 1 sweaters to a homeless shelter
30. 60 hours of volunteer ushering at local center for the performing arts - Done!
31. 2 snacks to emergency workers (ie firemen, highway patrol)
32. 0 prom dresses to local high school (given free to high school girls)
33. 7 bags of potatoes to homeless shelter/food pantry
34. 0 packages of feminine hygiene products to a homeless shelter
35. 7 pounds of garden vegetables to shelter
36. 1 bottles of electrolytes to a shelter
37. 0 boxes of laundry detergent to a shelter
38. 1 bottles of cooking oil to a shelter
39. 59 bags of masa to a food bank
40. 2 lbs of lentils to a food bank
41. 0 lbs of chickpeas to a food bank
42. 7 loaves of bread to a food bank/shelter
43. 11 hours of volunteering at local museum
44. 8 cans of vegetables to a food bank
45. 0 bags of salad to a food bank
46. 2 pounds of oatmeal to a food bank

Looks like I have a long way to go. I do have some masa to take to a food bank. I have very little money at this time and most of these things require money. I have been watching for bargains, but not seeing a lot. The shoes were a real bargain and I am hoping to find more deals like this.

There are still several years before my "deadline", so I am going to keep working at this. Even if I don't reach the total goal, I will have done something to make the world a better place. And that is something worthwhile.

Memorial Day

Recently I saw a post on the local Craigslist from someone requesting homemade lap blankets for veterans. I responded and said I would make a lap quilt. I planned to do it over the summer, maybe for Father's Day. But then I realized Memorial Day was only a few days away and finished it and delivered it on Memorial Day. I haven't heard back, so I don't know how it was received.

I have been making more quilts. Quilting is a form of therapy for me. But I was under so much stress for a few years I wasn't able to quilt. I am making up for lost time now, I guess. I have a lot of fabric and am trying to use it up. I went to the same senior care facility where I took the quilt on Mother's Day. I spoke with a woman who is, I think, the activity director. I left a quilt with her and asked her about some others I am making. She said a resident has been requesting a lap blanket as she is cold. The one I had ready was one she thought this woman would like. She also told me another one would be perfect for a woman who likes cats. The woman's birthday is August 1, so I will deliver it then. I have several more in process. This is serving several purposes. I am destressing by quilting. I am using up some of the vast collection of fabric. And, hopefully, I am bringing a little joy into the lives of some people.

I donated another bag of cat litter and some towels to an animal shelter also. It's just baby steps. I'm not making much progress, but I will continue to work on this. I am still trying to expand my list to the goal of 60. Right now I only have 34, so I am only a little past one/half way. I really thought I'd have a longer list by now. But I remind myself that even if I don't reach the goal by my 60th birthday, I can finish it later. And all acts of kindness are worthwhile. So I will continue to chip away at this.

Although I have a digital camera, I don't use it much and I have no idea what happened to the cord that connects it to the computer. So at this time I have no way of posting pictures of the quilts. Pictures make a blog more interesting. But for now there are no pics. Maybe one of these days...

Mother's Day 2010

Although I had hoped to have several lap quilts finished to take to a residential care home for Mother's Day, I only had one. I picked a rose from my garden and put it in a vase. I put the quilt in a gift bag with tissue paper. Then I drove to a care facility. I walked in and looked for an employee. The first one I saw I stopped and asked if there was a patient who had no family coming to visit her and was mentally cognizant. She pointed to a woman sitting in a wheel chair down the hall and told me the woman's name. I walked over and called the woman by name and gave her the gift bag with quilt and the rose. It was amazing to see her face light up with joy. I put the vase on a table near her bed in her room. I gave her the bag and told her what it was. She didn't open it while I was there, just sat there with a big smile on her face. I couldn't stay as I was volunteering elsewhere and was running late. As I was walking out, the employee came over and gave me a big hug. It felt good to do something that made someone happy. I hope the quilt will be something tangible that will remind her there are people who care about her.

I also gave a quilt to a teen parent program. I was told it was given to a young lady who had a baby girl. A picture was taken but not sent to me yet. The adult said the teen held the quilt in front of her face for the picture. I said that was fine. If I am able to post pics of the quilts, I do not want to violate anyone's privacy.

Today, May 14, I took some goodies to a Highway Patrol office. There was an "Every 15 Minutes" presentation at the school where I subbed. I thought the workers would be a good place to start with doing this act of kindness. The office was closed when I got there, but I called and someone came to the door and accepted the food.

So, while the things I am doing are not much by themselves, they are adding up over time. I also bought a bag of cat litter for a shelter today. I will need to get it to the shelter. One step at a time. I am doing my best to make this world a better place.

April Update

It's been a while since I've made an entry other than to update the list on my first post. I haven't really had much time to do much. I have made a few quilt tops, but need to find the time to finish them. One is nearly finished. It is a baby quilt that will be donated to the teen parenting class at a local high school. I'd like to take some pictures and post them, but I'm not much of a camera person.

Recently I saw some men's shoes on clearance for $5. I bought two pair. As it will be summer soon and these were closed shoes, I wasn't sure how useful they would be or what sizes were needed most. I took them to a local shelter along with a bottle of shampoo. I was surprised at how the receptionist's face lit up when she saw the shoes. She said they really needed men's shoes. Some men need them for work. I wished I had purchased more. But my finances are very limited right now.

Yesterday I saw some men's work boots on clearance for $3. This time I bought 5 pair. I haven't had a chance to take them in yet. Today I saw a man picking up recycling in a parking lot. His shoes looked like he had them for a long time. I asked him what size shoe he wears and if he would like a new pair of boots. I had one pair in his size and gave them to him. I hope to get the other 4 pair in to the shelter soon.

Today I was in a department store and the cashier told me if I purchased another $6.15 I would get a coupon for $10 off the total purchase. I had seen some t-shirts, so went to look at them again. There was a teen girl there with her mother. I told her if she could quickly pick out a shirt her mother approved that cost between $6.15 and $10, I would purchase it for her. I asked for a gift receipt and took it back to the girl and her mother. She seemed happy I had done this for her. The shirt was $7.99, so I got $2 off my purchase. I'm not sure this counts as an act of kindness since I benefited from it. It also doesn't relate to the number 60 and doesn't fit a category on my list. It did feel good to do something nice for a stranger with no expectation of getting something in return.

Well, I went back and bought out the remaining work boots at $3 a pair. There was one more pair of the shoes also down to $3. Including the first 5 pair, there was a total of 10 pairs of work boots and 1 pair of shoes. I took them all to the homeless shelter. Two workers were walking up as I was getting the shoes/boots out of the trunk. They offered to help me take them in. They and the receptionist all seemed very happy to get them.

The quilt for the teen parenting class is just a few stitches short of completion. I also have one nearly finished for taking to a care home. I hope to have several finished by Mother's Day to take to women in a retirement home who do not have family visiting them. Time is getting short and I don't know if I will meet this goal, but I will do my best.

4th entry

Things have been really hectic so I haven't posted lately. I have made a few donations, but nothing special. I have been trying to find places to leave books, and it isn't easy. The hospital waiting rooms are concerned about germs. The airport didn't have anyone to talk to when I went there. I will try there again during business hours and also the local bus depots.

I'm still trying to come up with ideas. I'm half way at least.

Third Entry

Well today I gave away another sock package. I drove around looking for someone who looked homeless. I saw a man riding a bike and picking up bottles/cans on the side of the road. I almost stopped. But I wasn't sure he was homeless. Maybe he was just retired and supplementing his income. I didn't want to insult him. I had noticed that sometimes the homeless hang out around fast food places. So I drove to a fast food place. There was a man in the parking lot sitting on the curb by a bicycle. I pulled the car close to him and rolled my window down. I asked him if he needed socks. He said yes and came over to the car. I handed the scok package to him through the window. I explained there were some goodies in it. He seemed very happy to receive some kindness from someone. He looked like an alcoholic or drug addict. He might have needed the plastic too, but I was a little scared of getting out of the car to take the plastic out of the trunk and spread it out and cut it. I need to get over that fear. It was a public place and I was doing something kind for him.

It was cold today and there was a bit of rain. I had a big pot of chili on the stove. I wanted to take it somewhere to pass out to homeless. But I don't have disposable bowls and spoons and I don't know where I would have taken it. I also don't know if there are laws I would have to follow. I will have to keep my eyes open for disposable bowls and spoons. Maybe this can be another act of kindness, passing out food to the homeless on my own instead of a homeless shelter. There is a charity locally that serves lunch from a truck. But they don't serve on weekends. So I could try doing this on weekends. Yes, I think I will add this to my list. Just a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter distributed on the weekends would be helpful.

I'm not making a lot of progress, but then I have a few years and I need more ideas for my list.