Worthy Cause: Fill the Shelves!

Fill The Shelves is the brainchild of a small group of writers - but we were all readers first.  Kids who tucked into corners and forts and crannies at our school libraries, harassed the librarians for something new to read, fed our imaginations with the worlds we found in the pages.

Not one of us can imagine growing up without books.

The basics: School librarians compile Amazon wishlists for their school libraries. FTS puts willing donators in touch with these wishlists, the donors order the books and Amazon sends them directly on. It's a very simple way to help many, many children.

When I was a child, there were a simple handful of things that mattered to me: Writing, drawing, roaming outdoors, and, most of all, reading. I was blessed with a mother who read voraciously, and teachers and librarians who were there every step of my education with book recommendations. We were not a wealthy family, so I relied heavily on my school's library and our neighbourhood book mobile program to feed my growing interest in books. Through these portals, my life as a reader became essential to my life as me. If it weren't for books, I would not be who I am today.

Like the FTS organizers, I can't picture childhood without books.

This new charity came to my attention last week, as it was started by a number of indie authors I know online. I'm not affiliated it with it in any way, but I wanted to help spread the word. As readers/writers/humans, it is in all our best interests to engage kids with reading, to keep school libraries up to date, and to help teacher-librarians foster literacy. So far, the org has been a smashing success. As of last time I looked, $4,500 worth of books have gone to libraries in need!

But there are now three new school libraries added that need support.

If you're a school librarian or would like to help, please, check it out!

Socially Conscious Blogging

In order to put my corner of the internet to better use, I would like to open this blog up to any blogger with a cause!

If you have an ongoing passion about something - awareness, advocacy, fundraising, etc - for animal welfare, equality/oppression issues, children's advocacy, author rights, non-profits, diversity topics, social justice concerns, missing persons, etc, I'd love to offer you a guest spot on my blog.

I am also taking volunteers for "regular" guest shots and interviews for the summer months.

It's not the biggest blog on the block, but it does get hits, and it gets fed/shared to a few bigger sites and my social media.

Email me at anneholly2010 at gmail.com, and we'll make it happen.

(Disclaimer: I don't have to agree with everything you say, and I am not adverse to a little controversy, but I naturally reserve the right to turn down submissions that make me ridiculously angry... i.e., no KKK sermons, please. I'd also like to avoid straight-up partisan politics, as well, and stick to the ethical/practical justice questions behind the issues. Open globally.)

Keeping the Season of Giving all Year Long

Many people donate to the homeless and struggling during the holiday season, which is wonderful. December is a difficult time for many families, who must balance their everyday needs and heating costs with that of the holidays. Thank you very much if you are among the thousands who donate to homeless shelters, food banks and soup kitchens around Thanksgiving and Christmas time. You have no idea how much a hot meal, or an unwrapped present, can mean to someone who would otherwise not have one.

However, community needs don't end with Christmas. Winter is a very demanding time for food banks and hamper programs due to the high costs of keeping warm and the necessity of extra transportation demands, which drain the resources of many fixed income families. But the need doesn't go away at any point of the year.

The Food Bank of Waterloo Region serves over 26,000 people directly, as well as numerous agencies and hamper programs. This is why I donate all year long. I especially enjoy the convenience of their bagged grocery program, which enables me to fill one of their paper bags provided at participating grocery stores in the area, pay for them, and drop it into the donation bin - it's that easy to help fill stomachs of struggling families in our area. Some months, my budget is a bit thin, but there's rarely a month or week I can't afford a bottle of peanut butter and a few extra cans of soup!

Now that Christmas is over, I ask you to remember the less fortunate all year, and to remind others. Boxing Day was traditionally the day for the upper class to give presents of money, food and items to the less fortunate, and to give their employees some extra luxuries, such as a day off and new livery. Now, it seems it's all about hitting the sales and/or returning ill-advised gifts. I'd like to ask you to take a moment and make a donation to a social service organization, which have been drained by the demands of the holidays and will soon face many of their once-a-year donation drives dry up. If you gave over the holidays, I thank you - but I'm going to ask you to do it again. If you possibly can, any little bit helps - all year long.

Make giving food a regular part of your life. It will make you feel great, and improves the lives of so many.

If you'd like to give a donation to the Waterloo Region food bank, you can do so online here.

And thanks!

Help Needed - Boxing Day Charity Drive

I'm looking for any bloggers (or people with blogs, if you don't care for the title) who would like to participate in a charity drive on December 26, 2011 with me.

Boxing Day was traditionally the day when upper class people would distribute their leftovers and used goods to their employees or poor families, and when servants had a day off for Christmas. Maybe that doesn't sound all that great, but the spirit of giving is still an important part of Christmas and beyond.

On Dec 26, I will blog about food banks, and follow through with a donation of my own. No less than $25 and up to at least $50 will be donated. I wish it could be more, but we're not so well off. This is why I thought I could beg anyone out there to join me, and donate to their local food bank or community pantry, so I can feel I am helping more than my pocket will allow right now.

If you want to help, just post a plea for your local food bank, homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or other worthy cause, with a link, and pledge a donation amount. Even if you can't afford a lot, spreading the word, encouraging others to donate, and giving what you can may mean a great deal to a person or family in need.

The holiday season is such a drain for food banks, they are always in serious need after Christmas. As a child, my family often relied on charity boxes when things were tight, and I so appreciate the work these organizations do.

If you are interested, please let me know so I can link your blog on December 26.

Thank you!