Good News Update

How Does Your Garden Grow

… My goal is to teach these kids about the social and environmental justice issues surrounding them and to motivate them to become agents of positive change on these issues… Lead Farmer Matt, Amir

David Fox loved summer camp when he was a kid. In fact, that love continued into his teen years when he eventually moved from camper to counselor. In addition to his feelings about camp, David also felt compelled to make the world a better place. It was while he was in college that he realized that there was a way he could combine both of these passions in one dynamic program. That program is Amir, which trains young adults, through the medium of gardening, to teach and inspire campers about ways to build a more just world and to relieve hunger and poverty.

While the program runs primarily in summer camps (there are 11 this summer) it has also been successful in faith communities and inner-city community centers. Anyone who has been to camp knows the power of experiential learning and Amir’s work is just that. The planning, planting and harvesting of a camp garden, under the leadership of the Amir-trained Lead Farmer, exposes campers to environmentalism, sustainable gardening, social justice, and so much more. The Garden to Pantry Initiative connects the camp to local food pantries and when crops are harvested they are turned over to the pantries. (Sometimes even after camp season ends and the harvest continues.)

Meeting David was a special experience. He is thoughtful and deeply committed to this model. The Good People Fund’s challenge grant was just what he needed to build a strong foundation for Amir.

Opening A Window on the World

A few weeks ago we enjoyed lunch with Irene Zola, founder of LiLY-Lifeforce in Later Years, one of our favorite programs that brings neighborhood volunteers into the lives of lonely, at-risk elders struggling to stay in their own homes.

Irene shared her frustration at not being able to locate a donated laptop for Sylvia*, an 85 year old who lives alone in the big city. She knew that Sylvia’s quality of life would vastly improve if she had a small laptop to use to reach out to her very small circle of family in a far off place, or even just to “surf the web” and see the world. We thought that this was something the Good People Fund could make happen with a small tzedakah investment so instructed Irene to find a suitable laptop for Sylvia to use.

Irene just wrote us…enjoy…

Sylvia, an 85 year old who lives alone…, opened her door on July 4th, a hot and heavy summer day in NYC, in an apartment without air conditioning, to what to her was the greatest joy! Although she must live on a song, financially speaking, she now would have the means to communicate more regularly with her family living so far away, to receive email notes and, importantly for her, pictures and the possibility of skyping. (A neighbor said that she could bring her computer over to skype anytime.)…In addition, she was delighted that she could now take out dvd movies from the library to watch on her screen. Finally, she is a poet (of sorts). She is thrilled to have the means to pursue her creative writing! She has many uses planned for her computer, not the least of which I am imagining, the feeling that she is a 25 year old, parking herself in Starbuck’s and opening up her computer!!!

Goofing Off at Summer Camp

…This time, we would also like to thank the donor who graciously donated money so that my two children can attend summer camp this year. Now, D. and R. will be able to experience their summer vacation as a real vacation, with all of the fun that relates to summer camp activities. As a result of their kindness and graciousness, this summer my children will be able to enjoy, goof off, jump around, splash around, meet new friends, sing and be happy – all because someone special has allowed them to do this.

We love you from the bottom of our hearts and are sending you a huge hug.

Thank you, thank you, thank you

D., R. and their mother H.

When this note arrived today from Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Israel we knew that our tzedakah investment for summer camp was a success in every way. Only a mother can really put into words what camp may mean to their kids. After all, isn’t that what it is all about…splashing, singing and goofing off?

We Did It!

When we began the Good People Fund back in 2008 the world was a very different place. Words that strike fear in everyone’s heart today were insignificant… Lehman Brothers was a revered and iconic investment house and Bernie Madoff was practically unknown. It was an idyllic time when the idea of starting this work seemed eminently doable…

Small programs that really made a difference in people’s lives could struggle a little less; individuals facing personal crises might find some relief; new Good People who had a dream to change the world might have their chance.

In but two days we will close out our fiscal year and amazingly have surpassed the $900,000 mark in annual donations; bringing the total since we began to more than $3,500,000 in tzedakah dollars. Who would ever have imagined that this was possible during a time of extraordinary economic distress? It is without question a testament to both our donors and to our unique approach to tzedakah.

We thank everyone who believed in us and in the idea that small actions do have huge impacts.

Just awesome…

Could We Help?

It is always the early morning calls that are the most stunning…

It is not quite 8:30 in the morning and Pam Koner, founder of Family to Family has just called. Family to Family directs its work to relieving hunger in some of our country’s poorest and most remote regions. It was Pam who introduced us to McRoberts, Kentucky where we are able to have an impact on this tiny community in the heart of Appalachia.

Pam’s problem this morning involved the Navajo community in Thoreau, New Mexico. Family to Family has been providing food to about twenty families here for several years. Thoreau is rural; mostly unpaved roads with families living in extreme poverty, far apart from each other. There is no local store in which to shop and unemployment exceeds 50% in the region. Pam explained that four social workers who were lifelines to this community had just lost their jobs and now distribution of the monthly food packages was in jeopardy.

The extraordinary distances between homes would require considerable driving to get the packages to the families. $180 in monthly gasoline costs would ensure that 150 people would be fed when they receive their food packages. (a little more than $1 per person.)

Could we help?

Could we not?

GOOD Books

Who doesn’t recall with fondness reading great children’s books? Goodnight Moon or even the late Maurice Sendak’s, Where Wild Things Are? The benefits and joy of reading are things that cannot be introduced too early in a child’s life.

Another experience we all know can be transforming is the joy of giving. Pam Koner, founder of Family to Family has just created a new program which we love. Giving Works! is a brilliant idea. Children with "less" who normally receive help from others, actually have the chance to enjoy the feeling of giving back with this program. They are supplied with a drawstring backpack, some new or gently used books and book labels. After they decorate the labels and place them in the books, they visit a local school where kids are also struggling with poverty. Each child is paired with one in the classroom and they read and share the books together. When they are finished, they write the name of the child receiving the books on the label and give the books to them as a gift. What a great way to teach compassion and sharing!

We were excited to be able to pair the 4th grade at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, Massachusetts with this great program. The kids studied the mitzvah of Talmud Torah, the study of Torah, all year. They educated people about literacy and collected tons of books which they donated to a nearby school which was in need of additional books. The tzedakah the class collected was sent to the Good People Fund and we have used it to supply more books to the Giving Works! program.

What a great match!