This morning, as I went back and forth on the “news of the day” in emails with Jeannie Jaybush, founder of Seattle’s Baby Bank, her words resonated particularly loudly and certainly echo what we hear from other grantees like Jeff Feingold from Hope and Comfort, Dana Marlowe from Support the Girls and Fran Held of Mitzvah Circle Foundation.

Please consider Jeannie’s thoughts as we enter this season of Thanksgiving; a season where far too many vulnerable people struggle to find reason to be thankful…

…The Baby Bank has had a huge upswing in requests for what the nurses are now calling “personal needs support” Laundry detergent, toothpaste, deodorant, tampons, and, especially for the Moms with newborns, the overnite sanitary napkins…Food banks don’t handle any of this kind of thing & basic hygiene is critical for maintaining any kind of good health. The lack of just a bar of soap can usher in the illnesses that are so easily preventable. Chronic homelessness has made this a constant problem for the nurses. (Laundry detergent we managed by getting the detergent that is packaged in what they call “pods” and splitting them up in to zip-locks of 6 so that people don’t have to carry a bottle of laundry detergent with them all over the place.) Women with newborns can’t possibly be expected to properly care for a newborn if they can’t manage to take care of themselves post-delivery. The horror stories still arrive about women lacking sufficient soap & sanitary napkins. (Stuffing your undies with newspaper should have died out in the 19th century & here we are in the 21st & it still happens!!!) So, the Baby Bank does a lot of supplying the clinics with the hygiene basics. Some are the hotel samples, but families with several kids need more than hotel samples can address reasonably. Kids donate the sample toothpaste from their dental checkups. Hotels will recycle their towels & sheets to charity if you ask them & pick them up. The list goes on & on. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. Guess I’ve been doing this a long time…

Some of the scenarios Jeannie describes are unpleasant and may make us cringe in horror and disgust but–they are all truthful and representative of how some people live today. Please help us help Jeannie and all of our other Good People working to keep people from falling off the edge.

“Child you gave iPad to said first words through device! “Good night mommy!””

This one line email from Fran Held, founder of Mitzvah Circle Foundation in Pennsylvania just popped up and serves as a reminder to all of us of just how much of an impact we can have with modest tzedakah investments. As the summer began, Fran shared the story of a non-verbal nine-year old girl with autism and cerebral palsy. It was going to be a long summer for this youngster and her Mom–no camp would take her because of her hyperactivity and inability to ride on a bus or van. An IPad would help her keep up with her school work and various apps could help with other tasks.

Clearly, our purchase was well worthwhile!

What could be better than a warm summer day sailing on the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv?  I know that there were many warm days here when an excursion like that would have been a welcome diversion.  The Good People Fund was excited to help underwrite this week’s outing on the deep blue sea for the teens who take part in Camp Shutaf in Israel. This after-school and camp program for children and teens with and without disabilities was started by Miriam Avraham and Beth Steinberg, mothers of two children who had few such options available to them several years ago. Shutaf has expanded well beyond its early days and we remain excited about being on board for them.  Ahoy!

If you look very carefully at the signs these smiling women are holding you can read their proud statements:  “My anemia is gone”, “My diabetes is controlled”, “My family and I are healthier”.

In fact, the entire group has recently graduated from (L.A.-based) Groceryships’ six-month program which provides a comprehensive nutrition education course and weekly support groups as well as access to healthy food at a reduced cost. Families are empowered to lead a healthier lifestyle as they learn about nutrition, healthy cooking and effective shopping skills. They also become part of a network that discusses issues of emotional eating and food addiction in a safe, sacred space, where every person is respected and honored.

Groceryships is the brainchild of Sam Polk, a former financial executive who struggled with his own weight issues. The Good People Fund has supported Sam’s ground-breaking work for the past few years and our latest grant actually underwrote the cost of a class of graduates who are now on the path to a healthier lifestyle.