Socks for Japan.

Hello, my friends. I am about to get serious. I am not going to whine about my life (and its first world problems). I am not going to complain about people on the CTA. Nope. None of that. Today, I am going to ask that you do something for someone else. Some other people, really.

We are all aware of the tragedy that occurred in Japan last week. The loss of lives, property and general sense of safety over there is quite sobering. While we all have been inundated with requests to text "XXXXX" to a certain number to donate $10 to the Red Cross, I felt the need to do something a little bit different. The opportunity presented itself when received an email, forwarded from a very good friend of mine.

Dear Friends,

I am writing to ask for your support in sending a much-needed piece of clothing to the evacuees of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I will be collecting socks to send to Japan in the next couple of weeks and would be grateful if you could donate a pair or two or more.

After the earthquake and tsunami hit, people fled for their lives without adequate clothing. Many people got their feet wet from tsunami water. It still snows occasionally in the northeast region of Japan, and feet get cold in the evacuation shelters at night where there's no heat. In the wake of tragedy like this one, we know that socks do not provide primary support. But they can be a token of care and comfort from someone far away. I believe that a pair of socks from you could put a smile on someone's face.

Here is how you can help:

1) Donate NEW socks. We will take every size, color, and style socks, for women, men, children, and babies. Please do not send used or unclean socks -- NEW socks only. You could hand-deliver or send them to the address below:
   
              282 4th St #1
              Jersey City, NJ 07302

2) If you're unable to donate socks, we will accept monetary donations. All proceeds will be used to buy socks on your behalf. You could find me on PayPal (makikoku@gmail.com), or you could send a check to the address above. Please note "Socks For Japan" on your PayPal payment or check.

To make the socks more personal, we will attach a message to every pair of socks you donate. Send in a photo of yourself by email if you want it printed on the message.

Please see attached pictures from my beloved friends who worked tirelessly to send out our first batch of socks to Japan. It would be great if we could send another package by the end of March.

Feel free to pass this message along to your friends and family. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me anytime. Thank you so much for your support.

Praying for Japan,
Makiko

So in light of this brilliant venture to help out those in need of help in Japan, I implore you to go out, buy a pair of socks, and send to Makiko. Let's show those in Japan that we care and that they are in our thoughts in a more profound way that just "tweeting" or "blogging" that we care.

Pay it Forward...Comments for cans this Holiday Season

November is upon us, and the stores are inundated with Christmas cheer already. While I am a huge Christmas fan, I always feel that Thanksgiving gets the shaft. Who wouldn't want to celebrate a holiday that ENCOURAGES over-eating and napping? That is neither here, nor there, I suppose.

In any event, when Thanksgiving is on the horizon, I am reminded that I am pretty fortunate in my life. I have a roof over my head, a working furnace and plenty of food in my fridge. I am also reminded that there are people not so lucky or so fortunate. It is in this vein that I got on board with this Comments for Cans idea.

One of the blogs that I enjoy reading is that of Daisy. She is silly, smart and has the most adorable puppy that occasionally steals the show over at her site. Additionally, although I have not met her in real life, she seems to be a genuinely nice person. The other day, she wrote this post about something nice she did for a coworker and how powerful the concept of paying it forward can be. Karma and all that jazz, you know. She made a  pledge: For each comment she got on that entry, she would donate a can to our local Chicago food bank. Naturally, since she's a nice person, she attracts some nice followers. Several of us have committed to match her donation to not only the Chicago Food Depository, but others around the country as well. Of course, I love when opportunities present themselves for me to do something good, so I jumped on board. (Special thank you to Daisy for making it easy for all of us to jump on board!)

So please, visit Daisy's blog and leave a comment. Help us stock food banks across the country with food for those who are less fortunate this season.