(no subject)
Okay so. I may be overstepping my boundaries here. However, there are a lot of things making me sad right now, and this is one i have the potential to do something about.
People are having a hard time. The economy sucks. Money is tight. I'm starting my first job in almost two years on Monday. But I've been lucky. My parents are financially stable, and I've been able to collect unemployment. The time since I was laid off has been humiliating and depressing, but I haven't actually been destitute. I've always had an out. Really, I am an incredibly fortunate human being. There are people on my friends list right now who don't know how they're going to make it. There are people who can't pay their bills, who can't afford their groceries. That's insane.
I'm not well off, not really. But comparatively? I have something to give. So here's the deal.
If you are honestly and sincerely worried about where your meals are coming from, if you are skimping out on food for other necessities or because there just isn't any money anymore, comment to this post with your name and address. All comments are screened, anon is on if you don't want to associate this with your lj persona, even just to me. If you want to talk about your situation, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine. For commenting to this post with your name and address, I will send you a care package of food. These will be things like boxes of mac and cheese or two-portion sizes of indian-food-inna-bag, pasta or ziploc baggies of rice or dried beans, things that don't necessarily cost a lot of money to buy or ship but count for calories and fullness and getting through the day. You can request one treat--a candy bar, bag of dried fruit or candy, or something similar--because it's the little things that sometimes make us feel a little more human and less hopeless.
I will ship these care packages anywhere in the continental US. I will never tell anyone you commented to this post, and unless you bring it up, we never have to talk about it again. I will comment to this post myself once so that no one can see any further action on the post. Being in this situation can be extremely humbling and shameful, even if it shouldn't be. Please, please, please don't feel too ashamed to ask. The only person who ever has to know is me, and I will never think less of anyone who admits they need help.
In return, when things get better, do something good for someone else whose life isn't going so well. Donate to a can drive, or give supplies to a local homeless shelter.
And if you can, make a post like this. Because maybe someone on your flist is hungry and feeling hopeless, alone, and ashamed.
ETA: Feel free to pass the link to this post around. I don't have to know you and you don't have to know me. That's not the most important thing here. Maybe more people will see it and more people who can afford to share will do so. If you can't afford it, and I know plenty of you can't, post a link. Everything counts toward helping.
ETA 2: To everyone who has volunteered to donate money, thank you. If the need occurs, I will contact you. However, the need can't occur unless you spread this around. Link to it on LJ or DW or IJ or wherever your journals are. Tweet it. Put it on your Facebook, your Plurk, your Tumblr. Email your friends. What it comes down to is that this is just an exercise in me having a nice idea in the dark unless people spread the word. Don't just tell me you think it's great, tell other people that it exists. That way maybe the people who need it will hear and be brave enough to ask for help.
People are having a hard time. The economy sucks. Money is tight. I'm starting my first job in almost two years on Monday. But I've been lucky. My parents are financially stable, and I've been able to collect unemployment. The time since I was laid off has been humiliating and depressing, but I haven't actually been destitute. I've always had an out. Really, I am an incredibly fortunate human being. There are people on my friends list right now who don't know how they're going to make it. There are people who can't pay their bills, who can't afford their groceries. That's insane.
I'm not well off, not really. But comparatively? I have something to give. So here's the deal.
If you are honestly and sincerely worried about where your meals are coming from, if you are skimping out on food for other necessities or because there just isn't any money anymore, comment to this post with your name and address. All comments are screened, anon is on if you don't want to associate this with your lj persona, even just to me. If you want to talk about your situation, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine. For commenting to this post with your name and address, I will send you a care package of food. These will be things like boxes of mac and cheese or two-portion sizes of indian-food-inna-bag, pasta or ziploc baggies of rice or dried beans, things that don't necessarily cost a lot of money to buy or ship but count for calories and fullness and getting through the day. You can request one treat--a candy bar, bag of dried fruit or candy, or something similar--because it's the little things that sometimes make us feel a little more human and less hopeless.
I will ship these care packages anywhere in the continental US. I will never tell anyone you commented to this post, and unless you bring it up, we never have to talk about it again. I will comment to this post myself once so that no one can see any further action on the post. Being in this situation can be extremely humbling and shameful, even if it shouldn't be. Please, please, please don't feel too ashamed to ask. The only person who ever has to know is me, and I will never think less of anyone who admits they need help.
In return, when things get better, do something good for someone else whose life isn't going so well. Donate to a can drive, or give supplies to a local homeless shelter.
And if you can, make a post like this. Because maybe someone on your flist is hungry and feeling hopeless, alone, and ashamed.
ETA: Feel free to pass the link to this post around. I don't have to know you and you don't have to know me. That's not the most important thing here. Maybe more people will see it and more people who can afford to share will do so. If you can't afford it, and I know plenty of you can't, post a link. Everything counts toward helping.
ETA 2: To everyone who has volunteered to donate money, thank you. If the need occurs, I will contact you. However, the need can't occur unless you spread this around. Link to it on LJ or DW or IJ or wherever your journals are. Tweet it. Put it on your Facebook, your Plurk, your Tumblr. Email your friends. What it comes down to is that this is just an exercise in me having a nice idea in the dark unless people spread the word. Don't just tell me you think it's great, tell other people that it exists. That way maybe the people who need it will hear and be brave enough to ask for help.