An All Faiths update

All Faiths let me know that they won’t have the final tallies on donations until possibly just before New Year’s. Sorry! I’m going to wait until then to do the drawing and finalize that column. It’s a good thing, though, because they said they’re so busy, they just haven’t caught up with all the donations in general. That’s a great problem to have! So, stay tuned and I’ll update the Reality Reader drive next week.

All Faiths update

Hey, anyone who might be looking for news about the results of the MC Reality Reader/All Faiths Food Bank fundraising drive — sorry!

All Faiths didn’t have a chance to get the numbers to me yesterday, so unfortunately, I can’t give you an update. I’m going to hold off on the drawing until I get the numbers in and then do a wrap-up column/posting.

Whatever amount we raised — doesn’t really matter, but I did want to include that in the final column about the drive.

So, I’ll report more about that on Monday hopefully!

All Faiths drive ends tomorrow! Still time to donate …

Hey, just a reminder that the MC Reality Reader/All Faiths Food Bank fundraising drive ends tomorrow — Thursday, December 18th at 5 p.m.!

If you’d like to donate, there’s still time — just go to the All Faiths website and make a donation online (and be sure to enter “MC Reality Drive” in the special instructions section). Also, if you do make a donation and want to take part in the random drawing — just post a blog comment to let me know or send me an email to mcrealityonline@yahoo.com.

MC on the radio tomorrow chatting up the All Faiths/Reality Reader fundraising drive

Emily Berno, one of the hosts of the popular local radio program — Truly Sustainable Sarasota — which airs Thursday mornings from 9 to 10 am, heard about the All Faiths/Reality Readers fundraising drive and has invited me on air tomorrow to chat the drive up and hopefully encourage listeners to chip in with their own donations.

It will be a quick piece — 5 or 10 minutes or so. 9:45 a.m., Thursday, December 11 and, if you feel like listening in, you can listen from your computer.

I’ll be posting an update on this blog sometime by Friday about how the drive is going and I sure do appreciate all the emails of support and the interest in the drive!

Pricking our hearts … giving pelican-style

I heard from All Faiths today, and in just one week, Reality readers have donated $612 to help feed the needy and hungry folks in our community. That’s the equivalent of 970 meals if you can believe it! Isn’t that amazing?

I’m really blessed (and I don’t say that lightly) and very grateful for the response from so many of you. Thank you SO VERY MUCH for participating in the drive.

There’s still time to make donations — the drive continues through December 18th. (more…)

Wake up, MC, there really is a Santa Claus!

After yesterday’s blog posting, It’s About Love, a reader wrote to me and encouraged me to find some way to do my annual fundraising drive for All Faiths Food Bank despite the fact that I don’t have an in-print column.

The thought hadn’t occurred to me, really, and I’m really thankful (in the spirit of the season!) that this reader took the time to read my blog and then encourage me to look for an alternative way to do good for others. I think I thought I couldn’t help All Faiths this year — because I don’t have a print column and perhaps because I’ve got so many struggles of my own right now, that I truly thought I didn’t have the resources to help others.

Luckily, this reader woke me up! He encouraged me to not give up quite so easily as I had. And … he was willing to put his money where his mouth was – by offering up a sizeable donation to get things rolling. Beyond his generosity in offering to make a donation, his gentle kick in the butt is even more important to me — and it proves something I’ve been thinking about ever since Obama was elected. (more…)

It’s about love

When you share what you have with someone else, no matter what word you throw at it – charity, compassion, philanthropy, kindness, generosity – really, it’s all about love. (more…)

A Season for Believing

As published in the Tampa Tribune November 21, 2007.

Years ago, late on a Sunday afternoon, I found myself sitting in my favorite café in the North End of Boston, calculating whether to buy another cappuccino or save the few dollars I had in my pocket for subway tokens to get back and forth to work that week. Post-college, I was broke, as usual, and relying on cigarettes and coffee to keep the stomach from rumbling too much. (more…)

Thankful for what matters

Originally published October 2007.

Newspapers – good ones — help foster connections and compassion within a community, and I’m grateful to be a small part of that through the Pelican Press.

But without readers, newspapers (not to mention moi) would be out of business. (more…)