What People Can Do

I’m going to break a rule of mine and tell you where I work. Initially, I was going to write some cute thing about a “friend of mine,” but that seemed increasingly dumb the more I thought about it.

I work in the I.T. Department at Saint Vincent de Paul Villages, supporting the computers, phones, and other gizmos that help those who deal directly with those less fortunate than ourselves do their jobs. Instead of fiddling with computers, I’ve spent the last two days assisting the warehousemen accept donations from the public, and loading those donations into trucks to be dispersed throughout the county. Restaurants delivered freshly-cooked food. Individuals brought everything from soap to blankets to clothes to more food. Civic groups brought their own donation collections to us for distribution.

We’re not only distributing food and clothing to our own shelters around the county, but also delivering necessities to the other shelters and evacuation points. Follow the link above if you have something to donate, but here are some tips:

• Don’t bring toys. They have plenty.
• If you can swing it, they can really use small gas grilles, propane bottles, and even generators for homes with life support equipment but no electric service.
• You can bring perishable food to 3350 E Street. They have a refrigeration unit that you can drive a truck into and they can certainly handle a lot of food. Their cooks are busy preparing meals for displaced families around the clock.
• Baby stuff is a huge need. Jars of baby food, formula, and diapers are most welcome.
• Blankets, blankets, blankets. If you have them, they want them.

There’s a lot more stuff that they can use, especially cash to keep the trucks rolling, the barbeque grills hot, and those perishables cold.

For pictures from neighborhoods throughout the county and lists of links, go see Citizen Smash, San Diego Blog, and Science Meets Art.

There, I feel much better now.

Your pal,

– bob

P.S. If you were thinking of sending me donations to forward to them, I’m all for it. I can’t give you a receipt though. Everything that goes in the Amazon Pity Box from now until….oh, let’s say November 15th…goes to the fire fund at Saint Vincent de Paul. Sound okay?

UPDATE: This is pretty neat for me. Network World Fusion mentioned this post in their compendium of the week’s events. Does that mean that I’m pretty important? Only if you wish to believe that (and I won’t stop you).