Locations
My wife sent me an article from the Seattle PI reporting that Toys for Tots (a treasured and uber popular holiday toy drive) has collected only about 5,000 toys so far—compared with the 50,000 toys that have been donated by this time during most years. This regrettable lack of donations really got me thinking:
With national economic turmoil, it’s pretty easy to justify pinching every penny…after all, who knows which of our family members or friends is next to get the rug pulled from under their feet by the national/global economic downturn. As of a week ago, I would’ve been writing this from my ivory tower. At least a few times a day, my mind wanders to two main ideas:
- 1. That I’m lucky to have a job at all
- 2. That I’m doubly lucky to have a job that I love with an extraordinary group of people
And from the conversations I’ve had, I don’t think I’m the only one with these ideas cascading between my conscious and subconscious. I’ve been stuffing every penny I can salvage under the mattress, waiting for the pendulum to swing back to the prosperity we’ve experienced in recent history—after reading the article in the PI, it turns out I’m not the only one. With “economic crisis” and “unprecedented job losses” filling our airwaves, it’s easy to feel like we should just lay low and wait this one out.
This article is a clear call to action for me (and the folks at Projectline and beyond) to pitch-in and make whatever impact we can make. While we’re considering the impact of the downturn on our own lives, it’s very important to remember that there are children in our neighborhoods who are learning more and more, day-by-day about the disappointment of downturns, bursting bubbles, recessions, and bull markets (well, maybe not bull markets). Now, when families are in the most need, is not a time when we should pull back our charitable giving.
So what is Projectline going to do about it? Not only are we going to keep up with our regular volunteering and donations, we are going to add a Toys for Tots drive to our December duties. Projectline owners Mike Kichline, David Jones, and Anika Lehde have also offered to match all Projectline donations to Toys for Tots. View the video we made about our Toys for Tots drive here.
What are your plans for giving while the need is high?