Good Monkeys

Stories, Please!

I need your help.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share stories about good people in the world. I've started by featuring good non-profit groups but I'd like to expand, if you can help me.

Let's collect some stories together.

Currently, I don't have time to interview each organization and get stories about the people and animals they have helped. Some websites have success stories, but many don't have the resources to post them.

If you know someone who has been touched by one of these groups, can you ask them to write a comment on the post and tell their story? Just send them a link to the site (you can get a link to a particular post by clicking "permalink" that is at the end of each one) and ask them to share.

If you are involved in one of these organizations, would be post a comment and share your story? You can tell us how it feels to volunteer, a story about a special someone you've helped, anything so that we can get to know more about the organization.

I've been getting lovely emails from the groups on the blog but it would be so nice for others to join in te pleasure.

There is so much power in a good story. Please share yours. You may never know who you inspire to change the world.

And don't forget to subscribe so you know what new group is featured each day. It will save you having to remember to run back to the blog and check. If you're anything like me, having to remember something is a hit or miss affair.

Thanks again for all the wonderful things you do to make the world a little better place.

The Giving Heart

Since I started this blog on Thanksgiving, I thought it only appropriate that my first post be about the holiday.

Yesterday my friend, Ellen, and I went down to the Richmond (Virginia) Convention Center to serve Thanksgiving dinner to folks invited by The Giving Heart.

There are lots of organizations that prepare and serve holiday meals for needy individuals and families, but what makes The Giving Heart so special is that anyone, absolutely anyone is invited.

Students who don't have family in town to share dinner with, professionals such as police, doctors and EMT's who can't leave their shift to get home to eat and even people who want to meet new friends or just want to share in a sense of community are all invited to join the meal.

All told, The Giving Heart served 3,000 guests yesterday. The feast included 308 turkeys, 160 gallons of mashed potatoes, 200 gallons of green beans, 200 gallons of stuffing and 80 gallons of made-from--scratch gravy. To top it off, there were 150 apple pies and 150 pumkin pies for guests to enjoy. Local school children decorated and donated over 1000 placemats and centerpieces to make the tables festive.

One of the things that made the meal so enjoyable was that only a small percentage of the over 300 volunteers were used for servers. The remainder were stationed at the dining tables to be "conversationalists." Their job was simply to make everyone feel welcome and to get dialogues started at the tables.

As I walked through the giant ballroom, I was struck by the diversity of the crowd. At one table I saw a young caucasian woman, an older African-American gentleman, two Indian women and a smattering of small children, all happily chatting away over a shared meal.

Some of the day's attendees had obviously spent time on the street and had their shopping bags of possessions tucked under their chairs while others clearly had come from easier circumstances. Regardless of their backgrounds, all seemed to be enjoying each other's company and making new friends.

After dinner, guests were invited to do some shopping. In a room off the main dining hall, The Giving Heart had arranged donated coats, blankets, radios, shoes, children's clothing, socks, gloves, toys, books and even bags of food for the taking.

The Giving Heart is an all-volunteer organization and could use any resources you'd like to contribute. This year's meal cost $8000 after the donations made by local businesses and next year's event is projected to cost more.

If you can, I'm sure The Giving Heart would welcome any small donation you can contribute, including spreading the word about the good work they are doing.

I hope each of you had a happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). If you're in Richmond, VA next year, come on down to the Convention Center and join the festivities. I'll be there!

If you know of similar organizations in your own community, please feel free to tell us about them by commenting on this post. You never know who might read your post and be the helper an organization needs at just the right time.