Good Monkeys

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.

What the heck is Good Monkeys?

Murder, mayhem, housing marketing slumps, economic downturns, theft, accidents, bankruptcies, corporate malfeasance, rising credit card debts, slanderous politicking, rape, Hollywood idiocy and excess, natural disasters, war, famine; the list goes on and on.

That's what you'll find in most news delivered to the American public. I've read other countries' newspapers and other news portals and, while I can't claim it is true everywhere, it seems to be a fairly general rule that only the stories about human downfall make the headlines.

If that bothers you, you might be in the right place.

I'm creating my own tiny space in the world to write about and distribute only the good stuff that happens in the world. Everyday in communities around the world, individuals and small groups are slowly changing the world for the better.

And we ought to know about it.

Good Monkeys is a simply a place to find out about the good things people are doing to help each other and the planet we share.

I'll do my darndest to find a regular supply of good information to fill your brain, but I could use your help. If you run across someone in your community who is doing something, no matter how small, to be a good neighbor, a good citizen or to help someone else, let me know. I'll find a way to get it out to the rest of the world in my own small way.

Perhaps we can get enough good stories, contacts and information out there to make some serious change in the world. By connecting those who have a lot with those who don't, we can make some progress as a species.

That's my belief, anyway. I hope you'll join me in the adventure in any way you can.

If you like the blog, please subscribe to the RSS feed on the right side. You'll get a notice each time a new article is posted AND if we get enough subscribers, we can get some funding to spread the news farther and wider!

 

As Margaret Mead so eloquently stated, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens  can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Welcome to Good Monkeys. Because we're all connected.