Tip of the Week:  Revisit Free Rice!

Ages ago, I wrote about Free Rice, a nonprofit site sponsored by the United Nations World Food Program.  Free Rice tests the vocabulary of its visitors, donating ten grains of rice for every correct answer.  Over the years, Free Rice has fed over 4.2 million people in need worldwide.

Today, Free Rice has expanded to include other subjects like art, chemistry, math and geography, and hopefully will encourage more “players” for this terrific cause.

Joining Free Rice is a new site similar to Free Rice but for the benefit of dogs – Free Kibble!  Free Kibble is dedicated to providing food for dogs living in shelters.  A trivia question is posted each day and correct answers result in the donation of 10 pieces of kibble for hungry dogs everywhere.

And joining Free Kibble is Free Kibble Cat.  Free Kibble Cat is essentially the same as Free Kibble, but for cats!

Challenge your knowledge while helping people and animals!  All of these sites are addictive and totally admirable!

Getmilkshake.com

Tip of the Week:  Meet Milkshake!

I recently discovered the website that calls itself Milkshake and came to realize two things: 1.  that I love this site and 2. that it has absolutely nothing to do with milkshakes!  Milkshake chose its unique name because, quite simply, milkshakes are good – and what they offer is also, quite simply, good.

Each day, Milkshake features products, causes, destinations, sustainable endeavors and compassionate companies, and invites readers to support these efforts in a variety of ways including the purchase of specialty items and volunteerism.  Some recently highlighted projects have included: I.O.U. a line of sustainable, artisan clothing and Unitedesign, a collection of handcrafted home goods from around the world.

Milkshake’s tag line reads:  good finds that give back delivered daily.  I truly enjoy their emails – they are a small reminder of the world beyond my laptop and its many inconsequential email messages.  Please take a look at Milkshake today and see if you don’t share my sentiments!

And don’t miss out – JOIN OUR COMMUNITY ON FACEBOOK, where we’d love to hear about your own favorite websites!

Tip of the Week:  The Great American Bake Sale!

Yesterday, cookbook author Sandra Lee hosted the World’s Largest Bake Sale in New York City’s Grand Central Station!  Lee, along with several other celebrity chefs, hoped to raise $50,000 to benefit Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale: No Kid Hungry.  The event included food offerings from many of the city’s most famous restaurants and guest appearances from Lee, as well as Emeril Lagasse, Rosanna Scotto and Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes.

In addition to the proceeds from the bake sale, Sandra Lee is donating 50% of the profits from purchases of her latest book, Bake Sale Cookbook to Share Our Strength. The cookbook includes both sweet and savory selections, all promising to be quick and easy.

Host Your Own Bake Sale!

Sandra Lee has made it simple to host your own bake sale to fight childhood hunger with downloadable posters, flyers, pricing guides and general tips for success. (See Bake Sale Resource Center)  Last year, bake sales across the country raised over one million dollars, while educating the public and creating awareness of the issue of childhood hunger in America!

I love that an effort as simple as hosting a bake sale in your own hometown can have such an ambitious goal as eliminating childhood hunger by 2015!  I hope this goal becomes a reality!

In the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill, a number of unique products have appeared in the market place that make significant contributions to wildlife and cleanup organizations!

For Kids

Rescue Me T-Shirts

Sales of these cute T-shirts, featuring a green turtle and the words “Rescue Me” benefit The Audubon Nature Institute’s Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program.  (Fleurty Girl, Rescue Me T-Shirt, $20)

Rescue Bandyz – The Gulf Coast Edition

Those ever-popular rubber band bracelets now have a charitable side! Sales of the bands, which are shaped to represent actual sea creatures in the Gulf of Mexico, benefit the Tri-State Bird Rescue Organization.  (Bandyz, Gulf Coast Bandyz, $4.99)

For Women

Cute Whale Pendant

This adorable whale necklace, hand crafted in silver, offers $15 of each sale to the National Wildlife Federation Clean Up Fund! (Etsy – Squirrelbunny, Cute Whale Pendant, $48)

Drop of Oil Necklace

This attractive, silver necklace is an abstract rendition of a drop of oil and 100% of the proceeds support clean up efforts.  (Joan Hornig Jewelry, Oil Drop Necklace, $50.40)

Shrimp Boot Charms

From jeweler Anne Dale, these three dimensional shrimp boot charms are adorable and charitable!  The charms feature white enamel and a fleur de lis bale.  Packaging in a mini oyster sack pouch is a special extra touch!  Proceeds benefit the restoration of fisheries and the way of life in the Gulf Coast region.  (The Anne Dale Collection, Shrimp Boot Charms, $59.95)

Please consider making a purchase from one of these generous vendors!  The oil flow may have been stopped, but clean up and animal rescue remains imperat

It is impossible to miss the tragic news footage depicting the earthquake devastation in Haiti, a country already struggling with extreme poverty.  But is it possible to help the earthquake victims from our homes?  Yes – and in so many ways!

Donate Money

While making a monetary donation may not feel quite the same as  “hands on” volunteering, money is what is most greatly needed!  Here is a link to ten relief organizations that are recommended by The Huffington Post:  10 Top Ways to Donate to Relief Efforts in Haiti

Assemble Health Kits

This would be a great project for scout troops or youth groups!  Health Kits are one gallon zip lock bags filled with:  a hand towel, wash cloth, comb, nail file, soap and a few other items.  The kits are being collected by the United Methodist Church and can be dropped off at any Methodist Church or mailed to one of their collection locations.  See UMCOR:  United Methodist Committee of Relief.

Gather Gently Used Shoes

Whether you just clean out the closets in your own home or organize a community wide drive, Soles 4 Souls is an agency dedicated to collecting gently used foot wear for men, women and children around the world, but especially in Haiti right now.  If you are looking for a way to involve your children in caring for the children of Haiti, this is a wonderful option.

Patronize Online Businesses Who Will Donate

There are many online retailers who are donating to Haiti relief agencies for each purchase made. For example, one of our favorite affiliates, Birthday in a Box, is donating $2 to Habitat for Humanity for each order placed!

Please keep the disaster ravaged people of Haiti in your thoughts and consider a donation, whether through one of the agencies above, or one of your own choosing.  Even the smallest gesture can mean the world to those suffering in this aftermath of this tragedy.