While writing for 50 States of Blue, I posted a piece about the Kansas sales tax on groceries. Here is an update on that piece via a recent press release: Senate Bill 444 passed unanimously out of the Kansas Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee last night. The bill would lower…
If you’ve been paying attention to literacy activism for the past couple of years, then you’re probably already quite familiar with the notion of the Little Free Library. The idea there is that you post the little free library on your property, fill it with books, and others can…
In the article, “The Diaper Divide” by Cecelia Muñoz, there is a serious discussion about the cost of diapers creating an interesting dilemma for parents. While many parents are enjoying the conveniences of having diapers delivered directly to their doorsteps, many more parents are unable to afford this basic necessity for…
What is the cycle of poverty? In general, it is the trend where a family becomes impoverished for at least three generations. There have been many different approaches to trying to break the cycle of poverty, and the efforts to free families from being trapped by poverty are noble. but…
What happens when you have a vacant lot in a city? Rather than leave the space empty, North Chicago is turning vacant lots into pop-up gardens. According to a Nation Swell article by Kathleen O’Brian, “North Chicago Vacant Lots Turn Into Pop-Up Gardens,” a local resident, Lamonda Joy, has taken…
The Dress a Girl Around the World program is sponsored by the organization Hope 4 Women International. The program has provided over 300,000 dresses for girls around the world. Participants sew a dress out of cotton fabric for a young girl to wear. Often, these are the only new dresses that…
Getting involved with organizations that wish to strike out poverty is a noble mission. In order to understand why so many people are concerned with the plight of those living in poverty, it’s important to first answer the question, “What is poverty? The World Bank defines poverty this way: “Poverty…
*This is a reprint of the article I wrote for Equanimity Magazine, “From Start to Finish” profiling an organization I’m involved with, J.B. Dondolo. I wanted to take a moment and introduce you to a pet project of mine.* Whenever you start a project, you generally intend see it through to…
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that I have actually worked for. I helped to build a house in 2011 through their Women’s Build program. They are a great organization to be involved with. You can see me playing amateur electrician in the image to the right. If you’re…
Doctors Without Borders is one of the older health agencies working to assist individuals around the world. This organization was founded in 1971, and according to their website, all members: Médecins Sans Frontières provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of…
