Give Back in a Flash: Help Life Haven Shelter by joining them for the Summer on the Sound event!

Hi there do-gooders,

Life Haven is an amazing temporary shelter providing a safe environment for homeless pregnant women and women with young children right here in New Haven.  Want an easy way to have fun and support Life Haven in all the integral work that they do for our community?  Buy a ticket or consider sponsoring their Summer on the Sound event!  This great event will feature a silent auction, food, family fun and a fabulous view of the sound at the beautiful Owenego Inn and Beach Club.

Here are the details:

August 16, 2012
6-8 pm 
Owenego Inn and Beach Club
Branford, CT
$50 per ticket

Click here to buy your ticket!

For general information or for sponsorship opportunities, please call Elizabeth Hilton at 203-776-6208 ext. 23

Have a great time giving back to Life Haven at this wonderful event!

xo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Columbus House shelter is in urgent need of a few items!

Hi do-gooders,

Our friends over at the wonderful Columbus House are in need of some items.  Can you help them out by donating a few?

The following items are needed urgently:

• Full sized Depends
• NEW socks and underwear
• Shaving Cream
• Sunscreen (50+ SPF)
• SMALL bars of soap
• Foot spray
• Floss picks

If you can donate any of these items, please contact Sheree DiMario at sdimario@columbushouse.org or 203-401-4400, ext. 138.

Keep on giving back, do-gooders!

xo Jessica

Giving back online from home? Yes, please!

Dearest do-gooders,

This new way of giving back is SO easy that you can do it from the comfort of your own home in your pajamas! Called "microvolunteering," the idea is that, people in need go online and post their needs, and if you can help them out, you sign up to help. Whether it's a charter school that needs a slogan or a startup non-profit that needs someone with grant writing experience to give them a hand, there are many opportunities to be a microvolunteer!

My absolute favorite microvolunteering site is Sparked!  Take a short survey regarding your interests and then Sparked will connect you with a host of different "challenges" to choose from where your knowledge, experience and interests will be put to good use.  My recommended challenges today include helping a health and medicine policy group think of a raffle idea, helping a poverty-relieving agency with their pinterest page and helping an organization in India think of ways to fundraise to keep girls from small villages in school.  Sounds pretty easy, right?  Take a look and see what challenges you can help with!

Other sites to check out include two out of the United Kingdom: Spots of Time and Help from Home, which have similar platforms.  Check them out and become a microvolunteer!

How easy is that?

xo Jessica

Moving out, giving back, going forward!

Hello do-gooders!

I apologize for the lengthy delay in this new post.  I have been in the midst of a transition as I have relocated from the Hartford area to the New Haven area.  It was a big move for us, especially because we were moving from a bigger apartment into a smaller apartment.  Moving is no fun, ever.  It's just awful and time-consuming and we moved ourselves so it involved a lot of elbow grease as well.

We also were in the position of having a lot of excess furniture and other household items that wouldn't fit in our new apartment.  In light of our moving and shedding excess, I cleaned out my closet to see what I hadn't worn in a while and had several bags full of clothes, shoes and accessories that I didn't need anymore.

The question, of course, became, what do we do with this stuff?  Donate it of course!!  The next question became, where?  I'll tell you!

One of my favorite organizations in Hartford, the South Park Inn, ended up taking every single donated item we had to give for their transitional housing program and they made it easy to do.  We just called, told them what we had to donate and then dropped it off!  If you'd like to donate to South Park Inn, please call first to ensure that they have space for your donation.  The number is 860-724-0071!.

Now that I'm down in New Haven, I will be updating with local giving more oriented to the city I live in.  Here are some wonderful furniture donation centers where your old stuff can make a big difference to someone else:

The Furniture Co-Op at New Haven Home Recovery
30 Morriss Ave
West Haven, CT
T/R 10-6:00 or by appointment (Summer hours, increased hours starting in the fall)

The Furniture Co-Op partners with local organizations that pre-screen individuals so that your donation will help someone truly in need.  The individuals that benefit from Co-Op furniture are those transitioning from homelessness, those with disabilities and those with other insufferable hardships who need a hand.

To inquire about furniture donation, call 203-492-4866 x 13.

Helping Hands Community Thirft Store and Furniture Bank
1593 State Street
New Haven, CT
M, T, W, F 9:30-5:30
R 9:30-7:30
SA 9:30-5:00
SU 10-4

Helping Hands' furniture bank is available to clients of partnering social service and non-profit agencies.  The furniture is available to those transitioning from homelessness, those with HIV, low income senior citizens, victims of domestic violence and other needy people.  Plus Helping Hands has now partnered with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) to help refugees starting a new life here with their furniture needs.

Pick up of furniture is free in the Greater New Haven area!  Pick up is available for a reasonable fee outside of the Greater New Haven area.  To arrange pick up, call Allen Klein at 203-214-3038.  Otherwise drop off is available at any of their four drop-off centers, click here for the addresses.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army will pick up your clothes, furniture or household items for free!  There are also a lot of convenient drop-off bins.  For information on pick ups, call 1-800-SA-TRUCK (800-728-7825).

Happy donating and easy moving!

xo Jessica

UPDATE:  One commenter noted that Salvation Army has lengthy delays in booking times for pick up and should be used for those who know well in advance that they will be donating.  Just something to note and thank you to my commenter who pointed this out!

Give Back in a Flash!: Aces & Icicles is back!

Dearest do-gooders,

Last year, my old friend and tennis coach Billy Previdi and his family started a tennis fundraiser to benefit Connecticut Hospice.  Connecticut Hospice was the first hospice in America and it is an organization that is very dear to my heart. 

This year, the Second Annual Aces & Icicles Event will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the Walsh Intermediate School in Branford, CT.  Billy will be running two competitive sessions of "point play" tennis and there will be refreshments and prizes!

To reiterate my comments from last year, the Previdis are simply wonderful people whom I have had the pleasure of knowing since I was a little girl.  To be able to play tennis with Billy for $30 and to do it for a good cause is an absolutely incredible opportunity.  You can't give back easier (or more fun) than this event!

Here are the details:

Date:  Saturday, February 25, 2012

Time: Point play at 9:00 am to 10:30 am and then again from 10:30 am to noon

Location: Walsh Intermediate School

Cost: $30 per player

Sign up by emailing Billy at previdib at gmail or by going to the facebook event page here!

xo Jessica

P.S.  Can't make the event but want to donate?  Click here to find out how!

Give Back in a Flash: Can you help out Hands on Hartford on Leap Day?

Hello do-gooders!

I apologize for my extended absence.  In only two weeks, I swear I will be back to posting regularly and bringing you easy opportunities for giving back.

Here's a way to give back in a flash:

Hands on Hartford is currently looking for volunteers for their Take a Break from Work program where you can help serve lunch at MANNA Community Meals.  They are in need of volunteers on Leap Day which is February 29th!

Check it out here!

xo Jessica

P.S. Can't volunteer? Hands on Hartford is currently in need of clean new socks, personal toiletry items, and coffee!  Drop some off at 45 Church Street!

Give Back in a Flash: CT Whale and Hands on Hartford!

Hello do-gooders!

It's back!

On January 27th, 2012, giving back is easier than ever because the CT Whale hockey team will play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  A portion of the cost of each ticket will benefit Hands on Hartford.  Click here to find out more!

When: January 27, 2012--Doors open at 6 pm and game begins at 7 pm
Where: XL Center
How much: $14 per ticket

Purchase tickets through Hands on Hartford by January 22nd by contacting Tricia Hyacinth at 860-728-3201 or at thyacinth@handsonhartford.org

Remember to bring a food item or new pair of socks to the game to benefit Hands on Hartford's MANNA programs!

See you at the game!

xo Jessica

New logo is here!

Hello do-gooders,

The new logo is up!  So grateful to a special friend who designed it for me.  Let me know what you think!  New posts coming shortly.

xo Jessica

Coming soon on GBIE!

Stay tuned, do-gooders!  Coming soon is a new logo.  I am also working on updating more often, even if it's little tidbits to help you do good one step at a time.  Please feel free to leave me feedback in the comments or pop me gmail at givingbackiseasy!

xoxo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Check out the Courant, do-gooders!

Hey do-gooders,

The Hartford Courant has a great article today listing local volunteer opportunities for the holidays.  Check it out here!

xoxo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Thanksgiving help for the Veterans at Harkness House!

A note from our friends at the wonderful Columbus House:

Can you donate some Thanksgiving joy for our Veterans at Harkness House? 

We're hoping to get four Thanksgiving dinner baskets with a turkey and all the fixings--one for each of the four apartments. Each apartment is home to four guys. 

Email swarfield@columbushouse.org if you want to help!

Give Back in a Flash: Turkey and a Twenty is back in 2011!

Dearest do-gooders,

This post is a little nostalgic for me since my very first blog post last year was about this wonderful program and I'm so glad it's back again this year!  Foodshare presents it's Turkey and a Twenty Campaign. 

All you have to do is purchase a turkey from any grocery store of any size and bring it to your local drop-off location.  A list of local drop-off locations can be found here and drop-off events like Turkey Trots and more can be found here. Foodshare will use the turkey that you donate to help out a low income family in the greater Hartford area so that they will be able to have a special Thanksgiving celebration that would not otherwise be available to them. Then when you donate a $20 bill to Foodshare when you drop off the turkey, you can help Foodshare to help these low income families for the whole year!

Even easier way to give back?  Chip in with some friends for the turkey and split the $20! There's strength in numbers!  You can also donate enough money for a turkey and the $20, if you're strapped for time, right on Foodshare's website.

Want to up-level your giving? Volunteer to collect turkeys for Foodshare or join the 1000 Turkey Challenge!  Make a team with your friends and try to collect at least 20 turkeys and $20 bills to meet the 2011 challenge!

What you should know. Most collections are day-dependent.  For instance, the UCONN School of Social Work in Hartford is collecting turkeys ONLY tomorrow, November 4th.  Most places are collecting sometime between November 15th and November 20th.  Check the drop-off location for your area now to see when and where is most convenient for your drop-off. 

Start your holiday season by giving back easy!

xo Jessica

Loan a little, get a lot, do-gooders!

Happy fall do-gooders!

I recently discovered an amazing website that makes giving back ridiculously easy.  I had heard of microfinance loans before, but was never really sure what it was all about.  Kiva is a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty through the use of loans.  Here's how it works!

Basically, you browse the thousands of entrepreneurs on Kiva's website who don't have access to traditional banking systems or bank loans throughout the world but who have a great idea or a business already up and running that just needs a little more money to get moving.  You select someone or a group of people whose work really speaks to you, and you lend them as little as $25 for their project on Kiva's website.

Since Kiva was founded in 2005, over 600,000 people have made loans amounting to $248 million directly to those in need with a 98.87% repayment rate.  That's pretty astonishing.  Plus every penny goes directly to the borrower.  Kiva takes no cut of the money and charges no interest to the borrowers!

This morning, I loaned $25 to Ajala Hamza in Msambweni, Kenya who is now 55% of the way to her goal of a $225 loan.  Ajala is a widow with five children.  Three of her children have finished high school and two are still in school.  The family lives in a house without running water or electricity.  Ajala has a vegetable business but it is difficult for her to transport her vegetables to the market.  She is hoping to expand into raising chickens so that she has something more sustainable than the vegetable business which barely provides enough for her to feed her family.

There are thousands of people like Ajala who could use a loan to jump start their business venture.  Kiva offers agricultural, housing, educational, and business loans, and there are people and groups all over the world that you can help.  Plus, it's a loan--so you're actually investing and giving back at the same time!

Could giving back get any easier?

xo Jessica

UPDATE: Since this post, Ajala has raised 100% of her goal. Amazing!!!  There are so many others in need of a loan on Kiva.  Let's see if we can help them too!

Give Back in a Flash: Motorcycle Run to Help Homeless Vets!

Dear do-gooders,

I'm not much of a motorcyle-rider, but I know a lot of you are, and here's a fun and easy way to bring out your bike for a great cause.  Columbus House, one of my favorite shelters (though they do so much more than simply provide shelter), has an initiative called The Homefront which helps homeless Veterans.  The Homefront provides stable housing, educational and vocational training, encouragement and support for Vets in need.

So here's where you come in!  On September 17th, Columbus House will have its 3rd Annual Motorcycle Run to Benefit Homeless Veterans.  You can get more info and buy tickets online here and you can see great photos from last year's event here.  The ride will begin at Hope Christian Church and will be a 50 mile ride roundtrip.  Come early for bagels and coffee.  After the ride, stick around for a BBQ lunch, live music, and silent auction.  100% of proceeds go to the Homefront.

Like me and not a rider or just can't make the event?  Click here to make a donation, or call 203-401-4400 ext. 116 to contribute with a credit card over the phone, or mail a check to Columbus House, ATTN: Homefront, P.O. Box 7093, New Haven, CT 06519.

Last year over 65 riders participated in the Run.  Can we help beat this number this year?

Here are the all the details:

When: Saturday, September 17th, 2011
Where: Start at Hope Christian Church, 211 Montowese Ave, North Haven, CT
Time: Registration is at 10 am, Bikes leave 11 am
Length: 50 miles roundtrip
Cost: $20 for motorcycle and one rider, $10 for each passenger
Tickets available: Here!

Give back easy, do-gooders!

xo Jessica

Give a Good Night's Rest, do-gooders!

Good morning, do-gooders!

There is a great need at shelters and transitional housing units this summer for clean sheets and pillow cases. The bedding in shelters get a lot of wear and they are constantly in need of a fresh supply. We all have some sheets in our closet that we don't use very much or we have sheets from college that are now too small for our bigger beds. There are a lot of area shelters that can put these sheets to good use!

Or maybe you're doing some back-to-school shopping at Target or any number of home stores and can pick up an extra set of sheets or towels to donate so that someone can use them to make a fresh start. Even easier? Order online and have it shipped directly to the shelters!  One of my favorite giving back companies, The Company Store, has a great selection of sheets (pictured above) on sale. (Bonus: For every comforter you buy from the Company Store, they will donate a comforter to a homeless child!)

Each shelter/transitional housing unit has its own unique requirements, so I've laid out all the pertinent details below including whether the need is immediate or on a general on-going basis.

Hartford

St. Elizabeth House
Need level: Immediate
New only?: Yes
Size: Only Twin
Other need?: Toiletries
Contact: Tenesha Grant, 860-808-2114, tgrant@mercyhousingct.org 
Shipping address: 118 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106

Loaves and Fishes Ministries
Need level: Ongoing
New only?: New or gently used, but must be clean
Size: Queen, full, or twin
Other need?: Bath towels, full sized toiletries, diapers, latex gloves
Location: Drop off 360 Farmington Ave, Hartford Mon-Fri 9am-11am or 1pm-3pm but call first
Contact: Alyce at 860-524-1730
Shipping address: 360 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT 06105

South Park Inn Shelter

Need level: Ongoing

New only?: New or gently used but must be clean

Size: Only Twin

Other need? New underwear, socks, t-shirts & pajamas and more

Location: Bring items to 75 Main Street, Hartford or contact 860-724-0071

Shipping address: 75 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106

Middletown

Shepherd Home
Need level: Immediate
New only?: Sheets must be new, blankets may be gently used but must be clean
Size: Only Twin
Other need? Click here for an extensive list
Contact: Damion Baker, 860-344-0766, dbaker@mercyhousingct.org
Shipping address: 112 Bow Lane, Middletown, CT 06457

New Haven

New Haven Home Recovery
Need level: Ongoing
New only?: New or gently used, but must be clean
Size: Only Twin
Other need? Towels, blankets, pillows, diapers, full-sized toiletries and more
Location: Bring items Mon-Fri between 9 am and 4 pm to 153 East St., 2nd Floor.
Contact: Agnes Estes 203-492-4866 ext. 10
Shipping address: 153 East Street, New Haven, CT, 06511

Columbus House
Need level: Ongoing
New only?: New or gently used, but must be clean
Size: Only Twin
Other need?: Bath towels, new underwear and socks, toiletries
Location: 586 Ella T. Grasso Blvd
Contact: Sara, info@columbushouse.org
Shipping address: Columbus House, PO Box 7093, New Haven, CT 06519

Take advantage of the upcoming white sales at the end of the summer to share with others in need!  It's a little thing you can do to help someone have a fresh start and to give the shelters some much needed support.  They will be so grateful.

Pretty easy, right?

xo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Helping with Haircuts!

Hey do-gooders!

As you know, I am a huge fan of the "get one, give one" phenomenon which has really boomed with the charitable consumer goods market.  Now, "get one, give one" comes to haircuts and giving back couldn't be any easier!  Take your children to the Hair Cuttery for their haircuts from August 1st through August 15th and for each paid haircut, a free haircut will be donated to a child in need so that every child can look great for school in September!

The Hair Cuttery is back again this year for its Twelfth Annual "Share a Haircut" Campaign!  For every paid haircut for a child aged 18 or younger, the Hair Cuttery will provide a free haircut for a disadvantaged child.  This service is available at all 900 Hair Cuttery salons across the nation!  Click here to find your local Hair Cuttery.  Over the past 12 years, the Hair Cuttery has provided over 500,000 free haircuts to needy kids so that they can look great for their first day back at school.

For those of us in West Hartford, here are the closest Hair Cuttery locations:

Elmwood Plaza
176 Newington Road
Suite D
West Hartford, CT
860-523-3221

Corbin's Corner
585 Hartford Rd
New Britain, CT
860-229-0128

Glastonbury
2753 Main Street
Glastonbury, CT
860-652-0016

How easy is that?!

xo Jessica

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Give Back in a Flash: Get Fit and Fight Cancer!

Good afternoon, do-gooders!

Looking for a way to get fit and do good all at once?  

Give back in a flash by attending a pilates class in the beautiful Elizabeth Park early in September sponsored by Pilates Defined, a pilates studio in Elmwood, West Hartford.

Pilates Defined is holding a group pilates mat class to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund as a tribute to one of its members who recently lost the battle with ovarian cancer. 100% of the proceeds of the event will go to the OCR Fund.  All pilates levels are enthusiastically encouraged to attend!

September 10th

Elizabeth Park in Hartford

$20 Suggested Donation

All levels

Grab a mat, go, and give back!

xo Jessica

Sorry for the delay, do-gooders!

Dearest do-gooders,

Apologies for my long absence.  After final exams from my third year of law school, I spent the month of June working full-time and studying for the bar at night and then studying my tail off for the bar in the month of July.  Now that it's all over, I am finally able to get back to showing you more easy ideas for giving back!  Hopefully, I will be able to update more frequently and improve the look and feel of the blog too.  As usual, please leave any suggestions in the comments!  I would love to hear your ideas.

I have several posts in the works for great upcoming ways to give back to the community, especially some Give Back in a Flash posts which can help you plan the next month with fun ways to help others in need!

Looking forward to it and also some rest this month.

Take it easy!

xo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Give good prom, do-gooders!

Dearest do-gooders,

We all have a dress in our closet that we've worn once or a bridesmaid dress that we know we won't have an opportunity to wear again.  Put that dress to good use and help a girl feel beautiful on prom night!

Hamden High School in Hamden, CT is seeking donations of new or gently used gowns that could be worn to prom for its Dream Girls Prom Shop!  All sizes are needed and accessories are also accepted.  If you have any questions or would like to donate a dress, contact Jane Glynn at 203-407-2008 or by email at jglynn@hamden.org.

Happy giving!

xo Jessica

Giving Back Guest Post: Add a Fifth Question to your Passover Seder, do-gooders!

Giving Back Is Easy—Just Ask One More Question at Your Seder!

By: Ivan Porto, Giving Back is Easy Guest Blogger

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

With April 18 around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about Passover – a time when Jews all over the world gather with friends and family to commemorate our people’s liberation from slavery and oppression. While a significant aspect of this holiday is focused on food—delicious, unleavened food—Passover also provides an opportunity for reflection.

During our seders, we retell the Passover story so we will never forget that we were once slaves. Times have changed for many of us, but unfortunately many others are still enslaved – to hunger.

50 million Americans – including 17 million children – are unsure when or if their next meal will come. That’s more hungry people in this country than the entire population of Canada. It is clear that we can’t claim complete victory over this oppression just yet.

There is another way – an end to hunger is within our reach.

Early in the seder we say, “All who are hungry, let them enter and eat.” More than an invitation to join us at the dinner table, we at MAZON see these words as a rallying cry – a call to do more to help those who so desperately need it; to fight for responsible government policies that promote the health and security of everyone in our nation; to provide access to resources that allow people to pick themselves up and build (or rebuild) their lives; to give every man, woman and child a chance not only to live their lives, but to thrive.

You can join with MAZON to raise awareness about hunger during Passover by participating in our Fifth Question campaign:

1.   Bring hunger to your Seder by asking a Fifth Question: Why on this night are millions of people going hungry? Encourage conversation about and/or discuss ways you might help to fight the epidemic of hunger in America.

2.   Activate your network as hunger-fighters. Share MAZON’s Fifth Question posts and information and encourage others to get involved.

3.   Share your hunger-fighting ideas with MAZON. Write your commitment on a Fifth Question placemat and send us a picture (iporto@mazon.org). We’ll showcase your placemat on our Facebook page to share it with our larger anti-hunger community.

Chag Sameach, do-gooders!

Ivan