It all started a few weeks ago. I read a blog post by one of my favorite writers, Jill Smokler of Scary Mommy.com, that caused me to immediately take action. She was asking readers who felt they had money to spare to offer $25 donations that could be used to buy grocery store gift cards for readers who said they couldn’t afford to buy food for Thanksgiving.Her goal was to match two donors to each person asking for assistance on her blog. She had been moved to do something as a response to remarks made in her “Confessional” section on her site by women not being able to provide for their families on Thanksgiving Day.
More than 600 readers offered to help, contributing more than $18,000 in cash and gift cards – enough to provide dinner for 378 families. I paid the amount as soon as Jill asked and waited to be put in touch with the donor I was matched up with. During this process, I discovered that last year, 17.2 million households in the United States were food insecure, the highest level on record, as the Great Recession continued to wreak havoc on families across the country. Of those 17.2 million households, 3.9 million included children. This is not a subject to take lightly. Jill’s campaign is a wonderful example of how social media can lead to more good in the world, and this is proof that we can make a difference through our words and by coming together.
Meanwhile, Jill emailed a bunch of people who donated money and asked us if we were available to speak to a reporter on Good Morning America. I quickly responded and voila! The next day I was interviewed by Juju Chang on Skype and the finished product is below. I am so honored to be involved with anything that Jill does and it certainly made my Thanksgiving extra special knowing that helped push the cause along. I also want my children to learn from my actions and hope that by seeing me participate in a national cause, they will learn to be more considerate of the less fortunate.
what a great piece! happy thanksgiving!