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Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign Underway

August 17, 2017 By Alana Roberts Leave a Comment

The 11th Annual Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign is underway with a goal of collecting 500,000 bottles of water to help people in need during the extreme summer heat.

“The campaign is a life saver for the less fortunate during the hot summer months. Our residents have been extremely generous in donating bottles of water in previous years and I know they are ready to do so again this year,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said.

A news conference to launch the campaign was held this morning at United Food Bank, which distributes donated water to numerous nonprofit organizations in Mesa and throughout the valley including Paz de Cristo, Mesa United Way and A New Leaf-East Valley Men’s Center.

“It’s no secret that as the temperature rises in Arizona, the need for water for the less fortunate rises along with it,” Mesa Councilmember and United Food Bank Board Member Kevin Thompson said. “This campaign has become a literal life saver for those individuals, and I know that as they have always done, our families, friends and the business community will step up and once again show their generosity through the donation of water bottles.”

Since the campaign began in 2007, more than 2.7 million bottles of water have been donated.

“Water is a basic necessity for human life. The Hydration Donation Campaign is an easy way to help our vulnerable neighbors during the heat of summer. $5 buys a case of water. I hope the community will step up and help by making a monetary or water donation to this campaign,” United Food Bank Interim President and CEO Dave Richins said.

The Mesa Hydration Donation campaign is a stark reminder of the dangers of summer heat in Arizona, which first responders encounter daily.

“The risks of dehydration are great for anyone exposed to the triple digit temperatures, especially those who are unsheltered or don’t have a place to easily get out of the sun,” Mesa Fire and Medical Deputy Chief and Public Information Officer Forrest Smith said. “Without donations of water, the outcomes of our emergency responses to cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion or heat stroke would be much worse.”

Residents can donate water at Paz de Cristo at 424 W Broadway Rd. from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Blessing Kits at Jessica Knits

August 14, 2017 By Alana Roberts Leave a Comment

Donate a “Blessing Kit for the Homeless and receive 20% off during the month of August at this local knitting shop in Scottsdale, Arizona

Jessica Knits will be collecting the bags during the month of August. In exchange for your generosity, you will receive a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase.

Coupon expires 9/30/2017. Coupon cannot be combined with any other offer or customer rewards.

Stop in to get your knitting and crocheting supplies and see what events and classes they have to offer and help your community too! Visit their website at JessicaKits.com

Come Together

February 17, 2017 By Alana Roberts Leave a Comment

I wanted to share a recent post by one of my favorite Daily Om writer’s Madisyn Taylor titled, Come Together.

In our world, there is always someone in need of our best efforts to rally a group of helpers and healers.

We humans have a knack for coming together and rising up to our potential in the face of a tragedy. Natural disasters and acts of violence bring us out of our small selves and into the world, ready to lend a hand to those in need. This experience is often life-changing for those who are willing to step into the position of helper. We feel as if we are finally doing something really important, and this leads us to feeling more self-actualized. We feel more connected to the people we are helping, as well as more connected to humanity in general. As we expand beyond the boundaries of our individualistic pursuit of happiness there can be a complete reality shift. We often find that it is much easier to be happy when we are motivated in an effort to make the world better in tangible ways, by coming to the rescue of those who are suffering.

Considering the many benefits of this kind of gesture, it is surprising that more of us don’t devote our lives, or at least some portion of our time, to serving people in need. We don’t have to wait for a tragedy to come together, as a community or a nation, and offer ourselves to the world in service. Sometimes it’s easier, of course, to respond to an event that has just happened rather than to ongoing problems like homelessness, poverty, and illness. But the truth of this world is that there is always someone in need of our best efforts to rally a group of helpers and healers. Maybe we feel discouraged because these smaller acts and gestures don’t generate the same kind of energy and attention from other people as heroic acts in the face of immediate disaster, and perhaps an effort to change this is one way to change the world.

The more we promote, applaud, and actively inspire humanitarian efforts in the world, the more others will be drawn to this kind of work. We might pay a little less attention to sports and celebrity gossip and a little more attention to those everyday heroes who devote their lives to alleviating suffering. The more attention we pay, the more we will inspire others and ourselves to be of service in a world that greatly needs our attention.

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Packs for Prosperity

People in Need

January 23, 2017 By Alana Roberts Leave a Comment

I wanted to share a recent article by Madisyn Taylor, writer for the DailyOM.

Be aware of giving from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from a place of connection to all people.

When we see a person in need, we may want to give them something as a way of helping them, but if we give without taking the time to see who they really are, honoring that most of all, our gift is nowhere near as powerful as it could be. We may want to give a homeless person a sandwich, for example, but if we give it without also taking a moment to look the person in the eye, making authentic contact, we rob them of the experience of being human.

Being in a position of need leaves a lot of people feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt. The greatest gift we can give is to meet people in need without judgment and with the awareness that we are not superior to them simply because we are not currently in their position. If we take the long view, we can see that we all began life in need of a lot of care and attention, and many of us end life in the same way. Giving and receiving are companion energies that take turns throughout our lives, and we all get a chance to be on both sides of the exchange from time to time.

It’s important to be aware of our own tendency to give from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from an acknowledgement of our connection to all people. Letting go of our self-importance allows us to see that, regardless of appearances, we are all givers and receivers. When we are in the position of the giver, we honor those we are helping when we remember the many people who have helped us. Then we can look the person we are helping in the eye, aware that we are making contact with a human being who is our equal.

#GIVINGTUESDAY Support Packs for Prosperity

November 29, 2016 By Alana Roberts Leave a Comment

Giving Tuesday

In honor of #GivingTuesday, help to support your local community by making a tax free donation to The Simple Rules Foundation that supports our community through Packs for Prosperity.

Packs for Prosperity is a project that creates backpacks for homeless individuals and those living on the streets of Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs. The backpacks include a variety of essential supplies such as; personal hygiene products, hats, socks, tarps, bottled water, bandaids and first aid supplies, recovery and shelter resource information, snacks and other essential items.

To make your donation you may click here to use a credit card or paypal.

The Simple Rules Foundation believes in a notion of “Simple Rules” and that small actions can make a difference. To learn more about the Simple Rules Foundation and how you can do one simple thing to change the world, click here.

Make a Difference in Your Community One Backpack at a Time

Learn more about #GIVINGTUESDAY