Hello everyone! In the spirit of St. Joseph's Day (see yesterday's post, please), I would like to bring to your attention, the Great American Bake Sale! This is a really cool way to help feed hungry children.
I found out about this on the Food Channel Network and checked into it. The set up for this is really great in that you sign up to hold a bake sale in your area and the proceeds will benefit community programs that feed children. But what is really great is that you can also sign up to hold a "virtual bake sale." That is such a great idea, isn't it?? Most people may not have the time to actually put together a bake sale and host it in their community. However, if you do the virtual bake sale, the Great American Bake Sale website helps you build your own little web page and offers a function where you can email your friends and family and ask them to contribute to your virtual bake sale.
If you think about it, even if someone can just contribute a dollar or two to your virtual bake sale, all those dollars add up!
If you can host a bake sale in your community, or even host a virtual bake sale, you can offer that as a service to Les Lois. Remember especially the lwa such as Erzulie Freda, Maman Brigitte, Baron Samedi, Papa Loko, Erzulie Dantor, Ayida Ouedo, Ayizan, and others are very concerned with the welfare and protection of children. Doing any kind of participation in a program such as this can certainly also be a service to our beloved lwa while making a difference in American communities where hunger in children is a huge problem. We have a tendency to think that hungry children just exist in third world countries where it "isn't our problem."
But if as Americans, we think that all American children are well fed and well taken care of, I am sorry to say that we are wrong. Thousands of American children go to bed hungry and homeless every night. I was appalled to hear that right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico (and we are not a huge city), they estimate 4,500 children to be homeless right now!!! It is unfathomable to me that we have ONE homeless child in America, but the statistics are both staggering and alarming. Participation in a program such as Great American Bake sale can help. Don't be fooled into thinking that you are "just one person" and cannot help! This particular organization has a set up to allow everyone to do something in an easy and pretty quick way! :-)
I am working on setting up our Sheer Goddess Great American Bake Sale page and I urge each of you to do the same. It only takes a few minutes, it doesn't cost anything to participate (especially if you choose to do the virtual bake sale option - then it will only cost you some of your time), and the rewards of your participation will feed a child. Light up some candles, call upon your favorite lwa, and tell them what you are doing as a service to them and your fellow human beings. :-)
If you cannot participate, I will be publicizing our Great American Bake Sale page and taking donations for a virtual bake sale over the next couple of days. :-) Like I said, even if you can only donate a dollar or two, it will add up! As for my local gals and guys - Matt, Berkeley, Debie, Travis, Eshita, Eileen, Cindy, Darla, Jeanne, Ronda...and whomever I forgot, you know who you are - haha - we WILL be doing a real bake sale coming up soon! So start getting your recipes on!
Love, Mambo Sam
