Reader Forum | 12/23/2008 7:40 am

The Daily Deed

Small deeds become large actions. Maybe it’s not enough to just give to your favorite charity. Introducing the wOw community forum for helping others in economic distress

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Times are tough, and they’re going to get tougher.

A year ago few people saw this coming, but from the beginning, we were determined that an important part of wowOwow would be helping others.

The time has come. We women have more optimism and energy at times like these; for some reason, we are less afraid than men.

That’s why we are starting The Daily Deed — a forum where the wOw community can share their own random acts of kindness and giving and personal activism so that others may find inspiration to do the same.

Small deeds become large actions. Maybe it’s not enough to give to your favorite charity. Maybe it’s time to look at your friends, your neighbors, your neighborhood, your city, your district, your state — and see what you could do to help.

Is it serving at a soup kitchen, or cooking extra food for someone who might be out of a job?

Is it offering to watch children when home help is no longer an option for a working mother?

Is it organizing a swap meet?

Is it trading books and DVDs, or is it starting a local radio show to share advice and opinions?

The world has never needed you so much. If we all think from our heads and give from our hearts, we can come up with solutions to reverse the consequences of the downward economic spiral.

Please answer these two questions, and send us your ideas. We’re mobilizing the forces of wOw for change.

1: What is most distressing to you in what’s happening today?

2: What are you doing — what could you do — to change it?

125 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I’m down with that, Chrome Toe. I bugged one of my neighbors for a few bucks and we went in together to get our homeless guy some food and a room for the night. I paid for the room and bought the food so I wasn’t worried about the money going awry. (I just don’t buy alcohol anymore, for anyone.) That kind of thing is a bandaid, but the homeless guy wasn’t complaining. That’s the kind of stuff I think, playing the cards in front of you, in your neighborhood, your life, your block.

By Mugsy Peabody on 12/26/2008 4:08 pm

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Community Note: We’ve posted Mugsy’s idea forward into its own story that you can read here. More to come!

By Deborah Barrow on 12/28/2008 6:05 am

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Deborah, I’m wondering if there is a way to keep this Forum going in a permanent place with weekly threads visible so can hit the downlink and go back through the treads….ie so it’s own organized corner. Just a thought.

By Ann Coulter Crazy, Souless, Evil B*tch on 01/01/2009 6:16 pm

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Mugsy, I fully support your approach to help those in your neighborhood. We don’t need to go half way around the globe to find someone to help - they are right in front of our noses. What a nice act - good Karma to you. Happy New Year, too.

By Kay Sara on 01/01/2009 8:07 am

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Hey, you, so good to see you here — much love and good thoughts for a wonderful new year. Mugsy

By Mugsy Peabody on 01/01/2009 8:10 am

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Since I am an old fleamarket junkie I started a yearly sale at my work , the proceeds to go to the Abused Women Shelter. It took off and this year was our largest sale yet. Even so I am leaving the job this Sunday, I have been asked to return to do the sale in 2009. I will love it. As far as being a giver, I know I am that, always have been, but my Mother always said that the left hand should not know what the right hand is giving. In other words, Jeannot, give and shut up about it. I try to follow her advice.

By Jeannot Kensinger on 12/23/2008 9:32 am

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Can I weigh in, too? I am lucky in that I have employment in this extraordinary downturn that has caused so many to lose their jobs and careers in the media business. So to celebrate and give back a little bit, I went to the local IGA grocery story in the country hamlet I occasion on weekends (IGAs are independently owned, which is a nice way of supporting a local business rather than a big box corporation) and bought individual $50 grocery gift cards and gave them to the local community action agency. They are in touch every day with families in dire straits and are able to distribute to them in times like now. I hope we are able to continue this holiday tradition in our family into the new year as well.

By Deborah Barrow on 12/23/2008 10:18 am

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1: What is most distressing to you in what’s happening today? People losing jobs… elderly without enough income to get by on. These problems have always been around, but lately we all know of several breadwinners out of work for long stretches with little hope of something better. The elderly poor on fixed incomes are being clobbered by rising prices for food and utilities. 2: What are you doing — what could you do — to change it? I donate to food banks, volunteer wherever I can, get involved in town committees specifically geared towards helping the elderly with property taxes. Most social programs involve volunteering, something I believe quite strongly in.

By Marjorie C. on 12/23/2008 10:49 am

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Yes, the elderly too often are forgotten

By James the Game on 12/26/2008 5:59 pm

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This morning I’ll be tutoring a gentleman from Poland who is here visiting his daughter and his grandchildren for several months. It’s his first trip to the U.S. and he wants to learn and speak as much English as possible while he is here. I volunteer for a non-profit that offers ESL tutoring for any non-native speaker of English in our community. Many of our learners are immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America and they want to communicate with their children’s teachers, with doctors and dentists, and to become more active in the community. When I see my town through their eyes, I realize that we Americans are a generous people who have great opportunities, and we give our time and our money to the things we believe in. My Polish student loves our warmth and our freedom. He makes me appreciate my country and the goodness I see around me. Happy Holidays! Maurine

By Maurine H on 12/23/2008 11:08 am

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That’s heart-warming, Mo.

By James the Game on 12/26/2008 5:59 pm

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Mo Reading that was like a great Merry Christmas to me. I used to tutor Asian children in English. I wasn’t that great at it. They always taught me more than I taught them, but I loved it and loved the excitement I saw in their eyes at learning something important to them.

By Frannie Em on 12/27/2008 8:03 pm

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I’ve spoken before about helping my friend Jules. We finally found her a job working for a dentists, but she didn’t last the 3 month trial period because 1) her ex took her back to court and she had to work pro se to get all the documents together to respond - an 800 page document of which we spent 3 hours making 4 copies.; 2) her son got sick and 3) she came down with the flu. So they laid her off but told her to finish up her dental certifications because they want to re-hire her now that she’s almost back on her feet. During this time period - I gave her my cell phone to use - and she is still using it - for almost 4 months. She couldn’t afford her own plan, so I have lent her mine - and she desperately needs it to call the unemployment office, and make appointments for interviews - and arrange testing for her certification. It’s difficult to watch someone so hardworking stumble over and over again over many things outside of her control. I am also volunteering through my church teaching early morning bible study to high schoolers at 6am - 5 days a week. I have a group of about 10 teenagers which meets, and we discuss, ethics: honesty, integrity, service - it is a wonderful and uplifting experience to help them to develop character and self-discipline. The class continues throughout the school year.

By Bella Mia on 12/23/2008 11:50 am

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For several years I have volunteered for the “Learning to Read” Program. It was sponsored by a local University. In all those years I have had the opportunity to work with both children and adults. My favorite experience was teaching a 85 year old grandmother to read children’s books. She wanted to be able to read to her Great-Grandchildren. I kept in touch with her for many years. I received a note from one of her Great-Grandchildren that she had passed on. I attended her funeral. After the service one of the children came up to me and thanked me for teaching her “Nana” to read. She stated that “it was a wonderful experience she would always remember”. “Nana” was such a delight. So full of life and laughter. I’m sure she is reading to the angels!

By Lady Gator on 12/23/2008 1:57 pm

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I have always been most disturbed by the homeless and hungry in our country. Because of our economy it is becoming an enormous problem, with many schoolage children caught up in it. I will continue to donate to local foodbanks, with both food and time to help stock their shelves. I will continue to donate to Second Harvest via my work and to United Way that helps so many. What I am doing this holiday season is on Christmas Day I will deliver groceries to my daughter’s bestfriend. She and her husband are trying hard to eliminate debt and stay within their means. However nature has played a trick on them and now she is pregnant with twins (she needs to eat more! LOL) and they have a 2yr old daughter. I bought a used small freezer and have stocked it with 2 1/2 months worth of meat. We have purchased can goods to fill her pantry, as well as rice, cake mixes, cookie mixes (there are sure to be cravings!) boxes of noodles, assorted other groceries and we will buy fresh fruit and vegies tomorrow to take with us. In addition we have bought toys for the 2yr old, purchased a used crib and restored it, a second dresser (cause they are having twins) and restored it and we are sewing blankets and curtains for the nursery. In essance my daughter and I are having the best time of our lives, you see this isn’t a gift for her friend, it’s our holiday gift to each other.

By Tina Walden on 12/23/2008 3:11 pm