Double Your Giving Money

Environmental Working Group- the environmental advocate and watchdog that helped us add our names to the 30,000 gathered to support the Farm Bill, and operates Skin Deep, the consumer cosmetics safety reference site, is doubling any donation through December 15. They are also giving out a nifty reusable shopping bag full of cool green-friendly stuff with a $135 donation, which will become $270 with the program.

The Heifer Foundation - if you are thinking about giving to the Heifer Foundation this Christmas (A flock of ducks is still twenty bucks!) Fosters Wine Estates Americas, the company that Mike works for, is matching all employee donations, with no upper limit. Maybe your company does, too. Be sure to check it out. If you know an employee of any one of the many Fosters wineries, ask them about it. I would also be happy to collect any donations from anyone who does not know a Fosters employee, and have Mike donate them via the program. Maybe we can get all the way to an ark. That's two of everything, benefitting countless families all over the world, including the U.S.. Your gift could go twice as far.

Don't forget about Six Degrees. This site, started by, Kevin Bacon, is a hub for charity donations of all types. If you are so inclined, you can start your own "badge" and your friends, family, or anyone, can use it to donate to the charity of your choice. Or you can just donate to the charity of your choice on the site. I never played that strange trivia game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" but apparently after K.B. got over the embarrassment of being sort of a has-been 80s star with a drinking game named after him, he decided to play on the notoriety to benefit worthy causes. And then his career reignited and he made some movies and now everything is ok again. See what positivity and good deeds can do for you?

Last but not least, don't forget to make donations to your local food bank, Red Cross, children's charity and/or Planned Parenthood. If you know any Republicans, be sure to donate to PP and NARAL in their name for a little extra holiday thrill. These are the services working day to day to make life better for people who need them, during fair weather as well as fires and floods.

The next time you go grocery shopping, buy two of every canned good you buy and put half in the food drive barrel on the way out. When you go Christmas shopping, if you see a tree hung with requests from needy children, grab one. Just one. You don't have to be a hero. One little thing, that you can spare, can make a big difference.