Day 302: $1 to save the penguins

I saw the movie Anonymous today (great film) and was able to stop by the Sweet Dreams candy shop prior to the show. I knew I would be able to pick up a few Bit-O-Honey candies, some Chix Sticks, some taffy, and also have a chance to donate a dollar to save the penguins through the Newport Aquarium fundraiser.  Even better, during the previews for the movie, I learned that Coca-Cola will be donating to save polar bears.  I just have to purchase the white cans.  I'll be on the lookout for them.

Day 301: Halloween things

Today I gave unsolicited Halloween gifts. These included pencils, erasers, and slimy-sticky eyeballs (which were by far the most popular) to my students. We also played Halloween trivia for about 5 minutes in most classes.  I clearly would have purchased candy for my students as I've done in previous years, but this year Milford has enacted a new wellness policy that strictly forbids giving candy to students (or having any kind of food in the classroom).  I think the wellness policy is a good idea, actually. It just takes a little getting used to. When I was young and in school, we never had food and drink beyond lunchtime and a stop at the water fountain.  Nowadays, food and drink are ubiquitous.  Just don't take away my coffee and my ice water.

Day 300: $2 to homeless pets

I've got to get back on the schedule of blogging about my giveaways each day. Right now, I've got three posts to write (that's actually as far behind as I've ever been) and I've spent a lot of thinking-energy trying to remember what I did each day. So, on Thursday I stopped at Petsmart in Milford, purchased cat litter, treats, and wet food, and donated $2 to homeless pets by simply adding it to my bill. While there, I noticed that I can donate some sort of stuffed animal for children--something to do with Christmas I think.  I'm sure I will be back before the end of the year.  I can't believe I've done this for 300 days!

Day 299: workbook or pencil and crayons

I made two purchases at Barnes and Nobel today that I decided upon because both products offered a donation just for purchasing. First, I was looking for a new journal/notebook. I purchased an eco-jot because on the cover of the journal the company indicates that they will donate one workbook to a needy child for every purchase.  Then, on the first page of the journal, the company indicated that it will donate a journal OR a pencil.  Well.  I also needed to purchase a thank-you card, so I decided on a Unicef card because that organization will donate crayons to children in need with every purchase.  I needed both items I purchased and am pleased with both.  I think the eco-jot notebook, however, was a little deceitful.

Day 298: $1 to a colleague

I hadn't donated or given anything away today, and then after school I saw my colleague Juliene scrounging around for money to buy a candy bar. She had only come up with a quarter, so I got a dollar out of my purse for her. I hope this "donation" stands and she doesn't try to give me my money back tomorrow. If she insists on repaying me, I will just give the money to another charity, but I hope this one stands. Sometimes it's just nice to help out a friend, and Juliene looked like she really needed that candy bar.

Day 297: Cat food

I originally purchased a bag of cat food for the one ton pet drive going on in Milford, but I never dropped off the bag in the collection bin. The collection was supposed to last through Sunday (and it probably did) but by the time I drive by Panera--on of the collection spots--at 6:30 p.m. the collection barrel was gone. I wasn't too disappointed because this gave me an opportunity to stop by the Animal Adoption Foundation that I drive by twice a week on the way to my evening class at Miami. The Animal Adoption Foundation was the establishment that helped me get my cat Callie fixed for about $30 (as opposed to $300+ that the vet quoted me). The thing I enjoy about the Animal Adoption Foundation is that when you walk in the door, there are cats just roaming around. The place is clean, and there are at least two cat rooms with windows and cat condos and cat trees, but some of the cats (I'm guessing the more mellow cats) just walk around the place. When I stopped by at around 6:00 p.m., they were extremely busy, dogs barking, people working, cats meandering. I simply said that I had some extra food, handed the bag to a young lady working, and left, petting a cute little cat with pink ears on my way out. I admire the people who volunteer at the shelter.  I should do that, but my allergies would probably really kill me then.

Day 296: Blanket

The other day while in Walmart I noticed discounted throw blankets for $2. Granted, they are not the best blankets in the world, but they are surprisingly plush. I purchased two for my mother (she loves these) and an extra one for charity.  I do think it's nice for people to get a blanket that is new once in awhile. I dropped the blanket off today at Goodwill, and thought that I really should have purchased two.

Day 295: $1 to Milford Miami Ministries

I went in search of Chia seeds again today, and I found them locally at Toomey's Natural Foods, a small shop in downtown Milford.  So far, I've added the superfood to my oatmeal but have seen absolutely no effect of my energy. (On a more positive note, I don't seem to be allergic to them.) I graded all day today (just like yesterday) so I really needed that extra energy. It's like a Catch-22, I need more energy in order to make the granola bars and muffins that I want to put the Chia seeds into, so that I can east the Chia seeds and have energy and all sorts of other positive effects promised. Back to the donation--Toomey's had the same sort of Mason jar that I saw at the place where I get my oil changed.  It's just a jar on the counter collecting for the local charity.  The nice things about this donation, is that I feel extremely confident in the fact that my dollar will go to help the needy.

Day 294: $1 to RMH

I ate dinner at McDonald's tonight. What?  That's right. Because I was going out with friends who have young children, I spent over an hour in a McDonald's that included a playland--a crazy, anarchist, chaotic playland. I had a grilled chicken sandwich that was rubbery, but the company was good and I had the chance to put a dollar in the Ronald McDonald collection box.

Day 293: donation to Freestore Foodbank

I'm actually not sure how much money I donated to the Freestore Foodbank by ordering a wreath from one of my students who is a member of National Honor Society. All I know is that a portion of the proceeds go to the Freestore Foodbank, and it seems like last year NHS was able to donate a significant sum to them. A bonus--I actually like the wreaths that come through NHS. Last year, my wreath (well, let's confess, I ordered the cheaper "spray" last year) lasted well over a month, maybe even longer before the needles started covering the front porch. Since I was such a satisfied customer last year, I decided to go for the more expensive, $30 purchase this year.

Day 292: $5 to cheerleaders

To be honest, I would never have given $5 to support cheerleaders if I wasn't on my 292nd day of giving. One of my students asked me to donate to their fund drive. To do so, I had to scratch off two squares on a piece of cardboard, and these two squares would let me know how much I was to then donate. I think my total was $3.75 (even though my student told me that you would never have to give more than $3).  I got $5 out of my purse and gave it to her.

Day 291: 5 cans of beans

I bought five different cans of beans last night (red beans, black beans, chili beans, white beans, and maybe another type, I'm not sure). I donated these cans to the MEA food drive, making my total of cans donated to this food drive 21 cans! One reason I felt the need to donate more was that the cans are supposed to represent all the extra hours that teachers spend working outside of the contract day. Since I don't believe that many people will actually donate (general apathy) I thought I would pitch in a little extra.  One reason I think the high school can never donate as many cans as the elementary schools is because the larger the school, the easier it is to ignore a request like this and let others pick up the slack.

Day 290: 50 cents to Children's Hospital

On my way home from Miami today, I stopped at Walmart to purchase something for my mother. I had teh opportunity to donate to Children's Hospital, so I took out 50 cents from my purse and threw it on the weird little plastic baby in the used incubator from the 1970s.

Day 289: 19 cents to Pennies from Heaven and wooden nickel to Granny's Garden School

After purchasing a pair of jeans at JC Penney's today (and getting 20% off) the saleswoman asked me if I would like to round up my bill and contribute to Pennies from Heaven  (I just got the pun on this one) which helps after school programs for kids. Sounds like a great idea. After Pennies, I went to Whole Foods for the second time this weekend. I was looking for Chia seeds (a new super-food I read about this morning) and a handmade veggie pizza. Since I finally remembered to bring my own bag, I was able to donate my wooden nickel to Granny's Garden School. I wonder of there is anyone out there who takes the bag credit instead of donating the wooden nickel.  Seems so miserly.

Day 288: Fruit tree and black capri pants

First, I attempted to donate money at Whole Foods today, but their garden project for schools has run out. I did notice that one of their wooden nickel collection jars is for Granny's Garden School, a local organization I try to support, but I, of course, forgot to bring my own bags. No wooden nickel for me. Instead, I purchased some spearmint gum that purports to plant one fruit tree for every container of gum purchased.  Do I believe this? Perhaps, but further research really seems required here. To be on the safe side, I also donated a pair of black capri pants that no longer fit. I always detested one thing about these pants--the cuffs really required ironing if the pants were going to look right.  Since I'm a wash and wear type girl for the most part, giving up these pants was a no-brainer.

Day 287: $1 to Share the Bread and apple cookies

This morning I purchased my breakfast (cherry vanilla bagel) and my lunch (sesame bagel with cream cheese) together at 6:20 a.m. at Panera. It was, needless to say, one of those mornings. I was able to get one of my bagels for free (courtesy of the MyPanera card) so the total was actually pretty low. I pulled a stray dollar from my wallet, and donated to Share the Bread. As well, in the evening, I brought apple pie cookies to my friend's jewelry party. This is in no way a donation, just a nice gesture.

Day 286: Pineapple

I left two 20 ounce cans of pineapple for the continuous food drive today. This is a product I can feel good about donating because I would without a doubt eat pineapple from a can myself (although I would still prefer fresh). In fact, I wish I had some pineapple with cottage cheese right now. The two cans I donated today came from a four-pack that I purchased specifically for donating (two cans to the athletic food drive, and two cans to the Green Bean Delivery continuous drive). Usually, I donate straight from my cupboard, but that fact is that most of the canned goods I have left are expired and need to be thrown away.  Maybe once winter comes along for real I will be more into food from a can. It could be a sort of feeling that goes with the hibernating aspects of cold weather--buy a new Snuggie, turn on the gas fire, eat from a can.

Day 285: 16 cans of food

The MEA (teacher association) is running a canned food drive this week. The idea is to donate one can of food for each hour that you work outside of your contract day over the course of the week. When I was at Sam's last week, I picked up two eight-packs of canned vegetables--corn and peas. Personally, I detest canned vegetables; I would much rather eat frozen if I can't have fresh.  Mostly, I believe that peas need to be green, and I don't believe I've ever really seen the right hue on a pea that came from a can. This week, however, I discovered that some of my colleagues love canned peas, so that makes me feel better about donating them.  I also noticed that someone else had contributed a bunch of cans f beans and wieners.  This must be someone, like me, who buys the on sale products to donate. Nonetheless, I know that someone out there--probably a kid--really likes beans and wieners.

Day 284: Cat treats to Pet Food Drive

I wanted to donate again to the One Ton Pet Food Drive going on in Milford, OH before the final day of the drive, so I picked up two bags of cat treats last night while on the way home from Miami. I stopped by Walmart (home of the plastic baby in the old incubator).  Apparently, the baby has collected quite a bit more; she was covered in dollar bills. Back to the topic at hand: I chose cat treats instead of regular old Meow Mix because I think that not only would the hungry cats deserve something special, but the down-on-their-luck pet owners would also enjoy providing some special treats for their cats. I feel somewhat the same way about food stamps. I cringe (but understand somewhat) when I hear people criticizing the purchases of people who are using food stamps. Do they not also deserve a little something sometime? One candy bar, etc... his cynicism, however, brings me to my own creeping suspicion. I love the pet food drive, but I'm wondering how many people/families who will benefit from the food drive are actually in a financial situation similar to my own (that is, decidedly middle class). In the end, it probably doesn't matter.  I'm sure there is someone well-off somewhere also taking food from s freestore.

Day 283: tan denim pants

These were a hardly ever worn pair of denim pants--tan colored. I love writing denim pants because the term itself sounds so absurd. I also loved giving away these pants because they were at least two sizes too big. It's fun to give away clothes that are too large versus the other way around. I jus hope I can keep this up for a bit.

Day 282: 50 cents for Children's Hospital

I was picking up some items for my mother today at Sam's Club, and I took advantage of the vortex donating coin fountain thing. The only problem was that the "proceeds go to" sign didn't have an organization listed. An employee of Sam's heard me remark on this and let me know that the money would definitely be donated to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. In fact, she was emphatic about it. She reiterated several times that the money went to "our" children's hospital (as opposed to other, less worthy children's hospitals I suppose). It's a strange concept, the need to make sure that we support local charities instead of organizations a few miles or more away.

Day 281: $1 to Penguins

The title of this post sounds ridiculous, but the fact is everybody loved penguins including me. I knew when I went to Newport for a movie today, I would have a good day. I ate lunch at Tom + Chee (tomato soup and grilled cheese restaurant), bought candy at Sweet Dreams, and saw a pretty decent movie, Ides of March, which featured all sorts of scenes from Cincinnati, Miami, and Xavier. On top of all that, I had the opportunity to donate money to the Newport Aquarium's fund for penguins and their habitat. True, I should have been grading papers today, but I'm glad I wasn't. I deserve a good day.

Day 280: $5 to breast cancer awareness

I was allowed to wear jeans to school if I wanted to donate five dollars to breast cancer awareness. I did so, and still wore dress pants instead. I just wasn't in the mood for jeans. To be honest, I need a pair that I like. Jeans are one of the most difficult types of clothing to find a perfect fit for. Sometimes I end up buying jeans that look ok in the dressing room mirror, and then I get home and realize they legs are too long or too wide and I look nothing better than dumpy. Anyway, I wore a tiny pink ribbon instead of jeans to school.

Day 279: peanut butter and crackers

I meant to donate can goods to the continuous food drive today, but I forgot to retrieve them out of my car. Luckily, I had already placed a package of peanut butter and crackers (some sort of dry good lunch box contraption that I purchased) in my return bin for Green Bean Delivery.  The peanut butter is actually a chocolate-peanut butter mixture which I'm sure is delicious, but I couldn't stand the "toasty crackers" that came with the combo pack. Live and learn, buy and donate.

Day 278: Cat food

I stopped at Panera today for coffee and donated a single can of cat food to the One Ton Pet Food Drive. Truly, this single can of Tuna with Calamari will not actually add much to the one ton goal, but my cats didn't care for this flavor (the have completely pedestrian tastes) so I thought that another cat--maybe a sad, hungry cat--would appreciate the food.  At the very least, a family who can't afford food for their pet will surely appreciate the opportunity to provide a little food.

Day 277: $1 to Autism awareness

I actually had several different ideas for donating today, but I took the easy way out and donated a dollar at Kroger for Autism Awareness.  While at Kroger purchasing some lunch for tomorrow (tomato soup) and some ingredients for my potluck lunch dish on Thursday (macaroni and cheese) I noticed that I will be able to donate a lot to breast cancer awareness this month as well. It seems like a multitude of items will donate part of the purchase price to cancer charities. You would think with all of this advertising/awareness-raising, that we would actually be able to cure cancer. I guess it's harder than it seems. It would be a wonderful day though.

Day 276: Two cans for food drive

I gave two cans of pineapple tidbits away to a can food drive sponsored by two football teams (ours and another local high school who are playing on Friday). I read a brief article in the local press about the can drive, and I sent a student down to the athletic office with the cans.  The only problem was that apparently the athletic office secretary had not heard of the can drive. She accepted the offer anyway, and added that she enjoyed pineapple. I'm sure that my cans will get to the right place eventually (I guess). They are supposed to go to the American Legion Post 318.  I suppose from there the Legion gives them away.  I also held back two other cans of pineapple for a donation later this week.

Day 275: Friskies Pet Food

Apparently, I was the first person to donate to the Pet Food Drive at Panera. I think that the pet food drive is a local endeavor because I saw a sign near Highway 28 and the dog park advertising the drive.  I stopped at Panera for coffee on my way to the Hyde Park art show and farmer's market today, and luckily the big barrel to donate food was still in the vestibule between the two front doors. My Friskie's dry food was the only item, and it clanged to the bottom obstreperously as the crowd behind me tried to overpower me on the way in the door. (Well, it was just one old man and two other women, but they seemed pushy.) I wish I knew how long the pet food drive lasts. I may donate again if I can.

Day 274: $1 to Share the Bread

I didn't even intend to donate to Share the Bread at Panera today, but when I stopped in to buy a coffee, they didn't charge me. This is the third time this school year that the folks at Panera have given me free coffee. Since I had my cash out, I decided to put a dollar in the collection box for Share the Bread. It almost seemed like I had to do this.  I also noticed that Panera has two other opportunities for donating--a pet food drive and some way to donate with pink ribbon bagels.

Day 273: Crock pot cookbooks

I gave my good friend Gina two crock pot cookbooks today. Gina recently purchased a crock pot, but hasn't actually started using it yet. Now that Gina's daughter is getting older, Gina (who cares nothing about food unless it is in the dessert category) needs to learn to cook a bit. The recipes in these little, cheap books are easy to make, too.