‘Tis the season…..to pay it forward….in a very small way

On November 21, 2011 By thestampsinmypassportIn BlogHer, NaBloPoMoLeave a comment

Today I was driving to work and was listening to Chumfm. Roger was discussing that today was the launch of this years Christmas wish campaign and how you can bring a toy to the station or to any of the 190 branches of RBC in the gta or cash is accepted as well. I know that other stations have their toy mountains, and doctor’s offices and everywhere we turn there are some sort of gift drives that will start to pop up for the next five weeks leading up to the holidays.

I would like to bring up another type of donating that doesn’t just happen for the five weeks from now until December 25th. This is something you can do any day of any week of the year.

I have to admit, until a friend of mine did this a few years ago, I hadn’t really thought about it, but now I just want to pass it on, and have people I know talk about it in their offices, companies, amongst friends, etc.

What I am talking about is simple – the next time you go to buy your coffee at Tim’s, Starbucks, or your shampoo, or pick up a perscription at Shoppers drug mart – buy a gift card – and donate it to The Hospital for Sick Kids. (http://www.sickkids.ca/VisitingSickKids/main-street/index.html)

You are going to ask me – why does that help? Why is that a donation? To whom?

– think about a parent that may need a toothbrush or tooth paste after they have spend the night with their sick child at the hospital.
– think about the child that may want a treat while they are waiting for the doctor to see them.
– think about that parent that has been up all night and just HAS to have their coffee – either from Tim’s or Starbucks.
I can go on and on about the different scenarios, but you get the point.

The reason for those three stores is because they are onsite at the hospital.

I have brought this up at my Hadassah chapter exec meeting in the summer and we have added a gift card drive to our annual Chanukah party and gift exchange. I hope that we raise hundreds of $$$$ worth of gift cards to deliver to the hospital. The key is to get small denominations ($5) so that they can hand them out to families in need in small ways. The more small cards they have, the more families they can give a gift to.

Please discuss this with your teams in your companies, with the friends you meet at Starbucks or Tim’s for coffee, any social group you are part of. Make it something you start as a new tradition in your family. Buy them with your kids and then make a trip to the hosptial to deliver your gift of holiday cheer.

Help a family, help yourself – remember Tikkun Olam!

Mother Hubbard’s Kosher Kupboard

On November 20, 2011 By thestampsinmypassportIn BlogHer, NaBloPoMoLeave a comment

TIKKUN OLAM – Repairing the World
– Taking responsibility for the material, moral and spiritual welfare of a society at large, Jewish and non Jewish.

Modern Jewish Art Paintings - Radiant Sun by Marcia Lupo

A few years ago I brought some Kosher food to Beth Tikvah. They had a wooden cupboard in the foyer and it was called “Mother Hubbard’s Kosher Cupboard” which I thought was a great play on the child story about the cupboard being bare and how we should help the community that needs help by filling the cupboard with food.

On Kol Nidre night, the shule does a collection for the food back and I always bring a bag to donate at that time as well.

Once a year they also call and ask if we can make a donation and it can be picked up from your house. I have to go shopping anyways, so what’s a few more items if they will pick them up from my house. The pick up was today.

So, on Friday I was at the Real Canadian Superstore to pick up my mom’s birthday cake and went to the Kosher aisle to pick up the items for the food drive. There seemed to be a lot of items on sale ranging from .79 to about 1.49 price range. The perfect amount of money to spend on items for a food drive.

So, filled one bag of wacky mac, biselli, soups and tuna. A pretty good mix of items.

Yesterday I was at No Frills and again, in the Kosher section there happened to be a lot of items that were in the same price range. Perhaps the Synagouges in the area contacted the stores and let them know there was a food drive. Hmmm…perhaps.

Even when we are facing our own hard times, it is always nice to do for others. What if we were that person that needed to go to the food bank at one time in our life? Everyone can be one step away from needing help at any time in our lives.

Gemilut Chasadim – acts of lovingkindness……………

416 vs 905

On November 20, 2011 By thestampsinmypassportIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I was one of the lucky teens that got their own telephone line in my parents house ‘back in the day’. This was way before cell phones, computers, texting and all the rest of it. There was no voicemail, or call waiting, call answer – NOTHING! This was even before you had to dial 10 digits to call someone. This was an old fashioned telephone. I don’t even know if my first phone was even touch tone. I do remember my phone number 416-590-9878. Back then, you didn’t have to use the area code, as there were still enough numbers to go around.

My parents still have the same phone number that they had when they moved into their first apartment which I can tell you was 1967. The SAME number. When call waiting first came out my mother wouldn’t get the call waiting because she had to change her phone number. It wasn’t until years later that they offered it in her extension area and she got call waiting.

Back to my story. I remember when I bought my condo I was thinking about not only changing my phone number, but MY AREA CODE. I was going to be “one of those people”. The people that live ‘north of the city’. What was I going to do?

The day came, to move and sign up for home phone service and cable, etc. I remember that when I called to set up my phone number I asked them if I could have the last four digits the same as my cell phone four digits. Flat out – NO! I said, “but I know a lot of people that have their numbers the same”….still the answer was no. She said she could only give me a number that was in her sequence. Okay fine.

So….for everyone number she gave me I had to push the keys on the phone pad to see if it was easy to dial. I must have said no to at least 10 numbers before I came up with the one that I accepted. And away I went. I was now a resident of 905. Gone was 416-590-9878….

It has now been five and a half years….

Funny….to see the growth that has happened in this area in the last eight years. I live on what used to be the site of the Disera Motel. For those of you who used to drive up Bathurst Street past Promenade mall you know what I mean….low rise motel that almost looked like they should rent by the hour and not by the night, but it was the motel in the area before the area. Now the area it sat on and the area around it is moving with the times.