I wasn’t planning on writing a post this week. I felt I needed to take a week off and didn’t want to force an uninspired post. But inspiration can hit at any time. And this time it hit me hard.
I’m sure by now you have heard about the earthquake in Nepal. 80 kilometers northwest of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the region Saturday morning. Since then the death count has climbed over 5,000 and the number of people injured exceeds 10,000. Both numbers are expected to keep climbing. Monsoon like rains are hindering rescue effort and causing landslides. Many people in Nepal are forced to sleep outside, searching for their families, cut off from remote villages, and struggling to recover makeshift hospitals. The people in Nepal need all of the help they can get. I have put together a list of groups that are accepting donations for the Nepal relief efforts.
This is just a few groups that are aiding Nepal, but there are many more. If there is a group you are passionate about and would like to share, please leave it in the comments below.
1. Problem: my dog doesn’t like to cuddle. Solution: Cuddle Clones. Cuddle Clones is a company that creates a stuffed animal version of your pet. Bonus: portions of each purchase go to pet related causes. Because I have a little corgi with an aversion for cuddling, I would like to get a full size replica of this dog and cuddle with it forever.
3. The World Food Programme is working to put a name and story to the 805 million people around the world who are fighting hunger. Read their inspiring stories here. Share. Discuss. Donate.
Even though I graduated college two years ago, the end of August will always be synonymous with going back to school. Oh how I miss the new pens, notebooks, and whatever other gadget I found at Staples and deemed “necessary” for the new school year.
In honor of the new school year I’ve put together some bags, totes, and backpacks that will definitely make you too cool for school (or whatever else you’d like to use it for).
Mend is a social enterprise that works with Invisible Children to empower women affected by LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) conflict in Uganda. Each of these bags has a story. The printed picture represents something a Mend seamstress has bought with her salary earned while making and designing bags. Also, on the bag’s inside pocket is the name and background of the seamstress who made your bag.
These Mend bags are made of 100% cotton canvas, which makes them durable and structured yet still pliable, which is perfect for cramming all your books in.
I am very pleased to introduce this next set of bags because the company was founded in my home state of Maine. The company is built around three philosophies: keep production local, be green in product and practice, and be involved in the community.
These bags are handmade out of recycled boat sails, which makes them wicked durable. It doesn’t get any more Maine than that!
It’s a tote. It’s a backpack. It’s a totepack! These brilliant bags are made by Stone + Cloth, which has partnered with the Knock Foundation in order to spread educational opportunities in East Africa. The Knock Foundation provides scholarships to kids in East Africa where the government requires families to pay tuition to send their children to primary and secondary school. Since many families can’t afford it, the Knock Foundation is helping to make education more available.
So now that you’ve picked out a cute bag, you obviously need a pouch to hold all your loose pens and accessories. Each FEED product has a built in donation set into the price. The donations go toward providing meals to people all over the world. So far they have provided 84 million meals globally with the help of World Food Programme and Feeding America.
