the knitting club premieres!

We are still alive and kickin’ at morethangoodintentions, still experimenting with various ideas to become more active members of our local and global community.

Our newest venture is the Knitting Club, where we plan to learn knitting skills from experienced knitter and allow the experienced ones to use their skills and donations of time and yarn to benefit those in our community and around the world.

The first Knitting Club meeting will take place this Saturday, March 6th from 1-3pm at Mississauga Chinese Baptist Church, room 802. Please bring your own knitting needles and yarn! If you have no idea what needles to get and what yarn to by… come and learn about it from one of our experienced knitters!

Crochet-ers is also most welcome!

Some of the charities you can donate your knit and/or crochet projects to (please check each site for specific donation requirements):

• Angel Hugs – a Mississauga-based charity that donates to Credit Valley Hospital, local women’s and family shelters, The Open Door, and other organizations
• Knit-A-Square – great for beginner knitters! Send knitted and crocheted squares to South Africa and these will be turned into warm blankets given to AIDS orphans
• StreetKnit Project – items are distributed to the homeless living in Toronto

If you have other organizations to suggest, please don’t hesitate to tell us in the comments!

Also, if all goes well, the Knitting Club may expand to include other crafts that can be given to charity. Stay tuned!

Pass on the word and see you on Saturday!

PS: Grocery runs are still alive and well and happening at the end of every month!  Check the above tab for more information.

have a ♥ for haiti

One of our good friends here at morethangoodintentinos is hand-making crocheted heart keychains for a $10 donation to Haiti!

All proceeds will go to Red Cross Canada for the Haiti relief efforts. And if you pledge your donation before Feb 12, your gift will be matched by the Canadian government!

If you’re interested in having a heart for Haiti, please leave a comment below and we will connect you to her. Thanks!

*** Update: Jan 19 ***

Thank you everyone who have pledged so far!!!

There’s been an OVERWHELMING response in LESS THAN 24 HOURS!
Our friend’s in full production mode!

More than 20 hearts have ordered – that means we’ve raised over $200 in less than 24 hours. And including the government matching dollar-for-dollar, we’ve raised over $400!

Thank you so much!

Keep spreading the word!

ps. And as a friend suggested, it makes a nice little Valentines trinket!

money on fire

Had a chat with a friend today about how expensive summer activities can get. Yet I can’t help but think that there are always better, more productive ways to use our earnings. This video has been a good reminder of the power of money for good. Rediscover it for yourself.

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After receiving a monetary gift from my cousin to donate to a worthy cause of my choice two Christmases ago, I took the plunge and directed the money to Kiva, a microloan organization that I had heard about from Alice. The money was lent to Lotu, a woman living in Samoa who runs a snack business of which provides the only source of income for her family.

It’s been 19 months since my portion was lent to her, and Lotu has repaid the loan bit by bit, right on schedule. That means her business is growing! There are 2 more months before the entire amount will be transferred back into my account, ready to be given to another recipient.

There’s always a chance that the business will fail and the money will be lost, but this model makes it possible for donations to perpetuate for a long time, if all works out.

I can’t wait to distribute the money to another person!

Take action

Here are a few things to get involved in that I’ve come across recently:

The child poverty rate in Canada has remained stable at around 11.3% for the past 19 years. In various nations of Northern Europe, their rate is less than 5%. Also, the UK has successfully cut their child poverty rate by half in recent years. Send Prime Minister Stephen Harper a message to reduce child poverty in Canada.

World AIDS Day is December 1st. More than 7,300 people get infected by HIV daily. Send a message to your local MP to get the Canadian government expand their foreign aid commitment in the coming year.

Have gently used children’s books you no longer need? Consider donating them to the Children’s Book Bank, located in Regent Park, Toronto. They will give the books away for free for visiting children and youth. Read an article about the Book Bank from the Toronto Star.

One of my Christmas favourites, Yonge Street Mission’s Christmas Wishlist, is now out. Donate toys, books, games, food, clothing, housewares, personal hygiene items, gift certificates and more this Christmas! You can even arrange to have folks from YSM come pick up your donations. Check the list for more details.

And… it’s still not too late to get on board with Operation Good Thing! Thanks to those who have already pledged – we are so grateful for your support and care for the street youth of Toronto!

1 in christ: a charity fundraiser

“Open thy mouth… and plead the cause of the poor and needy” – Prov 31:9

1 in Christ presents…
A Charity Fundraiser:
An evening of worship, prayer & dance (Christian DJ)

Saturday May 10, 2008
7pm @ West Ellesmere United Church Gym
37 Marchington Circle, Scarborough ON
M1R 3M6 – Ellesmere/Pharmacy

$18 (or $15 with canned/food donation)
$20 @ the door

For tickets:
Mitchell Family Books Store
Canada Christian College Book Store

Your donation will go directly to care for children in 2 needy orphanages in Sri Lanka.

• Meet other Christians in the GTA
• Participate in a food & clothing drive
• Make a difference in the life of a child in a 3rd world country
• Promote your business

For more info:
E-mail: inChrist2008@gmail.com
Phone: 416-332-8362

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Season and I hooked up with some folks at thenewsuburbia conference last weekend who are organizing this event (details above are from their flyer). It’s geared towards 18-35 year olds in the GTA, with the goal of creating a stronger Christian network among young adults in the region. There should be more events coming in the near future.

G8 action on child healthcare

World Vision currently has a petition to get the leaders of the G8 nations to take action on child healthcare around the world.

The petition is predominately geared towards increasing funding for HIV/AIDS programs in the world. Canada ranks near the bottom of the list as funders of these programs among the G8 nations, surpassing only Japan and Italy.

All you need to give is your name, country, and e-mail address to make your voice heard.

Spread the word around!

corn in your car?

“The stage is now set for the direct competition for grain between the 800 million people who own automobiles, and the world’s two billion poorest people.” – Lester Brown, Earth Policy Institute

So, basically, we are beginning to fuel up our vehicles with people’s food. Or, we can let them eat our fuel. How are we to choose what to do?

Read more:

• The fight for the world’s food. – Daniel Howden, The Independent (UK)
• Selected articles from The Future of Food in an Urbanized World, Geez Magazine (Issue 8; Canadian)