Pennies Can Change … Blog

We invite you to visit our main website is www.PenniesCanChange.com to learn more about our efforts.

One of the main reasons we started Pennies Can Change is we believe that giving should start at home. Today I’m writing about an uplifting story that I probably have an unusual take on at the end of the post.

I saw a story on one of the Sunday morning news programs a week or so ago that got me thinking about why I started Pennies Can Change. The story was about a family in Georgia who sold their 2 million dollar home and donated half of the proceeds to charity. It all started when the daughter was in the car with her dad at an overpass. She saw  homeless man on the side of the street standing next to a Mercedes that was waiting for the light. She said to her dad “If the guy in the Mercedes sold it and drove a lessser value car the homeless guy could have a van, an apartment or a meal” (it depends on the story you read), not a direct quote but that’s was the main thought. When the family spoke about the experience at dinner that night the mother asked how much would each family member would be willing to give up to help others. Thus the decision to sell the home and move into a smaller less expensive house. They took the money, $800,000 profit from selling the home, and donated it to two villages in Ghana.

While the overall concept is noble and who am I to tell people where to donate their money? My main question is what did they do to solve the problem that initiated their actions? You remember, the homeless man under the bridge! What was done for him? Does he have a van or a meal or a place to stay now? The answer is NO. From the story, the family thought about how to spend this $800,000 for a year. What, they couldn’t find a solution that would help someone in the United States, too?

I know that most of our families have origins in other countries but we are now living in the US. I don’t know why this bothers me so much but it does. I feel I’m pretty intelligent and know that there are situations all over the world where people need assistance. I’m not saying to turn a blind eye toward them. I am saying before you donate to a cause outside of the US you should think about some of the struggles that people are having in your country. For as long as I can remember seeing the commercials with Sally Struthers, I remember thinking “What about the children in the US that need help?”. Why don’t I see commercials for feeding our kids or familes that are hungry? Well, that’s why I’ve decided to stop thinking about it and do something about it! Pennies Can Change is my attempt at solving something that has bothered me for years. If you’ve made it this far in my rant, thank you and don’t forget to visit our website www.PenniesCanChange.com to learn more about our efforts.

Full Story about the Family from Georgia

Do you ever just sit and wonder about something and how it could change your life? Could be winning the lottery, a big news story, your kids, your parents…anything. I think most people have these kind daydreams from time to time. They think about how things could be different for them and how their lives could change for the better. I know I do.

However, lately I’ve been thinking more about how can I change other peoples lives and how will that affect me. Today I’m sitting at my kitchen table staring out the window and feeling a little sorry for myself. Yet, yesterday I donated over $100.00 of food to food pantry in my county. This place was a warehouse and had bins 6 foot square and 4 feet high. There must have been over 100 of these bins and almost all of them filled with food. You know the stuff –  cans of veggies, soup, tuna, beef stew, mac and cheese – we’ve all dropped a can into a box on the way out of the store once in our lives. I was walking around the food bank with a volunteer who was telling me how much food they went through over the holidays and that all the food I saw will be gone by the end of March. They will be very low on food from March until their next major food drive in August. So, I’m thinking what the heck am I whining about I have food, warmth, family and friends. I’m doing pretty damn good and should start enjoying the simple things more.

What happens from April thru July? Do the people who need the food bank just disappear? I don’t really know what happens to these people. But you know what, I’m already starting to think about them. I’m wondering will I be one of them? Will I be able to help them? I can tell you what I won’t do and that is I won’t be able to stop thinking about them. I have begun a journey that will not allow me to turn back. An adventure that I believe will never end.

With this site and this blog I will make good things happen. I hope as you read this you can feel my passion and join my movement. It is a worthwhile cause. I want to feed the hungry in our great country. I understand that there are great tragedies and that people are suffering around the world everyday. I understand that most of us have roots in other countries. However, I truly believe we need to take care of ourselves first and foremost. There are people suffering in our own land everyday, too.

Do you ever think about others who do not have what you already have? Do you ever think about not be able to eat one meal a day never mind three? I know I do.

Help Me, Help Them…Donate to www.PenniesCanChange.com

Thank You,

 Mike