Who's ready for 10-10-09?

10.10 Community Day for 2008 has come and gone. There are so many stories, blessings and photos to share and we will over the next few days, but I did want to get some really initial thoughts down while they were fresh in my mind.

The spirit of kindness, of giving, of compassion,of gratitude, of love, of joy and of hope was alive at 10.10 Day and every single person involved was an integral part of that spirit -- whether you were a volunteer during the day or a person involved on the other end. My heart is bursting with joy even now to think of some of the things that happened today.

10.10 Day has been about the day, but it's always been about much more than that. As we finished our second year of committing to intentionally go out into our community and give and serve freely of ourselves, we again realized that that spirit of kindness -- that spirit of joy -- that spirit can be a part of our every days.

We will be back to share the stories of 10.10 over the next few days. It was a rich day filled with great people and great stories, but right now, the thing that stands out the most is my overall feeling: Let's make every day just like this day!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...

I heard a story the other day that reminded me of what we're trying to crystallize on 10.10 day -- this idea of selfless giving --giving without needing or wanting anything in return.

A friend was saying how she occassionally has to walk a few blocks from her office to the post office. The other day she had to bring some money along to pay for postage, and got some change back from the transaction.

Well, not having any pockets, she didn't want to carry the bills and loose change back, so thought, What can I do with this money? She saw a young mother walking along with two small kids and thought, Bingo.

Approaching the mother, she said, "Can you do me a favor? I have some change and no pockets or anything to carry it in -- I'd love to give this to you to buy your children some ice cream?" The mother was taken aback at first -- it isn't every day that someone approaches you with pro-ice cream-directives like this. :) But then she was very grateful and said she was off to do just that.

I'd like to think that that kind of pay-it-forward thinking replicates itself. Who knows? Maybe that mom or the kids went on and gave half of their ice cream to another friend that wasn't there at the time. You just never know. An ordinary act with the possibility for extraordinary results. That's just the kind of thing we like.

As mentioned, a big component of the day is a food drive benefitting the Norwalk Emergency Shelter. Some of the specific food items the organization mentioned needing right now were:

cereal
coffee (reg/instant)
hot chocolate
sugar
butter
margarine
grape jelly
complete pancake mix
syrup
cinnamon
Sardines
cooking oil
salt/pepper
milk
powdered milk
evaporated milk
Microwave popcorn
chips
crackers
fresh/canned fruit
salad dressing
Mayonnaise
mustard
ketchup
canned tuna
bouillon
Punch (Powder Mix)
raisins
granola bars
canned pasta dinners
pork & beans
canned beef stews
peanut butter
macaroni & cheese dinners
chilies
corned beef hash
hot dogs
instant mashed potatoes
canned soups
pasta sauce
canned vegetables
canned ham
tomato sauce
pimientos
onions
cornstarch
BBQ sauce
rice
chili

I know that's a pretty exhaustive list, but somebody's bound to have some pork & beans lying around, right? ;) (It's not everyday that you get to ask that question.)

You can bring any and all food items to the Sunoco service station where we will be collecting food or to the Norwalk Stop and Shop on Main Avenue where we will also be collecting on 10.10. Check out the schedule for more details about when we'll be there to collect the food.

If you're interested in finding out more about the Norwalk Emergency Shelter and what they've been doing in Norwalk, check them out at http://www.norwalkemergencyshelter.org/