Tag: donate

Helping the homeless stay warm

HT to Kevin Hendricks for keeping me up to date on many homeless issues and causes for celebration… like this one ::

In 2007, TAXI celebrated 15 years of success. To mark the occasion, they wanted a big idea, one that would give back to the community. The brief was sent out, and executive creative director, Steve Mykolyn, came back with The 15 Below Project. Its first initiative – a jacket for the homeless.

The jacket would be breathable, waterproof, lightweight, and the lining would be made up of pockets throughout. And these pockets would be able to be stuffed with newspaper to provide adjustable levels of insulation from the cold. “We’ve survived 15 years, now we’re going to help others survive the night,” said Mykolyn, who enlisted long-time friend and designer, Lida Baday, to create the jacket.

Adding weight to the 15-year theme, as well as lending the project a name, is the Cold Weather Alert many cities issue when the temperature drops to -15ºC.

“It’s a lifeline for people without homes. They’re a pretty low-cost, immediate way to address a huge issue,” said Paul Lavoie, co-founder, chairman, and chief creative officer of TAXI. “Our approach to solving problems – of any sort – has always been to question convention. This won’t eliminate homelessness, but it can make a lot of people more comfortable.”

On behalf of clients and staff, 3,000 15 Below jackets will be donated to people living on the streets throughout Canada and the U.S.

In case you missed it – this new jacket is covered with pockets that make it possible to stuff the jacket full of newspaper, keeping the wearer warm in temperatures lower than 15-degrees. While it doesn’t end homelessness, it sure makes things a lot more bearable for those living on the streets during the frigid winters. The coat also can double as a backpack, a pillow or a raincoat.

Very cool. Love it!

Put your computer to work

I know sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down with a schedule and while you’re really wanting to do something good in your community or for those around you, you just can’t seem to fit much time into your schedule for volunteering (granted I know this isn’t the case for most of the folks at encounter).
But if you’re interested in doing more for those around you, here’s a few interesting ideas that you can do at work or at home while you’re surfing the web:

  • Breast Cancer Site – you click and advertisers give to help sponsor women who need mamograms
  • GoodSearch – a search engine like any other, except 50% of the revenue from this site goes to charity
  • FirstGiving – offers organizations an easy online way to raise funds through a variety of means

Maybe you’d like to help financially…

  • Kiva – puts you in contact with small businesses in third world countries that need a loan to help their business grow
  • One Laptop Per Child – lets you buy a specially designed laptop for children around the world (and for your own children if you’re so inclined)
  • Nabuur – connects you directly to people online in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; they tell you about their challenges and you work together (with a facilitator) to help solve problems

After all this “hard work” you may feel really inclined to get out in person and do some good in the community, if so you can do your own search in your area with these sites:


Visit Lifehacker for more information on these sites or other comparable sites.
And if you’ve got any other sites that you’ve found helpful? Let us know.