Welcome to the third edition of the Helping Humpday revival, dedicated to Kossacks helping one another through personal emergencies.
Humpday — because we’re smack dab in the middle of the work week and getting over that hump sure looks sweet. But for some folks in this community, the humps they need to get over are far more daunting than looking forward to the weekend. That is where Helping comes in.
‘Make my house your inn’. As poet Marianne Moore reminds us in Silence, inns are not residences. Perhaps not. But they do welcome the weary, offer temporary shelter (perhaps even safety), a warm bed, a hearty meal, and often a libation and good conversation with amiable company. Much like the support we offer to our fellow Kossacks on the lists below who find themselves in temporary financial distress.
Interestingly, the line didn’t originate with Moore, or even with the taciturn father of her poem who prefers house guests (and perhaps even grown children) who amend their visits to short stays and who can amuse themselves. It was political philosopher Edmund Burke who first uttered the line, in an effusive invitation to a compatible stranger with whom he had fallen into expansive conversation in a bookshop. "Throw yourself into a coach," said the sociable Burke, who recognized a fellow intellectual traveler. "Come down and make my house your inn."
It takes a village, and every village must have its inn. Let us — the DKos community — be that inn, that place of comfort, that refuge from the storm, that succor, that safety net. Because until such time as we get the government that we want and deserve, when there will be no need for fundraisers, some Kossacks may need the help and compassion of this caring and generous community. That’s why HHday resides at Street Prophets Coffee Hour, the intersection where politics and religion and ethical values conveniently meet and sometime collide. Here at HHday we may highlight a particular Kossack’s story, share links to appeal diaries, share links to support services or other informational sites, spread the word, offer a shoulder to lean on.
Virtual tea, coffee, hugs, the occasional cat pic, and a musical interlude along with the Needs List and Links are below the fold. Please join us.
This is an open thread.
THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTED NEED/LINK
jan4insight — needs $700 to cover mortgage by 3/12. Jan is a fiber and mixed media artist and craftsperson. Last year, Jan lost a significant chunk of income when her role managing a family estate ended much earlier than expected. She is 70 years young but with some health issues that make finding outside employment unrealistic. After two decades working freelance, she gets negligible SS income.
Jan needs some help as she transitions to full self-sufficiency by growing her art and design business and her Patreon Page program. In fact, her jewelry, crochetwork, artwork, and designs on products can already be found all over the web at her independent shops at, among others, Zibbet and TeePublic (lots of fun left-leaning slogans in her shop). Jan often uses her art to promote uplifting colorful healing and Democratic causes. She is also in the Kos Katalogue. Jan is working hard at building her business, but it takes time. Can you please help her over this hump until that happens?
Here is a link to her own comment about her need: jan's appeal
PayPal is burchjan at gmail dot com
SOCIAL MEDIA — Help Spread the Word
Help us get the word out! If helping financially isn’t the right option for you — or you want to do more — then be the link between need and fulfillment. If you are active on Social Media, go to the linked fund-raising pages on the Needs List and use the social media icons on the page to share it throughout your contacts on Facebook, Twitter, whatever platform you use. If you are active on DKOS, and it is appropriate for your members, republish this diary to your groups and tip, comment, rec so it stays on the sidebar as long as possible.
CURRENT FULL COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST:
Have a few dollars to spare? Financial assistance is, of course, our most critical need. Consider donating to any of the fundraisers below. Encouraging words of support and virtual hugs are always welcome, too. And are also a way of helping. When folks feel low or alone, they need to know we value them as part of our community.
Community needs list as of 3/6/18. Please kosmail any updates, corrections or additions to basket.
NEW & UPCOMING/URGENT
JAN4INSIGHT — Needs $750 700 for March mortgage payment by 3/12 to avoid late fees; purchases from her Zibbet shop using PayPal or PayPal Credit as payment method will also help. PayPal is burchjan at gmail dot com
WICCANEAGLE — Needs $2,200 1,990 to pay off a lien resulting from condo association late fees. PayPal is abqkellyeagle at gmail dot com
JTG — Needs $950 ~$250 for February and estimated $600 for April to make up for holidays (no pay as substitute teacher) and previous health crisis with foot that prevented him from working.PayPal is james at jamesthomasgreen dot com (GoFundMe; kosmail for postal address or other options)
HARPPLAYER — Needs $1,854 427 in total (diary with details). New/unexpected needs for auto insurance ($173 due 2/3), car tags, title and tax ($97), coolant, wiper blades and sundries ($55), unexpected vet bill ($102). PayPal is bluessingerrn at aol dot com
Ongoing
FARWESTGIRL — Needs $6,414 3,202 in total (vet bill ($37), backup vehicle ($220), LLC ($200), electrician, culverts, & gravel (est $500), and storage pod ($3,175)) YC — Lost the House Please Help Get Something on the Road — diary Feeling Very Discouraged Right Now. PayPal is ping-pita-5765 at opayq dot com
BFSKINNER — Woot! Rent is covered; latest diary has updates on medical and housing situation which is still critical (diary). PayPal is houstonbfskinner at netscape dot net (GoFundMe)
SWAMPYANKEE — Chemo, “tumor flare” & some issues involving low white cell count causing extra expenses (Oxygen, ER visits, transfusions & pain meds). Needs funds for second flea treatment for cats & in apartment. PayPal is jennifercirino at sbcglobal dot net
MICHELEWLN — She found/got a 2012 Certified Used Car from Hertz ($5330 financed at $110/month). A few more months paid ahead will help her cover brother's 20% hospital copays. PayPal is artbymichele at aol dot com
Good News
MAUREENMOWER — Hospitalization-related expenses and March rent covered!
MUFFTOOTUFF — Rent and bills covered!
PR0GRESSIVIST — Should be covered until dispute with PayPal is resolved!
FINEENA — Sam's vet bill covered!!
ELENACARLENA — Raised enough to cover overdue storage unit fees and pay off credit card as well as have a (small) safety net!
KOS KATALOGUE
What’s New Link
It’s open all year round! Every purchase supports a Kossack, and you get to stay out of those crowded malls. Purchasing from these vendors and artisans helps folks remain self sufficient and financially independent. Plus these folks are just plain goo
Departments of the 2017 Kos Katalog
- Arts & Craftwork
- Books, Cookbooks, Magazines, Bookshops & Publishing
- Childrens', Craft Supplies, & Yarn: Knit, Crochet, Weaving
- Clothing & Jewelry
- Painting, Drawing, Digital Art, Photography, Sculpture
- Food-Drink-Garden & House-Home & Pet
OUR PHILOSOPHY
What’s the philosophy behind the Community Needs List? BfitzinAR, who for so long nurtured these Lists and womanned the Helping Humpday diaries, explains:
Kossacks taking care of our own — helping by sharing/donating money or needed items, helping by sharing both donation site links and artisan/vendor site links and purchasing gifts for self or others via those links, helping by sharing knowledge and informational links, or helping by just sharing a hug or a cup of coffee as appropriate — is what community is all about.
We are community — clan, tribe, company, village, culture, and state. Community survives beyond the life of any single member and thrives by supporting and strengthening the life of each individual member — by helping each other, by sharing — all together.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Finally, the weekly musical interlude is If I Should Fall Behind. (Hey, I am a Jersey Girl, so don’t crucify me, Springsteen fans. Yes, the original is brilliant but trust me, this is a fine rendition).
It really does take a Village, so thanks to the entire Community LInks and Lists Team, many of whom reside in The Village DKOS group. Special mention today goes to BMScott, who quietly and tirelessly makes sure all the Needs diaries and appeals get linked to wherever they need to be, and assists low-tech diarists in linking to Paypal or whatever funding site they need to link. That makes things easy for donors as well as for the receivers.
This is an open thread, so all topics welcome. Be kind to one another, we’re all in this together.
The blog is now open.