We live in a time where we are BUSY. Busy with work, busy with family, busy with the inconsequential noise with which we fill the rest of our waking hours. We also live in an intense political & socioeconomic climate, one where we now, more than ever, are hyperaware of the inequities around us and often have some drive to "help". While it is often difficult to donate our time through volunteerism, with the expansion of online apps like GoFundMe and Facebook Fundraiser, donating money is easier than ever. Just last week a couple's Facebook Donation ask raised almost 20M in support of immigrant families. While I often take part in this type of fundraising, I also can't help but feel a deep disconnect to the actual cause. The lack of personal accountability and often unrecognized privilege that allows us to feel as if we are doing something good by almost not doing anything (but click a button) is something that I struggle to unpack in my mind.
Because of this I often feel the need to supplement online financial support of causes with something tailored to the local community. My local community is the SF Bay Area, an area crippled by a housing crisis & drug addiction. In my 7 years alone, I have seen the already incredible cost of living more than doubled, and that doesn't even scratch the surface of the gentrification issues that have plagues the area for decades. There are homeless men & women on what seems every street corner. There are panhandlers are virtually every highway entrance ramp. People. Need. Help.
Which brings me to LADY PACKS. Lady Packs are feminine care pouches. They contain tampons, feminine wipes, deodorant, tissues, Advil, floss, chapstick and other personal hygiene items. As a 33 year old woman, I have HORRIBLE periods. Like the kind that make you call out of work and lay on your floor for 8 hours instead. I can not imagine being a woman on the street without access to menstrual supplies. It literally breaks me to think of that struggle. I originally used small make up pouches that I had acquired through a monthly cosmetic subscription ( personally, I use Ipsy) but any kind of baggie or container would do. I had many of the items already at home (toothpicks, Qtips, tissues) and purchased the remaining items from the travel section at the drug store. 10 of them roughly cost me $30 and about 30 mins of my time. Creating a more personal outlet for giving can literally be this easy. I like to keep a couple in my glove compartment and one in my backpack to hand out to women in need. More often than not, they are taken with immense gratitude although when they are not I'm confident that they'll come in handy eventually.
While giving in any capacity is generally a "good" deed, giving void of empathy, compassion & action feels pretty phoned in. I encourage you to find that balance in your own life, cultivating karma in everyday interactions with those around you.
Namaste!
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