Autumn Bounty
I have been harvesting in my garden this weekend. Anyone want some salad greens? I’ve never seen as many as I have had this year.
What a treat to watch the orange and gold leaves fall to the ground outside my kitchen window today. I’m writing this while listening to Maria Callas and thinking of what The MoonCatcher Project’s Fall bounty will bring.
Giving Tuesday is right around the corner. Save the date! November 28, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, when people all over the world give to charities of their choice to help make the world a better place. It’s often described as a “global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.” I love that! We’ve been talking about our donors that choose to help keep girls in school by giving to our project. Thank you always for your generosity.
Next on our list of year end events is the eighteenth annual Dining for Dollars extravaganza that will happen on December 13th. Last year we delivered more than 800 lasagna dinners to people in the Capital District of NY. Keep an eye out for how to order or feel free to donate even if you don’t live around here. Our site will go live on November 8th. This year our proceeds will again go to The MoonCatcher Project and to Schenectady Street Soldiers.
D4$ 2022 — dinners ready for delivery.
In Africa we have been able to increase production this last month and have distributed kits to 7 schools in Kenya, 8 in Uganda, and 7 in Malawi. Our tailors regularly send photos of huge piles of completed kit parts followed by the smiling faces of hundreds of girls receiving MoonCatcher Kits.
Our partner in India - The Shashi Kiran Charitable Trust - has also been busy. Kits were distributed recently in Meghalaya (a state in northeast India), and Noida (near New Delhi).
MoonBees are in full swing too. Thank you to Avila Retirement Community, Academy of the Holy Names, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for all your hard work putting together MoonCatcher kits in this country. These kits will go to girls in Mexico, Ghana and Thailand.
A young MoonBee participant volunteers to model a MoonCatcher pad.
C.R.E.A.T.E .Community Studios partnered with The MoonCatcher Project for a “PaintBee”. Together volunteers met at the beautiful downtown Schenectady CREATE Studio on Erie Boulevard to paint wooden “blood drop” shaped ornaments as a fund raiser for both organizations. We’re going to do it again on November 20 from 5:00-7:00. Watch our calendar for more information.
One of the most enriching experiences this past month was our annual board retreat. This was the first time since COVID started that we could meet in person and talk about important issues all day long. My good friend, and expert on nonprofits, Teri Bordenave, led us in a day of introspection as well as hard core decision and policy making. We all felt like we’d accomplished so much and had a much clearer view of the future. We had fun too.Thank you Teri from the bottoms of our collective hearts. You rock!
And, we’ve been doing presentations. Twice we’ve had the opportunity to present to Methodist groups in Syracuse. Next month we’ll be speaking with Women Educators in Columbia and Greene Counties, and The Mohawk Valley Nurses Association. If your organization would like us to present to your group call Ellie at 518-859-5114. We’d love to tell you all about this project and to try on our pad for you.
Thank you all. Happy Fall!
Ellie