Michelle Obama Donates to Toys for Tots

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Run time: 01:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6EHQiNIBsc   Posted on YouTube: December 17, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: December 17, 2009 By DU Member: Amerigo Vespucci Views on DU: 871

 
Associated Press
December 16, 2009

First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to a Virginia warehouse to deliver some of the more than 500 toys collected during a White House drive. During her visit, she asked for donations for older children.

[eleny]

1. I read that they're hurting this year, way down on donations

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. Everybody's way down on donations

There is a moderately upscale market chain in Silicon Valley..."Joey Franco's PW Supermarket." It's a couple of notches up on the price scale from the other chain markets like Safeway and Lucky.

One of my clients went to PW the other day and there was someone from the Salvation Army outside.

He put a dollar in the bucket. She asked "Excuse me, sir, is this a poor neighborhood?"

He laughed and said "No, not at all."

She said that she asked because in the past people put $1, $5, $10 in the bucket, and this year it's mostly pocket change (25 or 50 cents) with a single dollar being the average maximum donation.

He said "We're in a recession. No one has any money."

That sounded good on paper, until I visited him at his restaurant that Friday night, where it was standing room only. Dinner for two in his place can easily top $100, with $200 and above being more likely when wine, appetizers and dessert are involved.

I see people every day, seven days a week, who are hurting like hell, and others who are still aboard the party train.

That's always been the way of the world. It's just more noticeable in 2009.

[katkat]

7. poor people give a larger percentage of their income to help others.

I think I read that somewhere. In my experience anyway, it's true.

[MiniMe]

3. Michelle mentioned Christmas 2 or 3 times

She must not have the word on the War on Christmas. :sarcasm:

[gimama]

4. Documentary on LinkTV

a few years ago, showed Marines collecting for Toys for Tots(Calif.), then the Marines came back, hours later, wearing civies, & stood in line for their OWN Children's Holiday gifts..
Bazillion$ for war/war-profiteers, & the MARINES can't afford toys for their OWN kids. Tore ME up.. Those PROUD Marines,swallowing their pride(looking DESPERATE) in line for 'charity' for THEIR Own Babies. HO HO freakin' HO.
Don't mean to Scrooge up Your thread, but lots o' pain out here, & it's been pain-full for too dang long.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. I tell people...

...that the number one look I see on the faces of the people I encounter on a daily basis is pain.

One of my new clients has one of his restaurant locations in a local mall. Directly across from him is a well-known Japanese sweet / snack shop. The woman who works there is wonderful...I go there and grab a few treats (everything is in bins, you grab a Ziploc bag and put whatever you like in it and they weigh it). When I walk in she is always there, in the empty store, bored and alone. After a few minutes she comes alive, and the smile appears, and she tells me "Try one of those...Asian people really like them." Over the last few weeks she's given me an education in milk candy and green tea candy and all of the most popular treats that the largely Asian clientele enjoys.

My client told me that he was having a conversation with her one day, and she told him that she counts the people walking by in a one hour time frame in the food court, where her store is located. In one hour she counted 20 people. TWENTY PEOPLE! This is a SHOPPING MALL! Only 20 people in one hour. I asked him "How many of the 20 people walked into her store?" He said "None."

This year has been something else. I've never seen anything like it in my life...the prolonged and sustained level of discouragement in so many people.

[gimama]

6. thank YOU, for sharing this

My little downtown was like a ghost-town today..& the shopkeepers were extremely negative..

I did have some moments of deep conversation, Heart-felt communication, that reMinded me how important it is to LISTEN to People, to give TIME, & HEAR them...to smile at strangers... to really "be fully present" for another person, EVERY Person. This PAIN can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be..if WE are available/present to our neighbor/brother/sister. I recommitted to "BE HERE NOW" for Folks, today, & reMind 'em WE will get thru this, THIS is temporary..& WE are finding OUR balance after being so materialistic for so long. WE are reLearning what matters.. being open-Minded/Hearted, HEARing each Other.
I bet, from Your story, YOU are that kind of Person.. Let's keep Listening.