contributing to people you don't know...

[markio26]

our latest donation was to the methodist church for their rummage sale.... we received a phone call from my great nephews grandma inviting him to our other home for part of the summer and to reconnect with him, taking or donating for his fun activities... we have not visited with him for 11 yrs... we raised him the first 3 yrs. of his life, and everyone moved in different cities and all contact was lost...he is 14 now... i spoke with him and he hardly remembers us.... this was very brave of his grandma and i think she is looking out for his family connections.... we will assist with this i think... where are his parents????? i cannot wait to learn why he resides with his divorced grandparents and they support him....

[markio26]

we donated over twenty dollars for the pie sale...for ingredients.... and 4 bags of clothes, 3 medium size boxes of glassware, tableware, old avon bottles, and such... i had stored and decided it was time to clear out the space on my shelves....we were thanked profusely by several members and they really did seem to appreciate it...

[aurielle]

Ugh! This is one of my work irritations - ponying up for coworker's gifts, the kids fundraisers, birthday lunches for coworkers, and the POTLUCKS! Seems like it never ends. I keep telling my supervisor that I can't afford to work here. It's starting to feel a bit like extortion, its a semi-small office and if you don't participate it's bad for your personal office politics.

We have had so many potlucks and upper management likes them so much that lately they are being 'ordered' instead of requested. We spend our own money and time on the food and we're chronically short-staffed and overworked as it is.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind shelling out a bit of cash or bringing a dish occasionally, but in this office it's quite routine and unfair as the majority of the people who are contributing and doing all the work are the least paid. And the ones responsible for collecting the money/organizing things agree its getting out of hand but haven't done anything to change it so now they have really created a monster.

[abowers]

I only contribute to things for people I know. And luckily, since I'm a grad student, there's not much pressure for me (or the other grad students in my office) to contribute money to these things.