I have, as Queen, a strong sense of noblesse oblige, with an equally strong sense of keeping my distance from anyone receiving my charity. I’m not the guy bagging the sand in front of the nearly-flooded house because I might encounter the tenants and have an awkward conversation with them. I am, however, all about signing the checks.
But I have found a new charitable venture that provides a world of distance and requires no financial expenditure. It also requires no effort (no, none, nada).
It’s so easy; it seemed like an Internet scam at first. But I have found I love firing nagging letters at my congressman. If I am feeling lazy, I just send along the copied letter. If I feel like using my words for good instead of evil, I replace the letter with overwrought prose that I think will perhaps influence them.
My current favorite site is https://www.one.org/takeaction. They have five steps:
1. Sign the Declaration – which gets you on their mailing list, then they send emails suggesting you “click here” and send your congresspeople inspiring messages encouraging them to vote against world hunger. Don’t even have to know who your congressperson is.
2. Email a friend – Nuh-uh. Skipping this step. Consider yourself e-mailed.
3. Wear the wristband. Well…haven’t done that yet. Still making up my mind on the whole wristband/ribbon issue. Wearing a wristband that says “I’m Against World Hunger” seems a little much like the one protest march I went to in college in the early ’80s. It was a march protesting the Green River Child Serial Murders. Yes. Dumb. Like there would be a counter-protest?
4. Host a banner – huh. Didn’t have a website when I got started with them. Hmm.
5. Get involved and Take your Commitment to the Next Level. This scares me.
On the topic of World Hunger, after seeing the nutritional guide I will never ever eat at the Macaroni Grill again.