What's the bad news? The

This one is from the dusty archives

Denton program has been reinstated. It takes a lot of time and work to coordinate, collect, pack, ship and distribute tons of donations to families living in refugee camps in Afghanistan.

I had grown accustomed to having more time and a porch free of large plastic bags filled with clothing.  There are, however, few things in my life more rewarding than knowing how much this has meant to thousands of men, women and children, living in tents and mud huts praying for help. It has also been a joy to work alongside volunteers who step up and contribute to the effort. Our first Denton shipment was less than 6,000 pounds. Our last was 66,000. 

Packing Party details
Saturday, December 12, 10 AM - 3 PM
St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Orinda (66 St Stephens Drive)

PLEASE BRING ALL DONATIONS AFTER

9:00 AM AND BEFORE 12:03PM

Packers please arrive by 9:30 and send us an email letting us know you are coming. We also need a few set up people to arrive by 9:00.  Let us know by email if you could come by 9:00. Our email address is [email protected].

Yes, this is my porch!

Porch privileges are now reinstated for those who receive this newsletter. Porch privileges allow someone to drop donations on my porch, if you can't bring them to the packing party. Porch privileges are non transferable, can not be shared, and inure only to the benefit of those who are on our mailing list. If you need to use the privilege send an email and I'll send you my address in Lafayette.

All clothing should be clean, packed in large heavy duty plastic bags, and not too heavy, please!!!  Jack Howell is getting older and slower, as am I.    

Click here to get a list of  suggested items. Anything for cold weather is greatly appreciated. Winters in Afghanistan are brutal. One Afghan father living in a refugee camp said, "There are days when I must chose between buying food or firewood for my family. I buy firewood. You can live longer without food". 

Knitters

Socks for babies knitted by Supporters of Afghans 4 Afghans

and contributors from afar can mail your contributions to our office:
Trust in Education
985 Moraga Avenue Suite 207
Lafayette, CA  94549.

If you live nearby you can also bring contributions to our office. Call ahead to make sure someone is in the office. The office is normally open between 9am and 1 pm, Monday through Thursday. Call 925 2992010. Drop offs at my porch are preferable, however--- less lifting.

Truth is, it's all good news and the timing of the reinstatement of the Denton program couldn't be better. We should be able to get everything there and distributed before winter ends, Inshallah.

ps  If you live outside the bay area and want to coordinate a shipment to Afghanistan that will originate from an air base near you, send me an email. I can explain how it works and share what I've learned. We can also help with distribution in Afghanistan, if you need our help. We've been doing this for more years than I can remember.

pps --  Judy Chidester continues to send me links to videos we might be able to add to our computer libraries in Afghanistan. I watched her most recent submission and sent it to a friend this morning. He responded  by writing "THANKS for making my day". It is a day maker. click here to watch