Happy Birthday, Sid!

To celebrate this milestone birthday, we 

Donated 60 Minutes

Laura Mitchell - Showers of Blessings

Showers of Blessings provides showers to people experiencing unhoused-ness. I help put together clothing and hygiene kits.

Victoria Nicholls - Girl Guiding UK

I spent the hour long session with my Rainbows (girls ages 4-7) talking about how we can help charities, drew some posters for them, and decided which charity we would donate too. (Joint between RSPCA and Woodland Trust).

Reyna - Light in the Dark Recovery Services

I’m building a state-by-state directory of trauma-informed services(medical, legal, educational, and more) for women escaping high-control environments like trafficking, abductions, and fundamentalist communities. I vet each resource to ensure safety and support, hoping no one has to navigate becoming a person again alone the way I did.

Mackenzie Brames - Keep Alachua County Beautiful

I picked up around 13 pounds of litter in the neighborhoods around the organization.

Tiffany H - Good Bitches Baking

Good Bitches Baking is a New Zealand-based network that connects home bakers to local charitable organisations so those in need can receive a sweet treat. I have been looking to get back into volunteering for a few years now but Sid's birthday has finally given me the push I needed to do some more research about local volunteering opportunities, and I've signed up as a volunteer driver for GBB this month!

Sarah Baum - Manor College

I spent over an hour volunteering for my college's Transgender Awareness Week event, giving out information and talking to them about my experiences as a non-binary person. No pictures, to protect student privacy, but I felt it was important for the students to be aware that there is at least one faculty/staff person who is part of the community.

Jessica Swift - 826LA

Made 60 bookmarks for 826LA to give to young writers. Also helping them with writing and illustration projects.

Cole Fauxbear - Local Transgender Groups

For my donation, I have given 60+ minutes to the nonprofit trans support groups that I belong to: I'm a facilitator for one, and I started a social club for the other, because so many of us are neurodivergent and struggle with maintaining friendships. I've been running meetings, coordinating projects and activities, and supporting individual members through struggles. Many of us feel like family these days. So it means the world to me that I've been able to start and guide a local version of SCSC. Happy Birthday to one of my role models!

Mary Knasinski - Layton Terrace Care Center

I drive my niece to work to the nursing home several days a week, and coincidentally the trip takes just about sixty minutes from the time I leave my apartment to the time I get back. The center is also an employer of special needs adults including my niece, Maria, so a win-win for all.

Mel - Street Cats Club

I donated 60+ minutes toward building winter shelters for local stray cats. I know how important cats are to Sid, so I took great joy in donating my time for these furry creatures on his behalf. (I roped in 3 of the niblings to help, too!)

Karen S - The Felix Project's Multibank

I volunteered at The Multibank located near me in London. It was a lot of fun!

Poppy Yan - Disaster Welfare Support Team

I happened to have a training on the day I received your email. So I took a picture of my team, and we are learning map coordination.

Donated 60 Items

Nix Houston - Harbor House Florida

I put together and donated 6 bundles with 10 items each that women’s shelters often need most. Nice soap, washcloths, reusable pads, laundry soap, etc.

Robyn C - Trenton United Church warming centre

I donated 60 granola bars to the warming centre my mother helps run at her church because they are only permitted to serve individually wrapped single-serving snacks and can always use more.

Elmie & Ambreen - Te Omanga Hospice Shop

Together, we emptied out seemingly half my (Elmie's) wardrobe, and donated clothes and other items to be rehomed.

Christie Z - Multiple Organizations

When Mel announced this project, I knew I would be doing something with the Orlando homeless groups I had bonded with over the last year as part of my reporting on the issue. But I couldn't pick just one. So I did six, with a mix of monetary donations and items I knew these groups needed: blankets, men's larger size socks, and personal hygiene products. The final number comes out to 240. So it's an increment of 60. Samaritan Resource Center/SALT Outreach/OCPS Homeless Education/iDignity/Matthew's Hope/Christian Service Center

Donated 60 Dollars/Pounds/Local Currency

Dumindra - Multiple Organizations

I contributed $10 each to 6 charities/non-profits/public services in honor of Sid’s birthday: Planned Parenthood, Doctors Without Borders, PBS, ACLU, and two local charities, the Central Valley Food Bank and Hinds Hospice.

Linda Burnett - Alameda County Community Food Bank

I have donated $60 (plus fees) to our local food bank.

Rose Bridges - ACLU of Texas

The ACLU has been on the forefront of fighting the worst of the Trump government and red state government's attacks on immigrants, minorities, LGBTQ+ people, women and other vulnerable groups. I chose Texas, where I used to live, because of the state government's attacks on trans kids and their parents, on immigrants, on reproductive freedom, and on academic freedom. Happy Birthday Sid!

Karen S - The Felix Project's Multibank

Nix Houston - Hereditary Angioedema Association

At the end of October I lost my chosen sister to HAE. I’m processing it with gratitude and joy to balance the grief. She would love the opportunity to celebrate life as part of my journey.

Tania - Die Tafel

The Tafel are one of the largest volunteer based organizations in Germany. They are financed by donations and receive no public financing. Only food that is donated to the Tafel can be distributed to those in need. Rent, transport and administrative costs of the Tafel are covered by private donations and the business community. More than 950 local foodbanks work under this organization.

Cathy Foster - Multiple Organizations

£10 each to: Refuweegee, Cat Action Lanark, Starter Packs Glasgow, Clydesdale Foodbank, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, Cretan Cat A List

Nix Houston - The Planetary Society

Big physics nerd, big space nerd. What’s better than The Planetary Society! I often donate for Carl Sagan’s birthday; I swapped it to Sid’s birthday this year.

Kacey J - The Florence Project

Moira de Kok - Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Joan Marie Verba - Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Association of Minnesota

Ema Žurovcová - Linka bezpečí, z.s.

Erica - ACLU of Michigan

Rachel Cristy - Crisis (UK homelessness charity)

Cindy Almond - Three Square Food Bank

Chantelle - Harvest Hope Food Bank

Franny - Tierschutzverein Boeblingen E.V.

My local animal rescue, Tierschutzverein Boeblingen e.V. It's were we've got our dog.

Zuzána - Multiple Organizations

Monetary donation to internet projects which I use every day and want to keep running: Wikipedia (25usd), Archive.org (25usd), Project Gutenberg (10usd)

Molly - Syracuse NY Democratic Socialists of America, Mutual Aid project

Donated to the Mutual Aid project to provide food assistance in the form of grocery store gift cards to those who lost SNAP benefits in November in the city of Syracuse, New York. This form of assistance allows families to purchase the specific foods they need, especially for those with dietary restrictions.

Jenaba Waggy - Out Loud Chorus

Out Loud Chorus is Out Loud Chorus the "largest North American mixed chorus for the LGBTQ+ community". The choir is here in the Ann Arbor area, and I'm very much a fan of their concerts and how it gives queer folk space to be artistic and performative and joyous about themselves.

Poppy Yan - Amnesty International

Amydoodles - Feeding America

I donated 60 meals.

Soph - Mermaids UK

Mirja Tams - Stichting Voedselbank IJmond-Noord

Betsy C - Wikipedia

I use Wikipedia all the time, and this was a great excuse to finally donate!

Anna Göksu - Compassion International

I have a 15 year old sponsor child named Hasna in Tanzania, whom I have supported every month for years now.

Charlie - Proteus Reptile Trust

I donated to help this charity care for large lizards who have been surrendered to them by people who were no longer able to care for them. I got a bronze sponsorship for Archie the iguana, and a silver sponsorship for Messi the tegu, who are both permanent residents at the reptile rescue. Big lizards like iguanas and tegus are often kept in poor conditions because people get them as hatchlings and then aren't able to give them the time, space and care they need to thrive when they grow up, so they end up being surrendered to reptile rescues, who may also struggle to meet the costs of caring for them without donations and volunteers from the community. I've included a photo of me with my own tegu, Pixel, as a reference for what a tegu is and how big they are.

Patrick Q - Aman Lara

Aman Lara was founded to help those Afghans who supported Canada and Human Rights in Afghanistan, escape and build lives overseas. in safety. The organization now has expanded to broadly protecting refugees from warzones, providing safe passage, protection, and pathways to opportunities in Canada for displaced individuals, and those at-risk ensuring they can rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose. I have a good a dear friend who was the only female interpreter for the Canadians in Afghanistan at the age of 15. Helping Aman Lara helps me continue to support her and her fellow patriots who need a safe harbour.

Lori W - Second Harvest Food Bank

Sharon Kidwell - Feeding America

Zack M - PMA Bike Ride

Jenn S - Darbster Animal Rescue

Ash Hulme - Cat Rescue Dunedin

No time to volunteer and I wasn't sure they would want me to, so I went to Countdown and bought some treats and toys.

Jenn Ashdown Storer - Feeding America

I donated 60 meals.