Finding Charity in Everyday Life: The Goods for Good Project by Melissa Lafsky

This year, on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, the Huffington Post headlined with a powerful and inspiring quote from the reverend himself: “Life’s Most Persistent And Urgent Question Is: What Are You Doing For Others?” It isn’t a hypothetical question or a platitude — it’s a mandate for assuming a meaningful lifestyle that is about more than just ourselves and our needs. It’s a call to live your life concerned with not just your own gain, but also the well-being of others.

Melissa Kushner, a New Yorker who formerly worked for the United Nations, thought of a way to put her knowledge, connections, and skills to work to achieve a massive goal. Before a trip to Malawi in 2006, a thought occurred to her: American manufacturers are producing so much that we see huge surpluses in this country, while children in developing nations are without basic needs like school supplies — which can make a substantial difference in a child’s quality of life. So why not call U.S. companies and ask them to donate the products they have left over?

Click here to read the full article.

permalink | rss | trackback