........... the garden gate.
Hello All
For those of you not familiar with the recent discussion our very own Dpmichael suggested a charitable donation to a poverty fund for every visit from the current round robin and we've tossed around a few ideas here's the thread http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/595184/ I've asked the permission of Dave and Terry to run this thread for further discussion of ideas and they're happy for us to go ahead with this and to discuss it here, I'd like to thank them for their support :). I personally feel it's a great idea and needn't be soley connected to the round robin members should others want to join in.
To date a small summary of the suggestions have been:
Find a worthy cause that accepts actual seeds as donations.
Selling our extra seeds, eBay, carboot etc to raise funds to donate cash to an agreed cause.
Charities suggested:
Thrive - http://www.thrive.org.uk/can-we-help-you.asp
Donating livestock to a family living in poverty, I found several charities who do this and some other things too like fruit trees, shelters etc.
http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com/
http://www.farmfriends.org.uk/flash/index.html
http://www.sendacowgifts.org.uk/
http://www.greatgifts.org/giftselection/products.aspx?all=1
If you are interested and have any other charities that could be considered please tell us!
(I've removed a section to prevent my complicating causing too much confusion :))
Philomel, not sure what we could do with your cockerels but hey, someone may have a suggestion other than eating them LOL
This message was edited Jun 25, 2006 11:18 PM
Charity Begins At............
(I've removed this section to prevent my complicating causing too much confusion :))
This message was edited Jun 25, 2006 11:19 PM
Baa, there is proverb in Greek, that says " .......... and this is how a thread becomes a rope !!" meaning that we exaggerate. On the other hand, as huge ropes are made of tiny threads, it also means that it is the twining that gives strength to little things (like feeilings, events, relations, people). I am very curious to see what will happen in the end with our ideas. It is the realisation that counts.
Let me make a few comments :
1. What I thought of, is that someone (e.g. MOOQUACK) keeps the bag with seeds from all of us. He is the banker. Anyone (e.g. DrD) who wants to have a look at the bag, requests the full set of what is available, and on return sends some money to the banker. The banker gives the money to charity. We all trust all - or it will never work.
2. If, in order to present an envelope of my seeds I need to know all the botanology to put on the label, I might as well go to work for Oxfam myself; it would be less frustrating and more yielding. The story here is for those willing to take a risk and pay a euro for some fun with seeds - the rest is philology.
3. I am always willing to listen to any other methods of function, even if I don't agree with them, if they are successful with the other people. But, what I see as a way for fundraising:
a. people with many seeds unused
b. abundance could mean that the RR need not be one giant envelope, but several "sets" so to speak.
c. If other people are willing to pay something, like I am, it could turn a profit for those in need
4. I am rather enclined to believe that it will only work if things are kept simple.
Last, but most imoprant : your suggestion for title " garden gate " is pure genius. I adopted it immediately. It is now the GARDEN GATE project.
My gratitude; you are twining my sparks to a warmimg glowing fire for many people to warm up
Dimitri
Count me in folks, sorry I can't suggest anything at the mo ,little grey cells not functioning too good at the mo.
Sue
Count me in too - I am happy to send my surplus seeds, with as much growing info. as I can find out, to wherever they could do some good.
Maggi xxxx
LOL Trust me to make it more complicated than it need be! Thank you Dimitri, your idea is certainly something I can envisage working.
Thank you also Sueone and Sorgina, anyone else want to join in, add thoughts, want to sit in a bath full of cold custard etc? ;)
Baa
Will take a rain check on the bath of creme anglais (unless it's strawberry-flavoured), but am happy to be counted in too.
Won't we need a bigger envelope if we include Philomel's cockerels - and won't they eat all the seeds? (Sorry - might have missed a meeting here:-)
Mike
Thanks Mike!
Strawberry custard? I don't think I've ever tasted that. I remember the green mint custard of school dinner fame (which I liked, particularly when it was on some shortbready thing with jam in the middle). I don't think it would be a bathful by the time I'd done though, more like a spoonful LOL.
Philomel, offered her cockerels as a donation in the other thread but on further consideration you are probably right and I wouldn't want to be the person opening the package at the other end!
So far we number 5, any more takers?
(I've removed a section to prevent my complicating causing too much confusion :))
This message was edited Jun 25, 2006 11:19 PM
Baa, do you see yourself as an accountant keeping accurate pharmacist scales and updated C class logistic books ?
I can only suggest Philomel should cook the cockerels (au vin), perform a charity dinner and give the money..... (I am sure she will not talk to me again until years have passed and all this is forgotten......)
Baa, since you are our most knowledgable EuroDG member, please keep the bags, be so sweet as to advertise a sticky thread in EuroRR with a list of what exists and ask everyone requesting to cover their p+p and IF THEY WISH donate something either via you or directly to a charity. And we keep it low profile as it should be. I think Dave and DGadmin and lawyers, solicitors, advisors etc will agree to that.
This way, we give with our heart, we don't invent more work for ourselves, and we remember Mother Theresa: when she realised that too many business heads had gone into her organisation, she closed down the offices and went back to feed her hungry children by herself.
Mike, I will send the comp screws to Baa, and I am sure you will donate a respectable lump in order to ask for them, proving that good humor flows only out of a generous heart ( ......... oops, there is another one who will not talk to me for years........)
Ehm .............. to cover some of the setup expenses, I am sending a little something to Baa to buy paper and pencil, and the rest she can donate as she chooses.
AND i think all donations should be under the title of DavesGarden members, to thank that fellow who managed to bring us together.
AND last but not least, less talking and more doing brings fruit to the trees. (not my saying: adapted from Pascal, "Lettres Provencales" : "Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found"). Sorry for the blurb.
Dimitri
LOL, I can't help but make things complicated ;)
Dimitri
OK - you're on! If you will send a pack of Screwsia computerense (ssp cretica) to Baa, I will buy them and try to grow them.
I may even be able to put a picture in my journal so that we can all watch their progress.
(Baa - I recall pink custard from my school days - quite good with a chocolatey-puddingy thing. It probably had never been anywhere near a strawberry, but we didn't ask questions in them days...)
Mike
Not sure if I'm one of the five, but please count me in :)
Sorry, been busy and didn't catch up with the tthread. Am happy to do whatever is decided. I agree with Dimitri the less work for any individual the better and it comes from DG.
I love the suggestion for the cockerels Dimitri. I only wish all you DG friends could come ;o))
Unfortunately a lot of the people I know would say eeeeuuugh, poor cockerels and not come!
I remember that pink custardy stuff, served with choccy pud - it was NOT my favourite. I liked the pressure cooked rice pudding served with darkest brown sugar..............
each to hi/her own ;))
I agree that we need to keep this simple - just a small donation each time we select our seeds. I must say I was getting quite perplexed with all the detailed stuff. I already donate most of my surplus seeds to the Community Garden Group I help to run, and I think money is more useful to the charities. We won't be raising mega-bucks, but it will be a nice gesture.
Ugh school dinners - I did quite like the foaming pink custard and choc pudding though.
Pat
Excellent that makes 7! Any more takers?
When the RR comes back I'll post up the list and we can take it from there. Someone restrain me if I start making suggestions again please LOL, I can't help it once someone fires up my imagination I'm off like a clockwork train blowing steam everywhere!
I don't recall a chocolate pudding for school dinner although that's no surprise since I wouldn't have eaten it anyway. I do recall a side dish, some vegetable thing in a syrupy coating which I used to like, so far I've not managed to find what it was. I used to call it fidgets but that was probably because I was always being told off by the dinner ladies for being a fidget.
Sorry extra post :)
This message was edited Jun 25, 2006 11:27 PM
O.K guys, I'm not normally thick....(opinions vary here!!) and I'm glad that something seems to have been sorted out here about how to do this thing....but I'm a bit stumped as to what?...
I've read, and re-read this thread a cou[ple of times, but can't quite grasp what it is we're supposed to be doing...I'm really sorry for being dense...but like I said earlier, brain cells not firing in the right order at the mo, (blaming this on my illness)so any instructions need to be simple, Very, very simple..
On the bit about school dinners, I remember really vividly nearly puking at the pudding of Semolina with goldfishes (sliced paeches )in...eeuugghhh.....
LOL Sueone no worries. I think Dimitri said it best in this paragraph
"... advertise a sticky thread in EuroRR with a list of what exists (from the RR) and ask everyone requesting to cover their p+p and IF THEY WISH donate something either via you or directly to a charity. And we keep it low profile as it should be"
I quite liked semolina but I'm not sure I'd have gone for the sliced peaches either.