In Which I Announce My Seasonal Charity

Over the past few months, I have spent some time photographing things and putting them into my shop; I'm still adding things a few at a time, as opportunity allows, but there's a nice selection in there to get started. I'll be taking some small items to the Underground Gallery in Collinsville on Sunday to try my luck there as well.

For all sales that I make through my online shop before the new year, I will donate 15% of the sale price to Days for Girls, a group that is doing critically important work to serve the needs of girls and women around the world. Apparently there is a team already in Connecticut that works on sewing and assembling the kits; I have an email out to the local contact and I'm hoping to meet up with some other people to work in a group. Even if I don't hear back, I'll dedicate some time over the next few months to sew a few kits myself. Here's a brief (heartbreaking) statement from the Days for Girls website:

Days for Girls was founded in 2008, when Executive Director Celeste Mergens prepared to travel back to Kenya to continue working with orphanages and communities in the wake of great political and economic upset. One night she awoke with a burning question: “Have you asked what the girls are doing for feminine hygiene?” When she asked the assistant director of the orphanage she was workingwith,  the answer was shocking: “Nothing. They wait in their rooms.” 
The conditions were cramped, unsanitary, and would leave girls without food and water for days unless someone brought it to them. Furthermore, sanitary products were available, but only if girls were willing to suffer sexual exploitation in exchange. This moment was the beginning of awareness to the vulnerability millions of women and girls face throughout the world every month, simply due to this basic biological function. These women and girls suffer in silence, due to cultural ideas and taboos surrounding this issue. Because of this, girls and women can feel that they are tainted, or fundamentally flawed or less in some way. Washable, quality hygiene kits and accompanying education changes all that.  Join us.

We take so much for granted, n'est-ce pas?