So I'm on a Freecycle list, and I posted yesterday saying that I noticed that there were lots of families in need, and for families who still needed help to contact me and I'd see what I can do.

For those of you who don't know, I used to run a preschool so I had (at one time) fifty thousand dollars worth of toys and supplies. I kid you not. Now, over the years in all the giving away and selling, it's down to maybe nine thousand dollars worth. Most is books and learning supplies, but I have some toys left. So, I post thinking that maybe I can help someone out and get rid of some of this stuff. Most is new, some is used, all is in good condition.

I got up this morning to sixteen E-mails from local families saying they needed help because they weren't going to be able to get anything for their kids this year. Sixteen. How screwed up is our countries priorities if sixteen families on one mailing list that represent only a fraction of the area are going without? Sixteen families, who all together totaled 41 children. 41 children who were not going to get any presents from Santa this year.

I was really overwhelmed, in fact, I cried. I spent about an hour trying to figure out how I was going to make sure each kid got something. I had stuff, but I didn't have that much stuff, and I had mostly preschool stuff, and a large majority of the kids were older.

But, I gathered everything I had, and managed to give away a huge amount of toys. Everything from Little Tykes Kitchens with dishes and plastic food, to 90% of my Mr. Potato Head collection (I had like...sixty potato heads). I got rid of a ton of new coloring books and kids books, brand new boxes of crayons, gave away brand new games, and nine brand new never opened cartoon movies on DVD. Baby dolls, barbies, nasty Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you name it, I got rid of it. See, now, I wasn't playing with all that stuff, so why keep it?

The only thing I've got left of any of my collections is my Betty Spagetti's. I guess I'm just selfish like that. I even got rid of my entire Arthur book collection...I had them all.

Yes, I love me my preschool toys!

So I've managed to get bags all ready for everyone, and one person has already picked their stuff up. I even gave away a frozen turkey and a complete trimmings sack. It pisses me off, to tell you the truth. This should not happen, nobody should have to respond on a mailing list to someone to beg for help because they can't afford to get their kids anything. There is more then enough in this world, nobody should have to go without. This is the kind of stuff our government and society should be taking care of, not scuttling money from schools to buy more weapons or figuring out how to steal oil from other countries. Someone tell me when it's gonna change, because I'm pretty damn bummed about the whole thing.