Well, I stated the other day that I have an idea to help the poor...and I do. Many of you have responded, many have the information now. Well, the domain is parked, so I can officially release the proposal (enough people have seen it that I won't have any problem defending it as my concept, so I'm not as worried about it at this point). And so, without further ado, here it is (This is a rough draft, remember. Still much work to be done):
Canning Poverty – A Proposal
In the wake of our recent circumstances, I have had many people emailing me asking “What can we do?” They want to help but are on fairly fixed incomes themselves. Well, I think I might have a way they can help that will cost nothing but their time (and a little outlay for the domain name registration).
The idea is canningpoverty.org. I have checked, and the domain name is, at the moment, available. We would set up coordinators in different communities to take donations and deliver them to the local recycling facility. The payment would be deposited in a paypal account for use by the organization.
What we would do
The money collected by canningpoverty.org would be used, after administration, towards the following:
*Relocation grants for families who have job offers in other areas but are unable to afford to move.
*Small business startup grants.
*”Urban homesteading” programs to encourage home ownership in the inner city.
*Emergency temporary relief.
*Other assistance as determined by a board of directors.
Structure
My goal is to have canningpoverty.org set up as a nonprofit, with the following board positions:
*Chairman – myself
*Secretary – someone with the organizational skills to handle the paperwork
*Treasurer – someone with money skills to handle the incoming donations
*Web designer – someone with computer knowledge who can assemble a webpage
*Media contact – all board members would meet with media, however, this person would organize all contacts to avoid scheduling conflicts.
Finally…
*There are 300 million people in the US. In my community, I receive approximately 1 and a half cents per can. If we received an average of 1 can per man woman and child in this country per year, that would be a $4.5 million/year operating budget. 1 can per man woman and child per month would be a $50 million/year operating budget. We would, of course, take other recyclables depending on what the centers in the community will accept, but the focus will initially be on aluminum cans.
There’s a strong potential here to make a difference.
Respectfully submitted,
Gideon MacLeish