MISSION: Local Love

I don’t typically post things on this website that aren’t missions or otherwise directly related to the Secret Agent L Project, but I feel compelled today to share this upcoming event with you. Why? Because it benefits individuals who may be suffering from mental illness, an issue very close to my heart.

On Monday, December 13, 2010, I’ll be participating as a celebrity bartender/barista at the Community Human Services (CHS) Cards and Cookies event at Cassis from 5-8 p.m.  Community Human Services is an outstanding organization here in Pittsburgh that provides housing services to those with mental illness.  And for this event, all you have to do is bring a gift card in order to get in.  And then you’ll get to eat cookies, have delicious drinks, and mingle with other full-of-heart people just like you, all while helping those in need.

And how will bringing a gift card help those in need, you ask?

The Cards and Cookies event is part of CHS’s Holiday Giving Projects.  Sue Kerr, my friend and the amazing brains (and heart) behind the Cards and Cookies event, tells us in her own words just how powerful the simple act of donating a gift card will be:

Many of the people we serve don’t often have the luxury of shopping for anything but the basics. A gift card (which many request) gives them a gift AND the gift of the shopping trip. It also gives us a chance to encourage them to socialize a bit, isolation being one of the biggest challenges for many of our program participants.

Any denomination is fine. A $5 Subway gift card gives someone a chance to “go out” for lunch. Giant Eagle has 140 different types of cards and we can use most of them. But our top list would be: Giant Eagle, Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Kohl’s. For teens: The Gap, Old Navy, Game Stop, Best Buy, Claire’s, Wet Seal. Restaurants: Eat n Park is the best for an affordable family meal, but also Applebee’s, Subway, McDonalds, and other places that are accessible by bus. We can also use cards to drug stores like Rite-Aid.

The sad thing is that most of our adults asked for the everyday basics we take for granted – bathroom towels, shaving cream, a new pair of slippers … the gift card gives them the dignity of picking out their own towels.

If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and would like to attend, please do! You can RSVP on the event’s Facebook page.   I’ll be there, and I’d love to meet you! If you’re not in the Pittsburgh area, but would still like to help out, please feel free to mail gift cards to:

Community Human Services
374 Lawn Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Or you can call 412.246.1629 for more information on other ways you can help. You can mail or drop off your gifts until Dec. 11, 2010, which will ensure that CHS can get the items to the families in time for their holiday gatherings.  But feel free to donate right up through the holidays if you like.

Consider it this week’s Mission of Kindness. Together, we can make the holiday season a little brighter for those in need.