Sew On and Sew Forth

December will be my month to spend $200 on goods or services to help someone else. It’s not a lot of money, but it could make a difference.

Our Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) group met last night for the first time to talk about how this is going to work. It turns out with 20 members and roughly $20 per person per month, we will be able to give each of 2 persons $200 per month to spend.

We talked a lot about the type of projects people want to take on. They ranged from giving money to someone struggling in the grocery line to buying uniforms for kids on a sports team to treating an elderly person to massage. Everyone has a slightly different take on RAK. The good news is we all agreed that when it’s your month, you can do whatever you want with the money, not needing any approval from the group.

We drew months out of a hat and I chose December, along with my neighbor Charlie. But his project will not be at all related to mine. We’re just co-spenders. It’s interesting that we are both Jewish, so we will not be distracted by Christmas shopping.

So what will I do? I want to do something that makes an investment in someone’s future. I at first thought of buying books for some of the children I will be reading to. Then someone reminded me that they are homeless and would probably not be able to carry a lot of things with them when they leave the shelter. Then I thought about music lessons for a promising student who could not otherwise afford lessons.

But finally I determined that what I really want to do is buy a sewing machine for a woman who needs one and can’t afford to buy it. I could also throw in free sewing lessons. I remember my mother giving the old Singer I learned to sew on to a similar woman who then made all of her daughter’s clothes. So, yes, this is what I want to do with my December money.

Someone at the meeting suggested that you really can’t save money over the price of clothes at say Old Navy. But I countered with the idea that you can save money if you buy remnants, sew for small children, and repair worn or torn clothes. You can make other things, like curtains, as well.

The next questions: How do I find a worthy recipient? Can I actually buy a good used sewing machine for $200?

I called G Street Fabrics this morning and spoke to someone named Austin. He apparently has a connection with someone who works with single moms in Northern Virginia. G Street “inherited” all the leftover fabric when an elderly quilter died. He has been doling it out to this person. He is sure she will be able to come up with someone who really needs a sewing machine.

The first sewing machine repair place I called said they had 2 machines: one for $150 and a second for $200. Either of them would fit nicely within my budget.

I’m excited to think this project may work. Sewing has brought me a lifetime of pleasure and I may have even saved a little money along the way. I really hope I can share this enjoyment with someone else.

So if you had the $200 to spend for the good of humanity or the world, what would you do with it?