The Official Modest Needs Blog

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is just a short note to let all of you know that the Modest Needs offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday starting today, Wednesday, November 26. 

We wish you all a fantastic long weekend and look forward to kicking of our best holiday season EVER when we re-open this coming Monday, December 1st!

In the meantime, take care, and be safe.

Modest Needs in the Huffington Post

Karen Talavera's recent article in the Huffington Posts suggests that we take these pre-inauguration days as a vital opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Americans who are hurting right now. It's a beautiful article -- all about rejecting the notion of self-preservation and instead embracing the power of our collective generosity.

And, to our delight, she recommends Modest Needs as a wonderful way to do exactly that! I invite you to check out the full piece, and to send it to family and friends, too.

Scrambling to Meet a Thanksgiving Deadline

Some of us volunteer at soup kitchens every Thanksgiving. Others donate food or make visits to elderly neighbors. But did you know that you can also make a difference this Thanksgiving at Modest Needs?

Take a glance at this wonderful nonprofit application from Bayou Grace Community Services, a Louisiana-based nonprofit that's doing excellent work to repair the lives and homes of families affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

During the week of Thanksgiving, Bayou Grace Community Services has lined up a host of volunteers who are ready and willing to get to work on two needy families' damaged roofs. What they DON'T yet have is enough money to purchase the building materials.

I hope you'll consider donating a few dollars toward this worthy application. Together, let's make sure that these two families are giving thanks for their new roofs by this time next week!

Another (Free) Way to Help Modest Needs

You have the power to generate $100,000 for Modest Needs, for free. Seriously!

A very kind donor just sent us a note about a fantastic program of the Reader's Digest Foundation, called "Make It Matter". In a nutshell, the Reader's Digest Foundation is donating $1 million to worthy causes over a one-year period. Each month, the Foundation selects someone who is giving back in a significant way and awards $100,000 to a nonprofit organization in honor of that individual.

Are you doing wonderful things in your community? Nominate yourself!

Would you like to show your support for Modest Needs? Nominate us to become a grant recipient! If you're a former applicant, tell your own story and explain how we helped you through a tough spot. If you're a contributor, explain why our cause is the one closest to your heart.

And for a little inspiration, be sure to visit the Reader's Digest website to read all about the people who've been honored so far -- and the charitable organizations who've received this precious funding.

With your help, perhaps we'll become one of them!

We Love Updates from Applicants!

A funded applicant named Daniel got in touch with us recently with an update on his precious baby boy, who's in the process of getting his cleft lip and palate fixed, thanks to your kind contributions. Specifically, you helped pay for the car repair that Daniel desperately needed to get back and forth to all the necessary doctor's appointments.

Today, this 4-month-old trouper is getting his latest round of surgery. His lip will be fixed, and then in another year or so he'll be getting one last surgery to adjust his palate.

I hope you'll join with me in sending lots of good thoughts their way.

A Birthday Surprise

Talk about a wonderful little nugget for the day...

Today, your generosity helped fund this woman's dental work -- and on her birthday to boot!

Here's her lovely testimonial:

"Thank you to each and every person who helped me. Those words don't seem like enough but they are from my heart. I have read my email each and everyday from Modest Needs with hope in my heart. This morning I got up and saw I was 77 dollars away but heart jumped. Then this afternoon, seeing it is fully funded, I jumped out of my seat. Today is my birthday, which makes it that much more special for me. I have a strong belief in the Lord, and he helps us all and I know he had a hand in you guiding you all to help me. THANK YOU. I can't wait to have this dental work done and I will never forget the people who made it possible for me. God Bless You All and thanks for blessing me!!!!!!!"

Changing a Life, for $100 or Less

Here at Modest Needs, we pride ourselves on making a little bit of donation go a long way. And just in case you're wondering what a $20 or a $50 or a $75 donation can do...

For $22.88, you helped this daycare worker afford her arthritis medication.
For $66.44, you covered a past-due doctor's bill that had been making it difficult for a family to afford their groceries.
For $70, you gave this applicant the funds to take her GED -- and the opportunity to generate income for her children.
For $70.16, you provided for a military family whose home had sustained significant storm damaged earlier this year.

And these are just the beginning.

Thinking about making a donation? Browse some of our current applications to discover just how powerful a small contribution can be.

A Tough but Effective Medicine

I'm feeling a little under the weather today. Fever, chills, nausea -- just the kinds of symptoms that make it tough to get out of bed, let alone do anything productive around the house. But food poisoning, and colds, and even the flu goes away after a few days. I know that I'll feel better; it's only a matter of time.

On the other hand, this 70-year-old woman suffering through cancer doesn't know when she'll feel better again. And in the meantime, with a broken dishwasher and bum dryer at home, she finds herself in significant pain every day as she washes dishes in the sink and hangs clothes out to dry.

I invite you to visit her application and make a donation of any amount to replace these two crucial appliances. If nothing else, a read through her story has more than enough power to put our daily little ailments into perspective.