From the Farmhouse Table: November 2023
What’s Your Three
Marjorie’s card game was tight.
Birthdays, holidays, celebrations, consolation — my late mother never missed an opportunity to pen a note, address the envelope in her precise cursive, lick a stamp and send a card on its way.
She would have loved a dear friend of mine from Portland who takes that up a notch as the end of the year approaches. Mark, a civic powerhouse and philanthropist who describes himself simply as a “community do-gooder,” adds an extra slip of paper inside his holiday cards.
On it, Mark lists three of the nonprofit organizations that he is supporting, with a short note of explanation. In a year when Mississippi banned all abortion in the state, his note pointed me to a reproductive freedom fund helping people access abortion services in neighboring states. Each year, I learn something new about Mark through these slips of paper. Rather than updates on social media sharing the doom of harmful laws and inequities, or the impact of war on the most vulnerable, Mark’s notes remind me that I have the power to do something. They give me a window into the issues he cares about. And they have inspired me to carry on the practice.
In hip hop culture, compiling, and arguing about, your list of the top five all-time greatest rappers is a longstanding tradition (in case you’re wondering, my list includes Tupac, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Jay Z and LL Cool J).
Patching together my Mom’s card practice, Mark’s notes, and that hip hop tradition, I, too, now feel inclined to share nonprofits I care about inside the cards I start writing when the first frost hits the ground.
If you’re on my list of naughty and nice recipients this year, you’ll learn about three of the organizations that I’m supporting, (plus two more, because I’m extra):
Hedgebrook, of course, because there is no other place where women-identified writers can experience solitude, beauty, community, and nourishment while cared for with the same radical hospitality they share with their loved ones.
Town Hall Seattle, because it is through the exchange of ideas that our futures are guaranteed. Town Hall also partners with Hedgebrook to bring the voices of women authoring change to Seattle.
Jamaa Birth Village, because this BIPOC-founded Equal Access Midwifery Clinic provides culturally-based traditional and evidence-based midwifery and doula care, along with perinatal mental health care, holistic therapy, spa services, and childbirth education aimed at lowering high infant and maternal mortality/morbidity rates for Black pregnant people in the St. Louis area.
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, because reproductive health care is a right every person should be allowed to exercise.
Arcora Foundation, because oral health is an issue of equity in this country and every person should enjoy good oral and overall health. Period. (Full disclosure: I took my commitment to oral health equity to the next level in 2021 and now serve on Arcora’s Board of Trustees.)
Giving is only one of many ways you can show your support for a nonprofit, many of whom are still trying to recover from the pandemic. It doesn't cost anything to uplift orgs with your voice; tell friends and family about work you treasure. If you’re a fan of Hedgebrook, shout us out on social media. Or show your support through earned income: for Hedgebrook that would include purchasing from among our alumnae titles on our Bookshop.org* page for your next book club read or gift. Every. Effort. Counts. And for those with a little more to spare, thank you for considering supporting an organization this season with a one-time or recurring gift, and make the impact even greater by using an employer match, if you have such a thing. You can also honor someone you love with a donation in their name, or even a fellowship named for someone who would get a kick out of making space for badass womenfolk authoring change in a cottage a world removed from their daily grind. (Thinking of you, Mom!) Hedgebrook needs and appreciates your support at any level.
#WhatsYour3? (and while you’re at it, let me know your hip hop Big5, too!)
Peace,
Kimberly
P.S. You do know about Bookshop.org, right? It is possible to purchase books online and ensure that every purchase financially supports independent bookstores. Plus, if you shop through Hedgebrook’s affiliate page, 10 percent of your purchase supports Hedgebrook. Look at you, making it rain!