Holiday Cheer…

Rockefeller Christmas Tree
Rockefeller Christmas Tree

The holidays are so close. Manhattan retailers are busy, windows glowing, spirits high.

Walking in Central Park and passing through Times Square on the way to a Broadway show, I have observed the city teeming with tourists. NYC is buzzing.

The tree at Rockefeller Center was lite Wednesday night. It is a 76-foot Norway Spruce. Mary J. Blige, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Mariah Carey and Leona Lewis performed. Carey sang her holiday staple, “All I Want For Christmas is You.” It will be up until January 7th when it is taken down and the lumber is donated to Habitat for Humanity…fun times.

Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey

Rockefeller Center has been transformed into a winter wonderland…I never tire of the magic. Everyone is taking photos, the ice skating rink is packed, music caressing the night air, the tree lights flickering as they do on the Eiffel Tower.

Across 5th Avenue, Saks has a light show on the front of their elegant building and every 4 minutes the display enchants the passerby. The snowflake suspended over 57th Street and 5th Avenue beckons pedestrians up and down the Avenue. There is no city in the world more seductive during the holiday season than the Big Apple.

Yesterday was a foggy day in New York City…I did my usual 5 miles in Central Park, headset tuned to WFAN. An auction was happening on the station in association with the grass roots group, WhyHunger, started by the late musician, Harry Chapin.

WhyHunger is a leader in building the movement to end hunger and poverty by connecting people to nutritious, affordable food and by supporting grassroots solutions that inspire self-reliance and community empowerment.

Springsteen’s autographed guitar has reach $14,000. Tickets for the 2014 Super Bowl are also being auctioned and are over  $7100, tickets to the Giants/Redskins December 29th game are at $1550 as well as opportunities for kids to serve as bat boy/girl for a NY sports teams.

hunger-in-america-hands-go-orange

Mike Francesa, the afternoon WFAN sports talk radio host, is auctioning off 1 hour on his show to come on and talk about whatever you want, within reason. The bid is at $10,000 and counting… would I love to have a segment on WFAN to discuss the NY Giants and If The Devil Had Menopause blog…a girl can dream and make a difference, if money was no object.

The proceeds go to child hunger programs…bitter pill to swallow that 1 out of 5 children in America go hungry every day. One of the most trying times is during the summer when kids are not in school and eligible for free breakfast and lunches.

The money raised provides an opportunity for children in the 50 states to be provided with at least 1 meal during the summer. It just is unfathomable that in America kids are still going hungry.

On November 1, 48 million Americans lost all or some of their federal assistance from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps. Now, those on relief average $1.36 per meal…unimaginable. I cannot even eat lunch in NYC from a truck for under $6.That doesn’t include a beverage.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but I just had to put it out there. It motivated me to learn more about the program and make a donation.

My family and friends are fortunate. I always worry about over indulging and throwing out perishables before we can consume them. Seriously, my dogs eat better than many of the children in this country.

Let’s all consider helping the kids this time of year.

Enjoy your weekend. Through the pain I still believe and support…GO GIANTS!

www.whyhunger.org

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*