For the fifth time, the Hundred Nights homeless shelter and resource center will be holding its annual Masquerade Ball fundraiser event and I’m excited to be able to sponsor it again on behalf of the Shire Free Church and Free Keene! The event is happening March 19th at the Best Western Ballroom from 7:30pm to Midnight and is always a good time. Contact Hundred Nights for tickets.
Funds raised will continue to support Hundred Nights’ important operations for the least fortunate in our community, which include the Cold Weather Shelter that opened for the season on November 26, 2015. For the hundred coldest nights of the year, the shelter provides clean beds in a warm and safe space to the homeless in our area who have no place else to go. Between November 26 and December 31, 2015 801 bed-nights of shelter were provided to 76 unique individuals.
The Ball’s Costume Contest Winners from 2014
The Open Doors Resource and Drop-In Center is open year-round from 9am to 4pm on weekdays to anyone in need of a cup of coffee, lunch, access to a phone, fax or computer, laundry facilities and some friendly conversation. In the afternoons there are often classes or presentations on a variety of topics from bicycle repair to anger management. During 2015 there were 533 unique visitors to the Resource Center who came in a total of 11,751 times. In addition dinner is served there on weekends and holidays. During 2015 over 4,000 meals were provided.
Hundred Nights has a positive impact on people’s lives, and I’m glad to have the church support its operations. You can donate to Hundred Nights via their website. If you want to help sponsor the 2016 Masquerade Ball, take a look at this document for details.
Christopher David of Free UBER – Graphic Courtesy Coin Telegraph
Free UBER‘s Christopher David is making headlines again for his latest announcement where he and several other drivers are offering free rides to people on New Year’s Eve in Portsmouth, NH. The drivers are accepting tips, and Portsmouth police chief Frank Warchol said in an interview with the Portsmouth Herald that accepting donations would still place them under government control and means they’d be fined if caught operating without government permission slips.
Chris’ announcement has really put the government gang in a ridiculous spot that shows their true nature. Prior to this, the controversy with UBER in Portsmouth has been that UBER’s background check requirements aren’t as stringent as Portsmouth’s ordinances demand. There’s been endless debate and discussion in city council meetings about who should be allowed to drive other consenting adults from place to place, with the town government agents acting concerned about “protecting” the passengers from potentially criminal drivers. However, no one in the Portsmouth government would care if a felon takes someone from point A to point B for free, but if they accept a dollar for their effort, then the regulations apply! What’s this scheme of theirs really about? Perhaps money, control, and protecting the old cab companies from competition?
Frank Warchol, Chief of Portsmouth Police – Photo Courtesy SeacoastOnline
The Portsmouth gang is threatening the charity drivers with fines of $500 to $1,000 if they are caught accepting money for rides. How police will catch them is another question entirely. With UBER, police could use the UBER app to monitor the locations of the UBER cars (whether they have, I don’t know). However, UBER is not involved at all with the New Year’s Eve charity, so police would have to run a sting operation by scheduling a ride, then pouncing on the driver when he or she accepts a tip from the undercover cop.
Chris says that his reading of the Portsmouth gang’s “ordinances” and the state gang’s “statutes” lead him to believe there are virtually no restrictions on limousines. The Portsmouth transportation ordinance defines limousine services as those which, “provide designated luxury or specialty vehicles by prior appointment for discrete functions or transportation to locations outside the City or the reverse”. Chris says the vehicles on New Years Eve will be specialty because they will have fun games in the passenger seats.
Will anything go down on New Year’s Eve between city cops and the charity drivers? Stay tuned here to Free Keene for the latest, and if you’re looking for a ride on New Year’s Eve in Portsmouth, sign up for yours here at Chris’ new project, Arcade City!
Today, more than 600 households statewide (39 in the Keene area) were delivered full Thanksgiving meals including turkey, stuffing, gravy, eggs, cornbread mix, vegetables, pumpkin pie ingredients, and some cooking supplies as part of the “Shire Sharing” charity now in its fifth year. Shire Sharing is based in Manchester and headed by state representative Amanda Bouldin, a Free State Project early mover.
Amanda has managed to continually grow the yearly charity event, which she began in memory of her father who did something similar in Dallas when she was growing up. In an interview for Free Keene today, Amanda reported that fundraising for 2015 reached record levels, allowing more than 600 families to be fed. She was hoping to raise enough for 500 families. (Last year, Shire Sharing fed 350 families – a huge increase in just one year!) This year, at least $17,000 was raised by direct contributions and fundraiser events.
State Representative Amanda Bouldin, Founder of Shire Sharing
Though the first year of Shire Sharing was supposed to be a one-time event, Amanda says, “when the second year rolled around, everyone encouraged me to repeat the project. so we just keep going”. Despite the obviously high stress level involved in organizing such a massive operation, she’s committed to continue: “I know SS is very important to a lot of people — not just the recipients but the volunteers, too. I can’t quit!”
Last night, newer Keene-area mover Maria Korfiatis headed to Manchester to grab dozens of the bags for delivery, then this morning volunteers from this area gathered at the Church of the Invisible Hand’s “Society for Love and Peace” (SLAP) at 75 Leverett Street to head out on routes taking meals to Keene, Winchester, Ashuelot, Westmoreland, Swanzey, and Chesterfield.
It was Keene’s second year as part of the ever-growing Shire Sharing operation, and like last year, recipients were grateful for the special delivery! (more…)
Using an assembly line method, all of this was sorted in about 2 hours.
Shire Sharing is a 100% volunteer
State Representative Amanda Bouldin has done it again! Stacks of canned goods, cooking supplies, fruits and vegetables were sorted into bags by Shire Sharing volunteers. Also included were cards that read:
“This comes to you from someone who cares about you. All we ask is that you take care of yourself well enough to be able to do this for someone else some day.”
Delivery will commence tomorrow to nearly 600 families around Manchester, Keene, Concord and Nashua. As usual, Shire Sharing turns out a surplus of volunteers.
Shire Sharing is my favorite charity. It’s voluntary — People like you and me — NOT gun-funded government bureaucrats. The idea is simple: Raise money, buy bags of groceries, and deliver them to families who are less fortunate. Last year, they fed over 3,000 people! They even personalized each bag by household — because some have children, some are elderly and can’t cook anymore, and some have dietary needs like diabetes or vegetarianism. YOU can help Shire Sharing feed an entire family this Thanksgiving for just 35 bucks. They take bitcoin! (And of course credit cards too.) They have an all-volunteer staff, so 100% of your donation actually buys food. Compare that to 30% with government. Shire Sharing is Voluntaryism in action. Put your money where your heart is, and be the change you want to see. Learn more and donate today at ShireSharing.org
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