Signal boost

For once, not the kind of signal I mean

A “Signal Boost” in the blogging, “get the word out” sense.

Dr Jeff’s Holiday Fare Transit Ticket Donations
(and shamelessly borrowed picture)

I want to draw attention to a good cause since I know a lot of people like to donate to charitable causes this time of year, and I like the transit-related goals of this one. Famed blogger / Twitterer (or is it Tweeter?) / super-commuter Dr Jeff is using his powers for good by hosting a drive to collect books of unvalidated TriMet tickets and donating them to those in need. From his blog:

In my travels on TriMet, I see lots of folks who aren’t as lucky as me. I’ve got a subsidized annual pass, a full time job, and a car if I need to get somewhere in a hurry. Lots of the people I share a ride with have none of those things. While a transit fare is not that big a deal to me, for some people it’s the difference between getting to the job site (or high school!) or just having to stay home.
It’s obviously a huge problem, and I’m not going to pretend that I’ll be able to make much of a dent. I’d like to do SOMETHING, though. So, here’s the deal. I’d like to collect books of transit tickets and distribute them.

This seems to really resonate with people, based on the response so far. The first 10 books were donated to Yolanda House, which is a domestic violence shelter that lists “bus tickets” as a needed item. The next 10 books went to Outside In because of their work with marginalized teens. Follow the Holiday Fare Blog for updates on donations received and where they will be going.

If you would like to contribute

You can buy books of tickets online and have them shipped to Doctor Jeff, or you can buy tickets at grocery stores or the TriMet ticket office downtown in Pioneer Square and mail them to him. Or if you like the idea but prefer to donate directly, I suppose you can just buy the tickets and mail them to Yolanda House or Outside In yourself (or any other shelter in need – e.g. Raphael House lists TriMet tickets as their biggest monthly expense; Bradley Angle has TriMet bus tickets as “wish list” items; I’m sure there are others who could use donated transit passes).

I think this is an amazing idea, different from the traditional clothing and toy drives because it addresses a need that is often overlooked… Please donate if you can, or spread the word if you can’t. Cheers!