CHANGING THE WORLD, FIVE POUNDS AT A TIME

One doesn’t have to travel far to find people in need.  Every large city in the US has homeless shelters, soup kitchens or drop-in centers for people who are less fortunate than ourselves.  Drive one town over or into the rural areas and you will find more of the same.  But chances are, in your day to day lives, you don’t encounter these places, so you don’t have the constant reminder of those in need in your face.  That is not necessarily the case when we travel to less affluent countries; sometimes then, constant “need”  never leaves our presence.

Children from Mto Wa Mbu, Tanzania

Traveling through Tanzania, India, Thailand and Laos we were often overwhelmed with the abject poverty that was ever present.  People were in need of everything:  food, clean water, shelter, clothing, medical supplies, school supplies…the list is endless.  I felt moved to want to make a difference, but how?  What could I as an individual do to help make these people’s lives better?  Selecting a new set of charities to contribute to upon returning home, only made a small dent in the helpless feeling; I was really looking for something that would be much more hands on.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Pack for a Purpose (www.packforapurpose.org) is trying to give travelers the opportunity to make that difference.  They are encouraging travelers to use extra space in their luggage to provide much needed supplies to communities you visit, five pounds at a time.  If you pack properly (read lite), surely you will have room for five extra pounds of supplies and still be under the airlines weight limit.  What can you bring to a community for five pounds that will make a difference?  400 pencils; 5 deflated soccer balls with an inflation device; a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and 500 band-aids.  As Pack for a Purpose says on their website, if 500 individuals pack just five pounds of supplies, we can provide 1.25 tons of supplies – “Small space.  Little Effort. Big Impact.”

Rebecca and Scott Rothney have set up Pack for a Purpose to be as user friendly as possible.  You go onto the website and select the destination to which you are traveling.  They have listed accommodations at those locations who are already coordinated with community projects.  You pick the accommodation where you want to stay and then you are shown a list of needed supplies and the best way to pack them.  When you arrive at your accommodation, they will take the supplies and arrange to have them delivered to the recipient.

Mekong Fishing Village - Laos

While I couldn’t find an inception date for Pack for a Purpose on their website, it appears to be pretty new.  This would explain why there are a pretty limited number of destinations and participating accommodations on the site.  They do state that if you have a lodging in an area that is not listed on their website, but is interested in participating, they can contact packforapurpose.org and obtain a free listing if they qualify.

Given the current limited opportunities with packforapurpose.org you may be inclined to pass on this value added trip concept.  I’m here to encourage you to not let this opportunity pass you by.  The Rothney’s have the concept right – it’s simple, easy to execute and will really make a difference in people’s lives; you just may have to figure it out on your own for now.  Contact your lodging to see if they can refer you to a local school, health clinic, or community organizer in the area you are traveling to.  With just a little extra effort on your part, you might just create a lot of smiles for others.

Thank you to Tonya Fitzpatrick for introducing me to Packing for a Purpose.