Daily Kos Fundraisers for Okiciyap: Taking the Long View — A Trickle Turns into a Stream

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There is nothing I like more than feeding people. As a waitress, a mom, a teacher, and a community member, offering a meal is as satisfying as it gets. While I can't always put someone at my table, I can and do donate food items or cash when asked.  

I would like to share with you a way that you too can help; an investment that seems small for an individual, but can build over a long time to be amazing.

I am asking you to join iGive, an organization that collects a small donation from online retailers every time you shop and donates the money to Okiciyap, (Lakota for "we help) a food bank organized and run by American Indians on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.

The members of the Daily Kos Fundraisers for Okiciyap group stepped up and became a resource for the pantry volunteers when they lost Georgia Little Shield, their guiding light and on-line organizer.

I work with the Daily Kos Fundraisers for Okiciyap group and joined iGive two seasons ago, when it seemed that Georgia's goal for the Okiciyap Food Pantry and Community Center might fade away due to her untimely death.

We raised money and and encouraged donations so the pantry could be firmly established in Isabel, South Dakota.

Now, we are asking you to continue your support. There will be diaries asking for donations over the next few weeks, but I am only asking you to donate a few minutes by registering with iGive. The cumulative donations from new members at iGive choosing to support the pantry will grow and grow over the years; each time you purchase from a participating online merchant, a percent of your sale is donated by the merchant to iGive for Okiciyap.  

The donations will also grow as more people join, and for the next 5 days, every new member will generate an extra $5.00 donation. Twenty new members will add $100.00 to the Okiciyap account.

This offer, however is limited by the calendar; it is only in effect until NOVEMBER 12th. You must use the special link to join, and after joining, use the button to make your first purchase. After that, the button will just show up when you shop. The $5.00 donation is a big deal, like spending $250 at the online store.

There are over 1350 participating retailers. If you shop on line, it is very likely that you already buy from some of them. The amount of the donation varies, but is usually in the 2% range.  

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I give the following testimonial: The iGive button, which looks like a small seed, will show up when you go to an on-line retailer to make a purchase. Sometimes you must click to confirm you are a member but mostly it is totally automatic.

You will get emails confirming a donation has been made and sometimes you'll get summary emails. That is it. No spam or ads. No complicated process.

So, please, use the link and go sign up. If iGive was anything but easy, gentle and good, I wouldn't ask. It seems invisible. It feels good. Money goes to feed the hungry who count on the Okiciyap Pantry on the Cheyenne River Reservation. It only takes a few minutes to sign up. The first time you use it, Okiciyap will get an extra $5.00 if you register in the next five days. And then, think of the long term benefit that you are helping to create whenever you shop online. A trickle will become a stream for Isabel. Thank you for reading, and double thank you for joining.