My hometown group, OccupyHouston has a Needed Items link on their home page.

I’m sure your local OCCUPY group has similar needs. You may start searching here: (www.occupytogether.org), whether they’ve articulated them or not.I’m going to drop by Saturday afternoon and drop some stuff off. I donated 10 bucks toward pizzas on Thursday, but the Needed Items link gave me more ideas.

Our habit is to save unopened hotel soaps, and lotion and shampoo bottles, and bring them home. (They’ll likely be tossed by staff after we leave, if we don’t…Or should be! Wasste not, want not!) Sometimes we use them on trips, but mostly they just collect.

Below is a current list of needs posted by OccupyHouston (aside from the obvious ideal; cash.) If you have surplus or unneeded stuff which falls into these categories, consider donating them. Perhaps you can carpool delivery. (I’m willing to do some of that in my area.) Perhaps there’s stuff they haven’t listed which you have available and which tyey need. Ask them.

My feeling is, I support their general goals, but I don’t have the stamina to be in that park all day and night, hour after hour. Yet logistics is the lifeblood of any fighter, and we can all be that for those willing to put themselves and their comforts and physical safety on the line.

This is the list dated Oct. 8th:

• food
• Wifi hotspot
• solar generator (solar is the optimal type of generator, though we will accept conventional  generators) / solar battery charger
• multi-plug power strip
• outdoor extension cords
• wet wipes
• first aid supplies
• water (preferably natural ‘spring’ water, but any bottled water or it would be great if someone wanted to donate a simple filtration system (Brita pitcher, etc.) so we are not going through so many plastic bottles)
• tables
• sleeping bags
• soap
• walkie talkies
• batteries
• ear plugs
• paper towels
• flashlights and other light devices (head straps, camping lights)
• international flags for each nationality represented by speakers (to display when a speaker of a given nationality wishes during their talk)

To this list, I might suggest hand lotion, non-soap sanitizer, sunscreens, umbrellas, foods that don’t perish after opening (like dry cereal), etc.

Don’t swamp your freedom fighters with stuff they don’t need, but ask if they might need them.

Your trash may be their treasure.

thanks,

Mike Honig