Ask Questions!

I think it's important to ask questions.  Granted, when my 3 year old is in a chatty mood and decides she wants to know everything about everything - then maybe I get a little overwhelmed.  For the most part though, I love the questions WHY and WHY NOT.

While looking into starting the Heifer project I thought to myself, "This program could do wonders in this area."  Raleigh might be a large city and you don't always think of farming as a sustainable source of income, but there are tons of rural areas less than a 10 minute drive from Raleigh (or even IN Raleigh) that rely on farming.  Our demand for local produce is very high - just look at the crowded farmer's markets and how much fresh produce is in demand in the grocery stores and with home-delivery sales.  There are plenty of areas nearby that would make excellent partnerships with Heifer International.  Not to mention, in this areas there are probably a lot of low-income families that could benefit from the help of Heifer and local farmers to practice the model Heifer offers.

So, I asked myself, "Is there a local office?"  No.  There's used to be, apparently, according to Google.  But not now.  There is a US project taking place in the mountain of NC called "Seeds for Change," but it's not helping out our local families.  So, "Why not?"

I emailed the district person of the East Coast Philanthropy office, Ms. Reed, with these questions.  I wanted to know the circumstances of the previous office closing.  I related my feelings that a local office would be beneficial for all the reasons stated above.  And I expressed interest in helping such an office, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

I hope she'll write back.