Breakthroughs

[rebeccmeister]

1. Smartwool will recycle/downcycle your old wool socks.

This sounds like a minor thing, but the dilemma of what to do with old wool socks had really been bothering me. Now I can hand them over for their next phase of life!

Also, right now they are selling a couple of argyle designs. I do like the Darn Tough, but they do eventually wear out, too. The recycling program tips the balance back in favor of Smartwool, though.

2. This afternoon I went to table at an event at the 64 Quail Street Cultural Center. When I got there, it's a corner lot newly replanted with a central shed building. A ton of people came by from the neighborhood. My official reason for being present was to talk to people about the rowing club. But my personal reason for being there was that I really want to help get people in Albany connected up with recreational opportunities, and connected up with the Hudson River especially. The person who invited me to the event was there to get people signed up for swimming lessons. Right now, people have to go up to Cohoes for swimming lessons, which is ridiculous when you consider that the schools here have pools. The City just lacks the mechanisms to get community members into the pools for swimming lessons.

There's a chance that may change now.

64 Quail has a Little Free Library and also a Free Food Pantry. If you know what food types are best for a Free Food Pantry, please let me know, because I will be helping to stock this one.

By hook or by crook, I am also going to get back over there to have some "Fix Your Bike" workshops.

It still weirds me out when all of the politicians troop in for a photo op at a thing, then troop along. I'm not there for them. I'm there for the people.

Comments

[moodyduck]

Good to know about Smartwool. I have worn them for years. Unfortunately I feel like their quality has declined for hiking socks. I get blisters on the newer socks but not the old, even though the older ones are wearing out.

Still swear by their phd running socks though.

[conuly]

Quail has a Little Free Library and also a Free Food Pantry. If you know what food types are best for a Free Food Pantry, please let me know, because I will be helping to stock this one.

It depends on what people in your neighborhood eat. However, if you're not strictly limited to food and in the US then you'd do well to stock things that EBT can't buy - namely, sanitary pads and diapers.

[mallorys_camera]

Things with a long shelf life. Pasta, I would think. Maybe basic spices? 'Cause spices are expensive, so people on tight budgets tend not to buy them. conuly makes good suggestions. Maybe expand them to include shampoo, laundry detergent and hand sanitizer.

[rebeccmeister]

I believe there are diapers there at the moment. Good call on that. Thank you!

[bluepapercup]

In the summer, things like the six-packs of small gatorates, and things like lemonade mix.

I agree with the above posters that personal hygiene products are great - individually packaged toothbrushes, containers of baby wipes, small bottles of hand sanitizer, etc. And if you're putting in boxes of pads, boxes of tampons are good too.