Bloggers without Borders and A Fund for Jennie

Nearly a year ago now (9 months is close to a year, no?) Kjell was in the hospital. I sat next to him. It meant time away from my family, time away from work, time away from my house and my three other kids. The implications on a mom who runs their own business were huge. It was terrifyingly hard as a mom. It was stressful as a freelancer.

When we left the hospital we faced weeks and months of returning there for tests, which was heartbreaking as a parent, not to mention time consuming, which meant more time running and less time being where my family needed me and where my work needed me.

It was during this time that a group of friends got together and collected a fund, a fund to take some of the stress and burden off my shoulders as mom, freelance writer and homemaker. While the dollar amount wasn’t huge, the outcome was phenomenal. The domestic duties taken care of, rather than worry about how long it had been since I scrubbed my floors, the jam that splattered up and down the wall when it was dropped or how many times my boys had missed the mark in the bathroom, I could focus on family time, homework and my own work deadlines.

I was so very grateful at that moment to be a part of this community, to have these friends who reached out to care for me and my family when we were feeling the affects of a difficult time. I felt loved and taken care of. Somehow those people, the same ones who helped me and reached out to me during a time when I was down, have turned that compassion and community into a nonprofit organization called Bloggers without Borders.


The first official project of this new venture is to reach out to one of us in need. Someone who taught us all the meaning of cherishing every minute. Someone who is in need herself right now.

If you’re a regular reader or another blogger, I’m sure you’ve heard Jennifer’s story by now, her husband Mikey getting whisked away from this world far too early, leaving behind Jennie and her girls.

As you can imagine, going from a two-person income and family life to that of a single parent is going to be hard and take quite a toll on the family, who is still trying to grieve and recover from the loss of their best friend, husband and father. Bloggers without Borders has taken on A Fund for Jennie as their first official project, asking bloggers to auction off goods and services to help raise money to get Jennie’s immediate needs taken care of, needs like health insurance and mortgage payments and the water damage done to her Brooklyn residence as a result of Hurricane Irene.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite auctions with you and urge you to help a family in need. Check out the list of auctions, and perhaps something you wanted to do or purchase anyway could become a helpful bit of money for a family who is hurting right now. You can view the full list of auctions on the Bloggers without Borders website.

• Mike from Verses from My Kitchen asked for cookbook donations from all across the internet and the country to make a huge cookbook auction, and he succeeded. This auction is for 60 cookbooks and a few magazine subscriptions. It would make a fantastic collection, but it could probably take care of a great deal of Christmas and birthday presents for the next year.
• Photographers will want to jump at the chance to spend a day shooting with National Geographic and Saveur photographer Penny de los Santos. If you need convincing, just head to Penny’s site for evidence of how emotionally connected she is to her work.
• Jen from My Kitchen Addiction is auctioning off a basket full of goodies, and you get to pick what’s included! I can personally vouch for the beauty and deliciousness of Jen’s cooking and her baking skills, so definitely check this one out.
• Simple Bites is having a giveaway instead of an auction. If you make a $5 donation, you can enter to win a Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 8-Piece Cookware Set from Le Creuset worth $450!
• The group at The Kitchen Generation is each throwing in a little something special. There are photo prints, maple syrup, homemade jam and chutney, a microplane, spatula and notecards. These are mighty talented young persons giving of themselves.

Thanks so much for reading and spreading the word! Several of these auctions are ending tonight or tomorrow night. Thank you so much for checking them out and considering a bid to help a family in need.