The Downsize and Move Company

You Can Reduce Junk Mail!

2011-04-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Are you inundated with unwanted catalogs and other junk mail? It just might be time for you to get unlisted. Benefits of signing up for the free account include:

Opt-out from thousands of mailings
Protect privacy of personal information
Reduce the clutter of unwanted mail
Save natural resources

Visit Catalog Choice and stop that unwanted mail today!

You might also be interested in giving your mailbox a makeover at DMA Choice. DMAchoice™ is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail. Their site is part of a larger program designed to respond to consumers' concerns over the amount of mail they receive, and it is the evolution of the DMA's Mail Preference Service created in 1971. They have divided direct mail into four categories: Credit Offers, Catalogs, Magazine Offers and Other Mail Offers. You can request to start or stop receiving mail from individual companies within each category—or from an entire category at once.

Opt-Out Prescreen is the official consumer credit reporting industry website to accept and process requests from consumers to opt-in or opt-out of firm offers of credit or insurance. Through this website you may request to:

Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers for Five Years - (electronically through this website).
Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers permanently - (mail Permanent Opt-Out Election form available through this website).
Opt-In and be eligible to receive Firm Offers. This option is for consumers who have previously completed an Opt-Out request - (electronically through this website).

... And if you would like even more ideas for stopping unwanted mail, you will enjoy this informative post from the TreeHugger, Stop Junk Mail: 7 Ways to Reduce It and Opt Out for Good.

Mission Statements of Popular Donation Sites

2011-03-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today I've been working on putting together a seminar for real estate agents. The goal is to provide agents with local resources for removing, recycling, donating, and safely disposing of unwanted household contents prior to the sale of a home. While working on this project, I became interested in knowing the mission statement of each charity. This could be an important deciding factor for many of our readers. Following is a quick rundown of the most popular donation options in Lane County:

St. Vincent DePaul: "We assist the poor and those in need of consolation, seeking out and utilizing every resource. Being mindful of the sanctity and dignity of all, any charitable work that advances those goals is within the mission of St. Vincent de Paul."
St. Vincent de Paul is Lane County’s largest nonprofit human services organization. Founded in 1954, the agency helps over 84,000 individuals and families each year. St. Vincent de Paul is committed to providing comprehensive programs to alleviate poverty and to help all individuals to find a path out of poverty and into self-sufficiency.

Goodwill Industries:
To provide vocational opportunities to individuals with barriers to employment.We recognize our most valuable assets are the individuals we employ and serve. We commit to consistently hire the most competent employees available within our resources, and challenge them to contribute to the achievement of Goodwill’s mission. All Goodwill activities will be characterized by fairness, integrity, compassion and sound business practices.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.

Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Food for Lane County. We accomplish our mission by soliciting, collecting, rescuing, growing, preparing and packaging food for distribution through a countrywide network of social service agencies and programs; and through public awareness, education and community advocacy.

NOTE: If you are aware of a worthwhile place to make donations in Lane County, please leave a comment with the name of your preferred place to donate. Any additional information you include could be helpful as well.

All I really need to know about life

2011-03-12T02:55:00.001-08:00

All I really need to know about life and how to live in peace and where to put things and what is important and what is not important I learned by looking at how God designed my body, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Orderliness is not some distant, nebulous fantasy reserved only for a select few, but its essence is right there in Genesis 1 when God created me in His image. these are the things I have learned:

God wants me to take dominion over my surroundings.

God made me and my family special like none other; it is up to me to discover and nurture our identity as we learn how to get along with each other.

He gave me a brain, the "Master Control Unit", to keep me in touch with myself and my surroundings.

He gave me a heart of passion that He wants expressed because home is where our story begins.

God gave me a mouth and a tongue to help me practice self-control and a digestive system to remind me to think about what to absorb, what to utilize and what to eliminate.

He gave me an elimination system that causes great stress if not regularly released.

And a respiratory system that inhales life-giving oxygen and exhales toxic waste.

My skeleton provides a strong, flexible framework for my "stuff."

And God gave me a muscular system that is consistently making small, necessary adjustments so that I maintain proper balance.

Everything I need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. And when one part hurts, the whole body suffers. And, no matter how old you are; when you go out into the mall, it is best to join hands and remember that family and friends bring happiness, not "stuff."
(edited by Cindy Sekiguchi)

Whiteaker Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

Whiteaker Community Dinner

An elderly gentleman radiating with joy in his face, singing "I am full, I am full", a homeless woman trembling with excitement upon receiving a sleeping bag donated by REI and a younger gentleman excited to receive some recycled heavy plastic to be used as windows in his "house." These are just a few of the memories that I will treasure for years to come after volunteering at the Whiteaker Thanksgiving Dinner this year.

Chez Ray, one of the original organizers nearly 25 years ago, reminds us that this event is not just for the homeless, but for the whole community. "People could come and eat if you're lonely, or hungry, or just want to hang with people. But also, the volunteers we had so many that we encouraged them to just come and sit with people."

Gary Jenkins, a jobless participant who lives in his car, tells KVAL that "I"m here because I need a coat and some warm food. It's been a very rough year, so I need this. I need hope. There's not the money to go ahead and try to buy clothes and buy food and stuff like that while you're trying to save money to transition into a home."

My job was to organize the inside recycling center hosted by the Lane County Master Recyclers. Though I had little opportunity to interact with those who ate the meal, I can assure you, by the food that was scraped into the compost buckets, that people were able to fill up on a good, warm meal. There was turkey, potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables, breads, even tofu! And the pies, cakes, and cookies. They were abundant and beautiful. I watched diners leave the event, laden with leftovers in recycled "doggie bags". Everyone that I encountered was enjoying the event, either as a volunteer or as a diner. This event will definitely be on my calendar to participate in next year.