Here it is. Rather, here they are. I used to just bring one, pink bag with me when I made my rounds on the streets of Chicago but, once people heard about what I'm doing, they began sending donations and I've had to upgrade to two, pink bags. Sometimes, I have so many things that I have to bring an extra large rolling gym bag, too. I view this as a good "problem!"
What's the deal with the pink bags? Well, there are two, specific reasons I chose them. First, the pink makes me easily recognizable to the people I meet. They might not always remember my name - I dress in shabby jeans and a dark, olive green jacket so that I pretty much blend in - but they <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> remember my bright, pink bags! There's another reason I carry these bags, too. Two years ago, my only sister died of breast cancer. Yep, these bags are pink ribbon bags (see the logo?). I carry them in memory of Kim.
NOTE:
In order to run the Pink Bag project, I learned (the hard way - by putting in a lot of my own money) that, even smaller operations like this one have running costs; who knew? Well, I'm sure a lot of people did... but the point is, I had no idea. With that in mind, I've created a "dream page" wish list on Amazon.com. There are big items and small items - all items that would be an immense help to this project. If I do it alone, it'll take a lot longer. If anyone wants to help, click here to see what the needs are. Any help whatsoever will be greatly, greatly appreciated!
Also: I've asked for things in pink, black and grey. Pink specifically because it has become the big identifier for what I do in public and I think that's important. Even when I'm in a cafe afterward blogging, people sometimes come up to me if they recognize the pink bags. Currently, I do my blogging either from my tiny keyboard on my phone (a hassle but doable with a lot of edits) or after I get home on my dinosaur lap top (with a cracked case and 256MB RAM - yes, really). Being able to type on a computer that I'm not afraid will burst into flames at any moment would be such a relief, for example!
