Christmas and coal always make me think of my Grandpa Jim who passed away about 15 years ago.
Grandpa was always a bit of a jokester so one year my mom made him this GIANT Christmas stocking (like seriously 2 1/2 feet tall) and each year my brothers and I would help fill the stocking. I’m not sure who brought the lump of coal into the equation the first time, but it made its appearance and each year it would go back and forth between Grandpa and one of us grandkids.
Of course we never knew which kid was going to get it. We made a big show of being relieved it wasn’t us, but secretly we all loved the tradition no matter what.
So this time last year I sponsored a coal-efficient stove through The Adventure Project in honor of my Grandpa Jim.
With $20 you can sponsor a charcoal-efficient stove for one of hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti who are still living in tents. These stoves use 1/2 the charcoal that a normal outdoor fire does. This reduces the toxins their kids are breathing in, and frees up money for other things like school.
The stoves are MADE in Port-au-Prince (creating jobs) and sold by local women (more jobs). What’s really cool is that last year they added a unique serial number to each stove.
Today I got my stove report! It’s so cool to know exactly where our stove went. If you want to sponsor a stove, you can make a $20 donation or buy a gift card in someone’s honor here.
