State Of The Union 2011: Turning Ideas Into Action In Your Community

In his annual State of the Union address, President Obama addressed a nation struggling out of a crippling economic recession, facing divisive policy decisions -- and still reeling from the recent shooting rampage in Tucson.

Banding together in tough times, Americans across the country are bringing the president's words to life by taking local action to improve their communities.

Here's five ways you can get involved:

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Feed Local Families

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The country's precarious economic situation remains the most pressing issue facing the country. Unemployment rates are high, home foreclosures are frequent and resources at food banks are stretched thin. Take action to support local families that need help putting food on the table by volunteering to work at your local food bank -- or donate extra food to those in need. You can locate your nearest food bank on the Feeding America website. Read tips on how you can best help.

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The country's precarious economic situation remains the most pressing issue facing the country. Unemployment rates are high, home foreclosures are frequent and resources at food banks are stretched thin.

Take action to support local families that need help putting food on the table by volunteering to work at your local food bank -- or donate extra food to those in need. You can locate your nearest food bank on the Feeding America website. Read tips on how you can best help.

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Not my style! Great idea!

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Comments

[fortressfountain]

10:47 AM on 01/30/2011

People need articles on how to turn their ideas into cash-we should not be expected to give charity when we have no money.

[cpose]

04:33 PM on 02/25/2011

Try using allthis (http://allthis.com). It's a new form of philanthropy where people can trade their skills and advice in exchange for a contribution to their charitable cause.

[Daniel Vinovitsch]

02:10 PM on 01/28/2011

Too much giving to the needy is notgoing to solve a problem - its only going to make the problem bigger.
Better: The needy should take action themselves.
Ycare at http://www.ycare.org is a perfect self aid tool to raise money for a good cause.

[Gary Oppenheimer]

10:54 PM on 01/27/2011

You can easily fight hunger by visiting www.AmpleHarvest.org and either donating excess produce form your garden to a local food pantry or urging a local pantry to register at www.AmpleHarvest.org.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/greatest-person-of-the-da_9_n_781232.html to learn more.

[cuppajoe]

03:47 PM on 03/14/2011

Congratulations to AmpleHarvest! Along this same thread, we have an excellent program in Western Colorado, Grow Another Row. In the past years, receiving overproduced garden vegies and fruits from local gardeners, and distributing it to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food banks has been productive and rewarding. In 2009 and 2010, we distributed a combined total of more than 15,000 lbs. of fresh vegies and fruits Our hope is for far larger contributions this summer.

visit http://www.growanotherrow.org/index.html for more info.

[emma richmond]

01:58 PM on 01/27/2011

To much complainting, there are some whining about jobs, some these jobs will never come back, the President have said this over and over it's time to re-educate yourself, what a lot of people lack is faith and don't believe in prayer, and the one's that is praying second guess GOD, you give him your problem and get yourself out the way, the President is doing everything possible to help you.

[catzoned]

11:38 AM on 01/27/2011

OT

Repost with update – This is for those people who have suffered job loss but can type. That said, if you have absolutely no compassion for the handicapped people who are hearing and/or speech impaired then skip this comment.

Relay Services is a nationwide service for the deaf/mute community. They seem to be in need of a lot of help. I'm not sure why this is exactly. It could be a job where people are very rude or because of ever increasing need for these services. I just don't know. If anyone else knows, please leave me a comment.

The position is called communication assistant, which vastly understates how valuable the people who help the deaf/mute communicate with the hearing people are. These assistants help people stay in touch with family, friends and doctors are very important and should be respected.

Relay Services want people who can type 60 wpm and if you know sign language then you are gold.

Google Relay Services for more info.

I spoke with Relay customer service about the 60 wpm, she said it’s FCC requirement. Every time I have dealt with Relay Services the people have been very kind.

[mashtoe]

03:30 PM on 01/26/2011

Obama's speech was a continuation of his "blame American workers" meme. He keeps scapegoating education. Sure we need to improve our schools but it's also true to any engineer that we have plenty of engineers. What we need are jobs for people who build things. Our one-sided free trade deal with communist dictatorships like China just means it's cheaper to use Chinese slaves. Nothing will fix that except Obama taking action and he refuses.

[TricksR4Kids]

02:08 PM on 01/26/2011

Those of you who have been unemployed, kids to feed, and health bills... "YEA just come up with an idea. FUND it. and Shazaam! You might qualify for an Obama tax cut for the top 2% richest."

[catzoned]

08:36 PM on 01/26/2011

Thanks for coming to the Impact thread. This is a kicker about those tax cuts for the rich: All of our arguments lately are because the Republicans are mean. The Republican argument that a tax increase would hurt small businesses is essentially bogus. Sure, but it's the hedge fund owners, plastic surgeon and trial lawyers!!! - People who are already flipping wealthy would pay more.

“Vast majority of small businesses would not be affected by allowing Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest expire".

"As Media Matters has repeatedly pointed out, at least 97 percent of small businesses would not pay higher taxes if the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 were allowed to expire. According to the Tax Policy Center's (TPC) table of 2007 tax returns that reported business income, 481,000 of those returns, or 2 percent, were in the top two income brackets. And according to PolitiFact, the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) has projected that in 2011, "Only 3 percent of all taxpayers who reported having positive business income will see their taxes go up under the proposed Democratic initiative" of letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire". [Tax Policy Center, 4/27/07; PolitiFact, 8/4/10]

http://mediamatters.org/research/201011290011

[brandon ben]

01:55 PM on 01/26/2011

The US could use additional money in out pockets. Bring on a solution!! pronto

www.hiphophoodcommunity.com - the latest in hiphop and urban news.

[pipetoe]

01:38 PM on 01/26/2011

Why doesn't Bill Gates get it and help out in this country with all that money he has donated that has been frauded by god only know who.

[catzoned]

02:01 PM on 01/26/2011

He's spending his money blaming bad teachers and their union for the low test scores in education. He doesn't seem to grasp that what is going on at home has a huge impact. I worked full-time my junior and senior years of high school. I was too sleep deprived to grasp math back then. My best friend gave up when her Mom got lung cancer and died badly. I went back to school in my 40s and did mathmatics well.

Gates is also trying to help people in Africa. Heaven knows they need help but we need help as well. And is there any reason why Oprah can't build a school in this country? Brad Pitt puts his time and money into Habitat for Humanity which is wonderful.

[pipetoe]

08:24 PM on 01/26/2011

Can't argue with that.

[sunshine14]

01:28 PM on 01/26/2011

This Pres is not out to cause a divide, but trying to warn all, stick together, for their are those, who are out to do just that, cause a divide among the citizens of the Nation.  For the Pres. knows, full well, people divided, are DEFEATED. Rather the Pres is saying take a negative, and turn it into good. Make lemon aide out of lemons. If all communities come together as ONE, put their own ideas at work together, can create a new way, to create jobs right in their own communities. Example, create your own job, simple as baking pies in ones home and selling them in your own community, sew  and create children, adult clothing,  to sell in ones own community, create jewelry, hand made rugs, dolls, furniture, be home painters, house builders, create house decor, write a book, create drawings, art,  business wares sell on the web, make wedding cards, the list is endless, an go on on. Everyone has a gift, a talent, a service to offer, just purchase only from each other, their own needs. Do it out of your homes, go back to the way it use to be a long time ago. Maybe it is a good good thing, large corporations left. Pres Obama is today speaking in such a town community who did just that, when the One big corporation left that town. Now are becoming prosperous, on their own ideas, innovations. Oh the good old days, of having everything you need, right in your own back yard.  Just ask yourself what are you good at.

[catzoned]

02:21 PM on 01/26/2011

It's nice sentiment and I share it. It is class warfare out here in the US though and he is cocooned in the White House. Other than Elizabeth Warren his advisors haven't been in the real world either. Then we have Glen Beck on Faux saying that helping the needy is "liberation theology" and just enabling bad behavor.

[Rick Eriksen]

12:59 PM on 01/26/2011

Obama is not serious about fixing the economy…because if he was he would s__t can every one of his Goldman Sachs financial advisors and replace them with serious people that were not compromised…he would be better off to just randomly select a dozen people out of the phone book than he would be to bring in another banker or so called businessman…

[jhendrix]

01:06 PM on 01/26/2011

Those who blindly follow Obama will not see what you and I see. They really are sheeple.

[sunshine14]

01:35 PM on 01/26/2011

All saw enough of last 8 years, of massive failure, which the Nations is still suffering from. The real powers that be, control all. And does not matter who is sitting in office. But if one of those powers that be $$ sit in office, last 8 years, will return again.

[thecoffeegod]

12:57 PM on 01/26/2011

Does is disgust anybody else that in 2011 the United States of America has a good size portion of the population in need of free clinics and programs such as Women of Means?

I have relied on free clinics in the past and am so very grateful for their existence. I'm just sorry we need them in the USA.

[catzoned]

08:41 PM on 01/26/2011

You've a notable screen name. I love coffee but live mostly on decaf so I can sleep. Try American coffee, Kona is my favorite which is from Hawaii.

*USA Coffee Company to buy American grown coffee has gift certificates. A gift certificate is great for the coffee drinker in your life. www.usacoffee.com.

[WaterCharity]

11:45 AM on 01/26/2011

You can also help by supporting us here at Water Charity. http://watercharity.org

We are currently working on putting together a project to help the staggeringly large amount of Native Americans who don't have convenient or reliable access to clean drinking water.

Yes. That is right. In the richest nation on Earth, there are people who have to drive 50 miles to fill water barrels. It is shameful. Not all Indians are profiting from the Casinos...

We have projects in more than 70 countries around the world, but if you want to contribute to an American water project, just say so in the notes section when you donate. Every dollar helps.

[happy retiree]

12:45 PM on 01/26/2011

One of many excellent programs that are doing important work. A teenaged friend asked for donations to this charity rather than birthday gifts...and he raised enough to fund a well. Our nations needs to foster more of that kind of selflessness in our young people as well as us older Americans. We can all do something to help others and not all involve financing.

[WaterCharity]

09:00 AM on 01/28/2011

You really have to respect kids like that. Kudos.

We have received a number of donations from such birthday gift diversions. We are honored to be the charity he chose to support.

It doesn't take much money to truly change the quality of life for these people who need water. No new technology to research... no development or conferencing needed... just the awareness that lack of clean water is the #1 killer of our time. By far.

Respect.

[catzoned]

02:14 PM on 01/26/2011

There was a show on PBS about your subject. www.pbsorg. I live in NM and hear 10,000 homes on the Navajo Nation are getting running water because of the Recovery Act (stimilus). It's a big place though and they will always need help. The coal power plant diverted their water to power Arizona and California.

[WaterCharity]

09:12 AM on 01/28/2011

This is good news, but somehow it is never enough.

The Dineh people (Navajo is actually a Hopi word meaning thieves) seem to get the short end of every stick. The world's largest strip mine on their land which profitted them not at all wasn't bad enough... Peabody Coal discovered uranium under the coal and their mining has irrevocably spoiled the groundwater. They used to have coal-filtered aquifers. Now they have uranium enriched water for their crops and animals.

Byproducts like Selenium are toxic in large amounts and accumulate as they go up the food chain (water > plants > livestock > humans) and people have been known to get the "blind staggers" and various illnesses.

This kind of "productivity" is a travesty and an insult to conscience.

We appreciate your support.