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What about Charity Organizations?
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DAMC
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:38 pm    Post subject: What about Charity Organizations? Reply with quote

As well as being a consignment store owner, my wife created a local charity (under our foster care agency) to provide an initial cache of clothing for newly placed foster children. (Children placed into foster care typically have none of their personal possessions; our charity gets them clothed until the foster home can get to a clothing store). So will this affect our charity since the clothing is given out at no charge? What about Project Linus (http://www.projectlinus.org/) that supplies us with dozens of locally made blankets for children in need? It just keep getting deeper, doesn't it?
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Kathleen F.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Somebody have a contact with Project Linus? They need to sign on to the effort. They have thousands (?) of blanketeers who will have nothing else to do other than write irate letters.
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Tracy D
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

it's starting to hit the charity lists, just in the last few days. I was hesitant to put it on my list just because I wanted to be sure I was well educated before I scared the older ladies. But the info is starting to spread and people are starting to call and write....nothing like a bunch of angry old ladies with sharp knitting needles and scissors to get the politicians to listen Laughing

Tracy D
Surrounded by Boxes
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been wondering when someone would talk about this angle - the charity angle. I crochet for preemies as well as kids going through chemo, much less sell my crocheted hats, toys and "things." Hospitals here do not allow for us to make preemie hats out of natural fibers. They want man-made fibers only for the sake of the preemies. And many chemo patients have issues with various natural fibers because the skin breaks down and sensitivities and allergies increase.

I would have thought my materials would already be tested and anything I crochet should be fine because the yarn I buy is already tested. But this is insane.
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Kathleen F.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since yesterday, I've been in contact with the president of Project Linus. They've only heard of it recently and she could minimally be described as "dismayed". She's got 60,000 volunteers across the country, most don't know about it but of the ones that do... well, this could become a real hot potato politically. If this law would make them into criminals and they can't make blankets, let's just say they'll have lots of time to kill writing senators and congressmen and calling newspapers and news stations.

Carol said she's personally spoken with the CPSC who assured her that they would be releasing guidelines *today* that would exempt noncommercial enterprises. It hasn't happened yet. Maybe it's still forthcoming, CPSC doesn't close for another half hour.

In any event, we need outreach into charity communities. It's ridiculous that women who run battered women's shelters will become criminals for distributing clothing etc to the needy.
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DAMC
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kathleen F. wrote:
Since yesterday, I've been in contact with the president of Project Linus. They've only heard of it recently and she could minimally be described as "dismayed"....

Kathleen, thanks for working with Project Linus. I really hope the CPSIA does not affect the noncommercial enterprises. On Februrary 1st, any clothing that has not sold in our store is going to be distributed among our local churches as well as my wife's charity.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Need to contact all those preemie charities and the hospitals who rely on them.
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Aria
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's sick that the cost of "increased safety" is that battered children and foster children will have to go without necessities, and sick kids can't receive gifts. The pillow that was gifted to me when I was a very sick child in the hospital warmed my heart. It touched me that someone who didn't know me took the time to make gifts for sick kids, and I found some strength in that. That that will be denied to kids....

I don't know how the stupid lawmakers who wrote these laws can look at their kids own with clear consciences while knowing that the cost of their laws are going to take away very important items from children that need them and will stifle the legal ability of people to give. This country needs more charity in it, not to have much of that charity become criminal.
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Tracy D
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Supposedly Project Linus was told by a congressman from IL (would this be Rush???) that this law shouldN'T affect them because they aren't involved in commerce.

Now, first HE'S the reason we're in this mess in the first place!!!

Secondly, the government thinks EVERYTHING involves commerce so what the heck is he talking about...we have to BUY the yarn/fabric, etc so that's commerce!

Sorry, dude (as my teens would say) I want to see this in writing!

Tracy D
going back to something more relaxing, like packing
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Aria
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GIVING items away isn't truly commerce, yet you also can't distribute untested items. So a if a charity can give an item away, but not distribute...I'm confused. It seems like the feds are just trying to make this web as tangled as possible to make criminals of everyone in this country, including those whose goals in life are try to do good for others.
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Tracy D
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

But see, commerce has been defined, I think, as involving anything that crosses state lines. So, once that blanket has been mailed from the maker in say TX to the Linus chapter in OH, it's now become involved in commerce, I think.

Tracy
fuzzy from breathing the dust bunnies under the bed...
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Kathleen F.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let's refocus. The claims from legislators (altho technically hearsay, I don't doubt they said those things) bouncing this around as "commerce" vs charity are ridiculous. The reason is, the law specifically forbids GIVING product away that is non-compliant. This issue was specifically addressed in the legislation because commercial enterprises must destroy product. They can't export it and they can't give it away. Besides, if they're giving it away, they are obviously not acting commercially.

I'd love to see what congress does with this one. To give PL an exemption, in effect, they will have to declare that products made from the heart are somehow safer than ones made for profit. Considering that people -no matter how well meaning- who make things out of the kindness of their hearts are on even tighter budgets than commercial enterprises, often relying on lower cost goods and donations, if anything, those inputs being cheaper are more likely to have contaminations (if anything were to).
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:45 am    Post subject: WSJ Reply with quote

FYI, there is a story about this in the Wall Street Journal-- access on the website today. It was published on the 8th.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123137430044662809.html
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Tracy D
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I do agree with you Kathleen, it would be easy to use this as a loop-hole....instead of charging you for that toy, I'll "give" you the toy if you "donate" $20 to my "charity". There could be alot of that going on real soon. Hmmm.

I didn't see how the story above linked too applied here. No one on any of the charity loops has seen anything new come through today, I've been too busy packing to do much searching, just coming to the 'puter to do quick checks.

Back to the boxes.
Tracy
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DAMC
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Although not a charity, how does this affect the people on the various FreeCycle.org groups? You've got thousands of people giving stuff to eachother for free to keep our landfills from over flowing as well as recycling. All good for the environment. I just checked some recent posts on my local freecycle chapter and many are giving away childrens clothing and toys. I tried to find an email address on www.freecycle.org, but couldn't find one.
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