Monkey Do Project

Monkey Do Project

There’s a region in the world, where 1 in 4 families don’t have enough food. There’s a region in North America where kids don’t wear their shoes in the summer…so they can save them for the winter. There’s a region in the US where few homes have indoor plumbing. Where is this place?

The Appalachia Region of the US, covering 13 states, 25 million people, from southern New York to northern Mississippi.

How can this be, this shocking number of needy and poverty stricken families, right here in the US? Not a third world country you see on TV, but right here, practically in my backyard!

Monkey Do Project is who brought this information to light in my world.

The Monkey Do Project is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit that focuses on the most distressed areas of the U.S. Appalachia. The government defines those areas as the poorest regions in our entire country.

We work as an outreach partnering up with businesses, groups, churches, organizations and other non-profits to feed and assist the people of Appalachia.

The Monkey Do Project is based on the Christian principals of giving.

Why help the Appalachia Region?

Some families live down long dirt roads and sometimes the state can’t even get equipment in to build water or other lines, or it’s just too costly for the state. Many communities don’t have grocery stores or hospitals. Some families don’t have cars and there are no buses or taxes or community transportation. That means if they want food or need to get to work, they have to walk–sometimes over 50 miles one way–to get to their destination. All of this presents unique problems with infrastructure and roads, and issues with access to transportation, medical care and food sources that many of us don’t even consider an issue in the United States today.

Monkey Do Project offers a few ways to help, and they invite you to do the same.

• Donate money: You can donate as little or as much as you want (which is tax-deductible) and you can choose whether it goes into the general fund, the school fund, to help food banks, or another special project being offered
• Blessing Bags: Donate items such as toothbrushes, deodorant, hair brushes, shampoo, etc. which can then be distributed to the families in need. This is also a great way to use the bottles of shampoo and soaps you pick up at the hotels when you travel!
• Spread the word: Use your social media platforms, emails, letters and phone calls to tell others about the Monkey Do Project!
• Pray: You can pray for those that have requested it on the Monkey Do Project specifically or consider putting them on your church’s prayer list
• Volunteer: You can volunteer your time by making calls, sending emails, soliciting for donations, manning a table at the local school fair, etc.

Whether you can help financially, or by getting the word out, or hosting a supply drive to donate to the cause, every little bit helps. Maybe you can’t donate a large sum, but maybe someone in your social circle can! You never know how many lives can be touched by just getting involved.

Recently, Monkey Do Project helped me with a “pay it forward” challenge I participated in with my family. We purchased back to school items with an initial donation which we matched, and filled back packs that were supplied to use from Monkey Do Project! How wonderful that we could fill 15 bags to the very top, and being able to use the funds towards the school items instead of having to also purchase bags to put it all into. We donated these bags between 2 groups near to our hearts; Mid-Western Children’s Home and a local women’s crisis center. The responses were so heart warming and these children felt blessed that someone thought of them, enough to give them school supplies of their very own.

You can learn more about the Monkey Do Project or by connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter.