October 22 marks my 40th birthday.  Some people celebrate with a tattoo, a new outfit, or an adventurous vacation.

I'm focused on red velvet cake and tote bags.  What?  Yes, I'm hoping my friends, readers and do-gooders of all stripes will help me collect 40 tote bags that I can pass along to the food pantry where I work.  This pantry provides people food AND pet food through partnerships with the University of Pittsburgh, Animal Friends and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. 

For our customers who don't have their own study bags, we must rely on regular plastic bags to carry some heavy items home for the month.  Throw in a bus ride or a long walk and you can see the challenge.  Tote bags have proven enormously useful in the past and I'd like to help this year for my birthday wish.

The idea came to me a few years ago when I was at a food distribution at the Food Bank itself in Duquesne.  I saw people struggling with breaking bags and oversized items.  The generosity was plentiful, but it seemed like a logistics challenge.  So I began tweeting about it and have made tote bags a personal mission ever since.

If you have any new or gently used tote bags lying around your home, please consider chipping in.  You can bring them to my offices in Oakland (not too far from Magee), drop them at K..S. Kennedy Floral on Western Avenue on the Northside, or send them in the mail to:

40 Tote Bags

CHS- c/o Sue Kerr

368 Lawn Street

Pgh, PA 15213