I wish I could gather all of the people we have helped in the past couple of years, the refugees, farmers, Mansion residents, cafe owners, children, students, health care workers.

I wish you could see all of them gathered together  – it would be impressive, it would take a good-sized auditorium to hold them.

Other people can argue and seethe all they want, we have turned our worries and anger to good, and it is a powerful fuel, it turns out. What a joyous trip.

We helped refugees keep their apartments, we helped Joshua Rockwood keep his farm, we helped Scott Carrino keep his cafe, we have altered the loves of scores of elderly people in assisted care.

On behalf of these hundreds of people, and on behalf of me, thank you.

I’m writing this post today because while I have repeatedly asked for your support in doing good, I sometimes forget to ask for your support for my blog and my work.

As publishing has decreased as the primary object of my work and income – no more royalty checks or large advances – the blog has become more important to me, and to the work we are doing.

The blog is the Mother, the engine that drives it all – the time spend writing, the photos, and the considerable expense of publishing and maintaining a blog like this and taking the kinds of photos that are no so much a part of my work.

The photos bring this work to life, they show you who you are helping and what for. You don’t need to take my work for a thing, it’s all out there.

I sometimes look back on how my life has changed over the past few years and I am stunned and disbelieving. And I’m just getting started.

But I’ll get to the point. I do appreciate being paid for my work, and I do need to be paid for my work if I am to continue as a writer and continue in this work we are doing. The blog is the glue that holds all of it together.

I was told early on that I needed to ask for support every month but I don’t like to ask for money all the time, so I often wait too long.

I have just redesigned my blog, and thanks for your lovely comments. I appreciate them. This work cost $4,000 and thanks to Mannix Marketing for giving me some time to pay for it.

I work on the blog every day, often 10 to 12 hours, including the photos and writing and research.

Supporting the blog is different from supporting the Army Of Good. Money for refugees/immigrants/the elderly is separate from support for me, the blog and my work. Separate accounts, separate accounting and bookkeeping,

Supporting the blog goes to my work, my blog, my photography.

Supporting the Army Of Good goes to the small acts of kindness we talk about and write about all the time (comfort dolls, clothes, scholarships for  refugee kids, art supplies, parties, Karaoke, underwear and socks.)

If you enjoy the blog, or find it informative or useful or challenging or uplifting, we offer a number of ways to contribute.

Please consider doing so if you can. If you can’t, the blog is free and will always be free.  You never forgot me, and I will never forget you. I cry sometimes when I see those $5 and $10 crumpled bills come into my Post Office Box.

There are all kinds of ways to contribute. They are all safe, I don’t store any financial information of any kind in my computer or on my servers.

You can make a one-time donation in any amount anytime you feel like it. You can sign up for a voluntary month or yearly payment – from $5 or $10 a month, or $75 a year.

You can cancel anytime, it’s quite simple, there is a cancel button right on the support page.

You can also send a payment anytime you feel like it using Paypal or major credit cards. This money is the foundation of my blog, my photos and my ability to do all of the other work.

It was hard for me to ask for payment support, but also important and appropriate. Many writers are turning to blogs in order to keep doing their work. I am proud to have been one of the first.

I want to be paid for my work. And like everyone else, I need to pay my bills. The Army Of Good work takes an enormous amount of time, as does the blog, and so I have to support myself as well as help support others.

You can support the blog easily by going down to the bottom of any blog post on my sharp new blog. You can also send a payment to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

Or you can just hit the Support The Blog button at the bottom of this post.

I appreciate your support.

You make my writing possible, you make it possible for me to update and maintain my blog to take my photos, to work with the Army Of Good.  You also help maintain our farm, and the lives of our animals, who are so important a part of the blog.

I am committed to continuing all of these things, and I am grateful to you for your support. If you can’t afford monthly contributions, small amounts of any amount when you can do it are much appreciated.

The blog is my creative life now, my living memoir, my great work. In so many ways, we are doing this together. Thanks.