Doing this very intense period for the Army Of Good and me, I want to post regular and specific accounts of the good we are doing. I hope this will make all of you feel as good as it makes me feel. I need it, and I’m sure you do also.

I seek focused, laser-like, and direct projects for us.

Whenever possible, I look for ways for you to contribute directly and without bureaucracies, non-profit administrators, or intermediaries.  We use online Wish Lists as often as we can, so you have some choice and control over how you want to help.

When that doesn’t work, I do it directly myself. I spent a good part of the morning hauling over pizza toppings. I find that I am an excellent haggler in a good cause.

This is a different way of doing non-profit work, and I believe it is working to help a small but vulnerable and symbolic group of people. To me, they are stand-ins for the need and the vulnerable.

I believe we are showing others how to use the Internet positively and productively to reach people who have otherwise been neglected and abandoned by their new country. This is a critical time for the people on the bottom of the rung.

We can’t help everyone, but we can certainly help those within the limits of our resources.

Today’s good:

In the photo above, Flo, one of our barn cats, is carefully inspecting the Price Chopper gift cards that came to the farm today, and are already en route to the refugee families and students who need them.

This program will continue to run as long as the need for food rises with the social and economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus. A lot of the Bishop Maginn High School students and parents have been going with food and needed help, even before the dimensions of this disaster were known.

They are called “critical.”

A larger group, called “urgents” are coming into food deprivation as they get laid off or otherwise economically threatened. Most refugees live in the margins, but the margins have changed drastically.

A third group are the refugees who won’t ask for help or are afraid to do so in the toxic political environment that has caused them so much pain and suffering. The teachers know who they are, and when they get help, they are grateful.

You can help by purchasing a gift card from Price Chopper, the supermarket chain that operates in the central refugee neighborhood in Albany.

The gift cards that are purchased have to be sent to me directly at Bedlam Farm since they can’t be sent to the school right now or to a post office box. The address is Jon Katz, 2502 State Route 22, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

The cards can be purchased in any amount, but they need to come to the farm to get to Sue Silverstein, the Bishop Maginn teacher who contributes them.

There is no better choice for this distribution than her; she is an angel who has been helping her hungry students for years. For the first time, she doesn’t have to use her own grocery money. Urban Catholic school teachers do not make a lot of money.

If you prefer that I do it, (I’ve already purchased $400 worth of gift cards) you can send a check to the same address or Jon Katz, Refugee Food Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, and I will buy the gift cards. This is a marathon mission; it promises only to get worse. We are limiting our support to groceries and food (and laptops for the students at home without them.)

Thanks for your fantastic support for this project. There hasn’t been a day since we started the program two weeks ago that I have not received some cards. They are making an enormous difference to these families.

Also, we are supporting the Mansion residents, locked down in their assisted care facility without visitors, family, or outings of any kind. They require stimulation and change.

Today, Jean’s Place delivered $250 worth of Lasagna, healthy salads, and delicious fresh-baked pies for lunch.

Friday, Clark’s Pizzeria is providing a much-requested Pizza lunch, $260 worth of pizza and salads, and more pies from Jean’s Place. The staff says thus meals have a dramatic effect on morale and enthusiasm.

I ordered eight extra pizzas so that the aides could take some home for the weekend for themselves and their families. In all of these meals, I get food for the aides as well as the refugees; they are in need also.

The staff is short of people now as some of the aides are exhausted and sick (not the coronavirus) and also needs support.

In linking Jean’s Place with the Mansion, we are supporting that restaurant as it struggles to survive. It was closed by the state last week. They are fighting hard to survive.

We are sending 250 masks to the Mansion; the first ones arrive tomorrow (I am proud of this, they are not that easy to find, and when they are discovered, it can take weeks or months  for them to get here.) We purchased six wooden tabletop easels so the residents can begin more challenging painting projects.

We supported an Amazon Mansion Arts Wish List; we purchased art supplies and an Ipad for video distribution and use.

We made an “I Love You” connection rainbow for the residents and hung it outside on a ramp so it can be seen from the inside. We want them to know we are out there and thinking of them.

Next week, I’ve arranged for a sub sandwich lunch for the residents. I’ve delivered a box of large print books and local newspapers. Maria made 18 masks, one for each aide. They were re-using their masks again, and again, they were falling apart.

So we are focused, and we are busy and doing good. I know many of you are struggling with your financial concerns; please take care of yourself. If you can help and wish to help, you can donate via Paypal, jon@bedlamfarm, or by check, Jon Katz, Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.