Every morning, Zinnia and I go to the Mansion, we deliver food gift cards for the aides who need them, Zinnia sneaks up on the porch to rendezvous with her friends, I bring clothes, pies, stamps for Sylvie, puzzles for Peggie, clothes for the residents, stuffed animals for Ellen, books for Georgianna,  newspapers, and gifts people send to the farm for me to bring over.

This morning, I was asked if we could help a homeless woman just admitted to the Mansion. They are a Medicaid facility, one of the very few that will take in poor and needy people.

The woman has no summer clothes of any kind, she needs tops and bottoms and other things, I got her sizes and details and have already contacted several of the Consignment and Thrift stores I know and trust.

It’s a curious phenomenon I don’t quite understand, residents often come into the Mansion with very few clothes. Since this person was homeless, it makes sense,  otherwise, it puzzles me.

I don’t go to expensive places, and I get generous discounts.

With every change of season, I find people there need some clothes. Everyone who needs clothes gets them, just like every refugee family needs food gets food.

We have few rules here, but those two are important to me, and happily, to others.

(I can’t accept clothing from sources I don’t know, I appreciate the offers but I only give the residents clothes I know are clean and in excellent condition, because I choose them myself. We’ve had some bad experiences with donated clothes.)

Several other residents need cool, cotton clothing for the summer. I’m planning a shopping excursion this afternoon and tomorrow.

You can help if you wish. Via Paypal, [email protected], by check  Jon Katz, Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205 Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. And thank you.