Twoshirts.org
http://twoshirts.org
About
A Community of Generosity
Twoshirts is a community of people who freely give and receive all kinds of different things. By searching through the Items listings you can find a variety of items that people just like you are generously giving away.
Why Participate? Generosity Overcomes Poverty
Twoshirts is an attempt to create a community of generosity that will be a transforming presence in society. Many of us have more stuff than we possibly need, while people living right in our own towns go without. Practicing generosity is a way of rejecting the consumer-oriented lifestyle that traps so many in cycles of greed, hoarding, and debt.
Beyond Free Stuff: Transforming Our Communities
By participating in Twoshirts we can begin to break the cycle of material greed in ourselves and our communities. Cultivating the practice of generosity frees us from the consumer trap, teaches us to see the world differently, and opens up a horizon of new possibilities.
Why "Twoshirts"?
Over two-thousand years ago John the Baptist agonized over the needs of the poor and flatly stated that poverty existed partly because people neglected the practice of generosity. Naturally, his audience didn't like hearing that:
"What should we do then?" The crowd asked. John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." (Luke 3:10-11)
Our Mission & Values
Our mission is to empower grass-roots efforts to connect those who have plenty with those who have needs for the purpose of creating equality. By sharing our resources with each other, and by forming local groups committed to activism and outreach, we will help meet each others needs in order to live a better life, in a better community.
We are driven by a passion for three values:
Equality:
Our goal is to promote a more just and equitable community by generously giving to those who have needs, and by freely receiving from others who can meet our needs.
Relationships:
Market-driven communities create isolation and greed because cash frees us from the gratitude and indebtedness inherent in gift-giving. We believe this kind of relational detachment is the truest form of bankruptcy. Therefore, we aim to foster relationships of grace and gratitude by practicing direct, person-to-person giving.
Participation
The real problem is that our concept of poverty is a destructive lie. Nobody is actually completely impoverished; nobody as a person has nothing to offer. When we treat those with little money and material possessions as though they have nothing we exclude them from humanity and debilitate their role in the community. Rather, we believe everybody has something to give.
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Feb 13, 2009
Is art necessary, and at what cost?
Connecticut Opera closes down, citing bad economy
Orchestras, ballets and opera companies across the country are facing huge deficits. The Los Angeles Opera is laying off 17 people, cutting salaries and will stage fewer performances this year. The Miami City Ballet is …
Feb 12, 2009
Kindness will help economy, homeless woman's rescuer says
Kindness will help economy, homeless woman's rescuer says
"You don't have to be a politician to put forth a stimulus package," Chene Thompson said during a joint interview with Hughes Thursday on CNN's "American Morning." "This is our own little mini-stimulus package …
Feb 11, 2009
Penny pinching and proud of it
Even President Obama showed that you don't have to spend a lot of money to look good. During his inauguration, commentators talked about the fact that the first family wore clothes from J.Crew, a mid-market retailer. "They looked very good but …
Feb 11, 2009
Recession Forces Women's Shelter To Turn People Away
Recession Forces Women's Shelter To Turn People Away
From July 2008 to December 2008, the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh turned away 360 women and children -- 125 percent increase -- while clients increased 19 percent.
The shelter's executive director …
Feb 11, 2009
Obama must let the economy shrink
Obama must let the economy shrink
For too long, economists have fallen in love with their mathematical models of certainty and have ignored how poorly these models reflect the real world. Both Bush's economic advisers, who wanted to emphasize trickle-down tax cuts to …
Balm, Apr 11, 2008:
Be sure to visit the blog too:
The Love Alliance , Apr 09, 2008:
Love the mission! Thanks for the request. We are so glad you can be a part of The Love Alliance. Let us know if you ever want to get more involved and we can send you over some ways that you can.
Clean Green Studios, Apr 06, 2008:
Great idea! Bless you in your work. Come see our project we're starting up in Portland.