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The Invisible Child Trust

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Dearest readers and bidders,

Woah. WOAH.

It is my profound honor to announce that we raised a whopping $3,565 for the Invisible Child Trust at the Legal Aid Society.

$3,565!

(!!!!!!!!)

Thank you for all your bids and your tweets and your spreading the news. A big, big thanks also to Ruth Reichl and Russ Parsons for unexpectedly stepping in with their wonderful books to add to the offerings and to Ten Speed Press and Sarah Copeland who jumped in as well. I'm totally humbled by their enthusiasm and generosity – and by yours. The auction exceeded my wildest expectations.

I'll be in touch with the winners by email – invoices will be sent via Paypal – and once all the payments are in, I'll write the check and send it off to New York (you can also donate online). And in the meantime, I'm going to just about burst with pride at what we did this week together. Thank you for that.

Thank you also for making me realize yet again that nothing ventured is nothing gained. I worried that no one would care about this auction. I worried that I was putting myself out there and that it'd be embarrassing to raise nothing and fail. Instead, you all rose up and made this thing explode in such a wonderful and hugely gratifying way. Lesson learned, universe!

Elsewhere, because it's been too long,

Gesine Bullock-Prado recalls the smell of her mother (I dare you not to cry).

A week in the life of Nigel Slater.

A movie on food waste.

Great interview with Yotam Ottolenghi.

These quick videos on five iconic holiday roasts are so inspiring.

Will this finally be the year I make my own vanilla extract? No time like the present.

Salted. Rye. Chocolate. Cookies. All you need to know.

Loved reading more about Caroline Campion while I covet her new book.

Catherine never fails to make me laugh, even when talking about crock-pot pork.

Darling people, I hope you have warm and cozy and happy holidays. May your travels be safe. I'm thinking of you and am, as ever, so grateful to have you in my life! Much love, Luisa

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13 responses to “The Invisible Child Trust”

  1. Bobbie Avatar
    Bobbie

    Good work, Luisa! Don’t know if you’re acquainted, but Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, has done quite a number of fundraisers like this over the years via her blog. http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/ Despite all her successes, she still tends to be astonished and humbled by the good people are capable of doing and that she can facilitate.

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  2. Sarah G. Avatar
    Sarah G.

    I’m so impressed with, inspired by, and proud of you and all of us. Thank you for an exciting and fulfilling week — I checked back often to watch the progress even as prices rose out of my budget range. I felt intimately involved with it all –which is a special gift from you to us.

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  3. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    Love you and your great ideas! Keep thinking them up!

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  4. jane Avatar
    jane

    I just finished reading the story of Dasani. Although I didn’t get a chance to participate in your cookbook auction, I’m grateful you brought the series to my attention. I’ve made a contribution to the agency, as you suggested. Thank you for enlightening me and thank you for setting a beautiful example of getting involved and working together to make a postive impact.

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  5. Payal Avatar
    Payal

    Thanks for being here for us! It is always comforting to find a new post up – always informative, fun, playful and very soulful.

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  6. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    I never received an invoice for the books, if I missed it just email me again! Thanks!!

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  7. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Hi there! Not only did I send you two invoices, but I also sent you an email inquiring about why you didn’t pay yet. I have a feeling that my emails might be landing in your spam folder? If you could check, I’d be grateful. Thanks!

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  8. Donalda Avatar
    Donalda

    I made my first vanilla extract last year, I think, I was very pleased with it, although NOT as pleased as I was with my cardamon extract (in my coffee? Oh yeah, baby) although I don’t know if I’d do that again in a hurry as the de-podding of the cardamon took me to the brink of madness. As for when to use the vanilla, did you see this over Christmas, http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html seems like I might just stick to my cardamon…

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  9. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    Oh Luisa. My heart is so full right now. On the most superficial level, I’m very sorry that I missed the auction — there were several prizes that would have lured me.
    But more importantly, I think it would interest you to know that throughout the NYC Department of Education, we widely disseminated, read, and talked about Dasani’s story — and of course, the fact that this fierce and amazing little girl is emblematic of the blazing gifts (we know not what they are) of the twenty two thousand children in homeless shelters in NYC alone. And so many more of our kids (who are not identified as “homeless” per se) have home lives where they care for younger siblings, eat no hot meals, have no one to kiss them goodbye in the morning or tell them to have a good day at school, much less make them breakfast.
    It’s important for us all to know that this story touched many hearts and many lives, and thus can perhaps unite us all in efforts to do more, think more, speak out more about the deep injustices of the ways in which our societies are structured.
    I write this to you as I’m getting ready to make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for tonight’s season premiere in the US of Downton Abbey. I have the luxury of frivolity, of making a dinner that is coordinated with the program we’re going to watch. And yet what I wish for is not that I don’t do this, or that others don’t do it. I wish for the moment when everyone will have some luxuries, and some choices that have to do with time, with money and with good and caring companions. I plan to take great pleasure in our dinner, and then get up tomorrow morning and go to work where I educate nascent school leaders to care about each child in their school building even as they care about the whole of their school. Lives should have all of these aspects — the large things that give us purpose, and the smaller things that give us joy — and the intermingling of the two.
    Thank you for the gift of the Invisible Child Trust. Its power is much, much greater than just the funds you have raised, although that too is impressive.
    Love,
    Julie

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  10. Reece Whittaker Avatar
    Reece Whittaker

    I love your blog. I wondered if you could either visit or share the link to my blog
    retsee2904.blogspot.co.uk
    I am 14 years old living in the UK. I write about my favourite things like Music, Gaming, Aircraft, Germany and Japanese.
    Cookies and Love,
    Retsee (Reece)

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  11. John Avatar
    John

    Nice!

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  12. Chlostar Avatar
    Chlostar

    Hello, I am wondering if there is a way for you to track the books you sent. I was glad to do this and was also hoping to give the book to my husband as a gift since he is a fan of Jamie’s books. But it is almost a full month since I paid and I am worried that the book was lost on the way. If you could look into this, that would be really helpful. Thank you, Chlostar

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  13. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    To keep the shipping costs affordable, I had to send the package with a book rate, which takes at least 3 weeks overseas. With the holidays, it’s possible that it could take a little longer. Thank you for being patient and please let me know when the book does arrive. If it hasn’t arrived by February, please let me know.

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