Give Something Back

As we come to the start of another holiday season, I would like to take this short moment of sobriety to wish hashers around the world all of the best and ON ON wishes for many shiggy-filled trails in the New Year.
 
I want to thank all with whom I have done trail this past year for the good times and excellent memories, though I am still in denial I ever said or did half what is claimed. I need to especially thank those who took on the task of setting trails. And finally, may I ask us all to raise our beers in salute to the mismanagement and volunteers that keep the hash world on trail. Without your efforts, there would be no hash.
 
Now for my rant....
 
Although hashers are a bunch of fun loving half-minds who get together to enjoy socializing, ridiculing one another, running various amounts of trail, and consuming more than our fair share of beer, we recognize that hashing alone doesn't necessarily get a hasher into heaven, or the good graces of the local community.  At this time of year, I would like to urge all hashes and hashers to stop for a moment and do something for those less fortunate. Pick a local charity and give something back.
 
My mother hash, Royal South Side H3 had a tradition, along with the rest of the Hong Kong hashes to hold a toy drive in the center of the city. This event, which continues to this day, was a great way for hashers to do something good for the community.  And lord knows we needed to do  something good once and awhile.
 
My current hash holds a toy drive the first week of December and holds a food drive hash later in the year.  It is not that we are a bunch of do-gooders; by no means could we be considered the model citizens of Santa Cruz. We are just trying to build up a little good karma and do something useful, just for once, so we can say we did.  Our local hash attorney also likes to point out that these good acts could help as a "positive defense" with potential future issues with local authorities.

There are plenty of charity event ideas that can be done before the start of a hash: food drives, clothing drives, blood drives, and toy drives are just some of them.  Though it should be noted that blood drives, while good, make it a little hard to run right after.  This way, as hashers, we can give back to the community that puts up with our flour, chalk, bad language, funny smells (you know who you are...), strange-sounding vocabulary, and general debauchery all year long.  So find a local charity--sadly there are so many--and do some good.  Then get ON ON trail and enjoy the hash.