Home >> scrappythriftyuniverse
June 20, 2008
Yesterday I made a pilgrimage up to Misercordia to check out their facility. I’m on a fact finding mission to see how The Picky Peasant fits into the universe! I wanted to see what the residents were making and selling in the gift shop and how their restaurant looked. What a happy, busy place. It was just bubbling with excitement! I was a little disappointed that there were not more handcrafted items made by people with disabilities, but I did stumble upon a wonderful creation by a little one-lady company in Chicago called Scrappy Nation. Here are some of her little creatures:
It was like meeting a kindred spirit. Sarah Steedman goes thrifting for scraps and creates huggable, loveable little beasts in her basement studio.
But back to Misercordia… I’ve seen folks collecting change at intersections for years and always wondered what it was. When Nathan was born I discovered that it’s a large organization that serves people with disabilities. Now that I’ve seen the campus and met some of the volunteers, I’ll be digging deeper in my pockets for dollar bills next time I see people collecting change at red lights. Misercordia is like a beautiful village that houses, employs, develops, strengthens, and supports people with disabilities. It’s vibrant. The energy level in the restaurant and bakery was electric. There is nothing about the place that says, “INSTITUTION.” But in contrast it’s like an oasis of historic buildings that mingle with accessible ranch-style townhomes, gardens, trees, wide sidewalks…a thriving environment. So, throw a $20 in the bucket next time you see people wearing the red heart aprons at redlights!