Saving the world is thirsty work, and demands a rigid set of bones to keep one standing upright in the face of adversity. Naturally, this means that a big glass of milk every day is essential to effective stewardship of one’s fellow humans. In years past, we’ve kept our milk-drinking and fund-raising separate, usually rewarding ourselves with a big glass o’ moo-juice after a long day in the empathy mines. This year, thanks to a partnership between Outreach and Shatto Milk, we can combine our two loves!

We’ve explained the hows and wheres of this before [link here and here, to articles where we explain this, because I don’t want to type it again], so once now that you’ve gotten your head around the concept (short version: get a bottle of Shatto Milk with “Donate” on it, drink all the yummy milk, then fill the empty bottle with change and turn it in at any participating UMB Bank to send that money Outreach-ward), let’s discuss some ways you can make that glass sing like an angel as you fill it with coin after coin.

Some Ideas to Fill Your Shatto Bottle:

* Got a couch? An upholstered chair? A car? Look, we’re as grossed out by the idea of fishing around between cushions as you are, but there’s almost always a bit of change in there (sometimes Chee-tos, too!), and you can always just wash your hands afterward. It’s also an opportunity to give some thought to whether or not it’s time to shop-vac all the crumbs from inside your couch. If not now, when?

* Skip your morning coffee run (you can just make some at home, silly!) and put the money you’d otherwise have spent on your drink into the bottle!

This year, thanks to a partnership between Outreach and Shatto Milk, we can combine our two loves!

* Pay for those things you normally buy in a given day (gas, lunch, milk) with cash instead of by card. They’ll give you back change! Do it for a week, take whatever coins you’ve amassed, and dump those li’l round rascals into the yawning mouth of your Shatto Milk bottle!

* Pennies may not seem like they’re worth your time, but we’re here to remind you: Pennies are totally still money. They add up! Take a quick glance around when you’re next out in public, and we bet you’ll find a bunch of pennies looking for a good home (and good cause). Scoop ‘em up, wash your hands after (ground-money is the yuckiest money!), and before you know it, you’ll have made some serious headway in filling up your Donate bottle!

* Bring your Shatto bottle to your family’s holiday gatherings, or any other get-together you enjoy over the holidays. Start a conversation about generosity, and very subtly begin pushing the Shatto Bottle deeper into the center of the table. When someone asks you what you’re doing, raise your eyebrows and indicate the partially-filled bottle and make a sound like “Eh???” In the context of your conversation, they’ll hopefully be able to put two and two together.

* We’re not advocating this necessarily, but in a general sense, have you noticed how many nearly abandoned malls are around these days? Well, those malls usually have fountains, and fountains in abandoned malls are technically abandoned fountains, their shiny bounty waiting silently in the dry basins. Do what you’ve gotta do— just remember: It’s not morally wrong, because you’re supporting a good cause*.

* Kids normally have some change on them, and since they’re small, you can almost always get them to give it to you. Trick them, if you have to— tell them the Tooth Fairy had an accounting error, and needs to balance her books. They’ll buy that, we bet.

* You can buy a roll of quarters and just hang out, tossing them into your bottle while making a new wish for every one you drop. Sure, it’s not the same as pitching coins into one of those fountains mentioned above, but there’s no authority on what does/ doesn’t constitute a wish, so you go right ahead with your bottle-based version. Heck, the money’s all going to fight poverty, so you’ll be granting someone’s wish!

* Re-designate ordinary words as curse words, then promise to deposit money in the “swear jar” whenever you let one slip. For instance: Agree that “Car” will be considered a curse word for a few days. Other suggested words: “Hello,” “Goodbye,” and “Pancakes.” You’ll be pleased at how quickly the jar fills, and equally pleased that you did so without having to use actual coarse language.

There are so many ways to support Outreach! Stay tuned for next year’s holiday season, when we partner with Ace Hardware to promote our “Fill Garbage Cans with Cash” campaign! Thanks, as ever, for your continued support!!

* It’s still legally wrong, though, so follow your heart.

How to Help

You can be a part of the good goings-on at Outreach whenever you want, like right now, for instance! Join our team, show your support, and tell us all about the good things you discover along the way! Start your journey toward a more hopeful existence with a first step by donating to Outreach today!