There’s no shortage of local ways to spend your money this season, but what about diverting a bit of that economy-boosting cash to some of the borough’s neediest locals: kids living in shelters? The Brooklyn Community Foundation, an entirely Brooklyn-centered fundraising group that started up in October,  just launched its Caring Neighbors holiday campaign to help Brooklyn’s homeless kids have at least a decent holiday this year. The foundation is accepting donations for their Caring Neighbors Kits—packages of toys, books, and other educational resources that will be given out to ease the stress of being homeless. The city has more than 16,000 kids in shelters, the foundations says, and Brooklyn covers about 30 percent of that—including these four, very much in need of a few of those kits. Donations accepted here; those up to $250 to be matched dollar for dollar.

This is not the author. Photo by Jenene Chesbrough.

I’d heard clothing swaps are a great way to upgrade a wardrobe for free. Some people, women usually, love them—like Clothing Swap and Meet founder Nichelle Stephens, who says such events bring out her “Sagittarian hunter-like leanings as well as appeal to her sense of vanity and thrift.” I wanted to believe Nichelle’s claim that they are also fun, but feared that such feel-good events only existed in Jennifer Garner movies. After all, this is New York: there are ugly sweaters, raw emotions, and bedbugs.

So my friends and I got together and hosted one ourselves. The Great Swap included a potluck dinner and wine; these were the highlights. Unfortunately, the swapping part didn’t flow as freely as the wine. (more…)