Found a Fediverse posting starter pack

#cats #catsofmastodon #asstodon

Dragon Dads (https://dragondads.org/) is a group of dads and other caregivers who are affirming and supportive of LGTBQIA+ kids. One of their big activities is going to #pride events and giving out free dad hugs. Many of them have been doing this for 10 years or more. This was my first time.

Let me tell you, I saw, and felt, absolutely everything.

There was someone who squealed when they saw the booth and did a ten yard sprint to catch me in a flying hug. There were people who walked by several times before they timidly came up and asked for a hug.

There were people who wanted long hugs, side hugs, pats on the back, fist bumps. (We have a menu.) People who don't like hugs, but were nonetheless thrilled that we were doing it.

People told me that their dads had passed away, refused to have anything to do with them, or that they had had to cut their own dads off. One told me "I miss my dad", and when I said I was so sorry, they said "he's in Arizona".

There was an elderly person in a wheelchair who told us how their alcoholic father used to beat them, then told us all the things they had accomplished in life in spite of him, just to show him.

There were people who trembled. People who sobbed. People who melted.

A giant dude in one of those neoprene dog masks (with my permission) grabbed me in a great big hug and lifted me off the ground.

I leaned down to hug people in wheelchairs, and stretched up to hug a woman who I swear was seven feet tall.

Some people stayed to chat, or to cool off in our misting fan in the blistering heat. Others got a hug and left quickly, tears in their eyes and a "thank you" on their lips.

Absolutely everyone who wanted a hug got one.

I've signed up for more events.

I could use your help with something.

There are lots of people who can use your help in the world right now. If you're helping any of them, thank you.

Let me tell you about some people I want to help, and invite you to join me if you can.

For a few months, I've been talking with @nuwagaba2 , who lives in the Kiboga District, Uganda. He is a teacher, and founder of the Fill The Empty Stomachs Farming Initiative, an NGO that has been feeding the hungry in his area. They provide free food for those who cannot afford to pay; any produce they do sell is used to sustain the project.

Fill The Empty Stomachs rented land to farm on, but renting is a short-term solution and unstable. They farmed rented land for a year, but their lease ended when the owner decided to use it for another purpose.

To make this work long-term, they need to buy land of their own. I want to help them do it. If you are in a position to help, I invite you to join me.

They have a GoFundMe set up, and it's almost halfway to its goal. Let's get it the rest of the way so that they can buy land. I will match any donation made in the next month (no need to tell me about it, I'll just watch the numbers on the page).

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-nuwagaba-to-empower-young-farmers

The GoFundMe is being run by a man in Wales who is trusted by Nuwagaba and his team.

While they raise money to buy land, they are still busy: they have shifted their focus to education, teaching others in the area to improve their own farms. They have started a small chicken business.

I met Nuwagaba here on the Fediverse, but have had hours of video calls with him. I got a tour of the rented land they used to farm. He's a teacher and I'm a professor, so we've talked about the education systems in our countries. We've talked about our hopes for the future - for the places we live and the people in our communities. I've met other people from Fill The Empty Stomachs, Mugisha and Timothy. These folks are serious about wanting to make things better for the poor in their area.

Look, I realize a lot of people are jaded about trusting people they meet on the Internet. I'm not going to tell you shouldn't be. What I can tell you is that I've spent a lot of time talking to Nuwagaba and other members of his team, and I'm convinced. If you're interested in helping, but also need to be convinced, Nuwagaba would be happy to talk with you; you can contact him here, or I have his email address and phone number.

So: if you can join me, please do, and I'll match whatever you are able to contribute.