Author: Cat Russell

I’m a true believer in that there are not many people out there who really can eat just a single potato or corn chip. I certainly consider myself outside of this select crowd, especially after a long glorious day in the great outdoors, or while quaffing a beer on a lazy, hot summer afternoon.

Though it’s tough to keep from dipping the hand in the chip bag, my guess is that most of us could buy just one book, especially if knowing this single purchase would be joining other single purchases to help feed infants in critical need in Yemen.

Here at the Basketful Relief Project (BRP), this is exactly what we are asking you to consider: buy one of our children’s books to help feed a young tummy as well as a young mind. Maybe no one can eat just one chip, but nearly all of us can buy just one book!

Joining together as one big happy family of BRP book buyers, we can take a bite out of childhood hunger, (pun intended). Our goal is to increase the percentage of sale proceeds we donate to fight famine as we sell greater quantities of books, ultimately up to 80%.

Since we have recently launched the Basketful Relief Project (2019), we are focusing our donation dollars to help fight famine in Yemen. As we grow, we hope to expand our impact, locally and elsewhere around the world.

Perhaps you might be wondering, why not just donate directly to Yemen famine relief and not invest in a BRP children’s book? Great question. We certainly encourage you to donate directly to our Yemen fundraising page with Save the Children. We also hope you will consider buying one of our books because:

• You will be receiving a beautiful children’s book that will bring lasting enjoyment
• You will nurture a young mind
• You will be participating in helping the famine crisis of infants and children in Yemen
• You will be investing in a lasting foundation that will continue to sell children’s books to support famine relief efforts around the world for decades to come.
• You will be partnering in a fun and creative way to fight hunger!

Perhaps you might be wondering, what is the current percent proceed going to Yemen famine relief from book sales? Great question. The Basketful Relief Project is currently donating 10% of book sales to our Yemen fundraising page with Save the Children. This amount will never decrease, but we hope it increases as soon as possible. The more books we sell, the more we will be able increase the proceed-percentage we donate.

Still considering? Check out this fun 3-min video highlighting the founding and mission of the Basketful Relief Project.

Perhaps you might be wondering, why Yemen? Great question. According to the UN, Yemen is in the world’s worst famine in a century and experiencing the world’s worst man-made humanitarian disaster.*

Six years of warring conflict have not been kind to the infants and children in Yemen. According to an article published in March on CNN, an estimated 47,000 people are likely to be living with “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity — or famine-like conditions — according to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s authority on food security. A further 16 million are living in either “crisis” or “emergency” food security conditions, the analysis shows. That’s more than half of Yemen’s population.**

The situation is rapidly deteriorating because of funding cuts, decreased aid from other countries because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Saudi-led blockade that keeps provisions from reaching those in need. It’s difficult to grasp their reality where hundreds of food trucks are parked in a line, stretching for miles with no fuel to allow them to transport the necessary food and medical supplies to their destinations. Meanwhile, infants and children are dying from malnutrition and famine, every day.

As a world family, these infants are our infants too, and we can help. Consider making a single purchase of one of our BRP children’s books today.

Then maybe we can allow ourselves more than one chip to celebrate!

*Humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in … – UN News

**Famine has arrived in pockets of Yemen. Saudi ships blocking fuel aren’t helping

By Nima Elbagir, Barbara Arvanitidis, Angela Dewan, Nada Bashir and Yousef Mawry, CNN, Video by Alex Platt and Mark Baron, CNN

Updated 4:53 PM ET, Thu March 11, 2021

The Basketful Relief Project is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in the mass shooting at the King Soopers shopping center, Table Mesa in Boulder, CO yesterday afternoon.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families, neighbors and friends. We are traumatized by this senseless act of violence and we look to comfort one another in this time of mourning.

We are grateful to the professional and heroic efforts of the first responders, Boulder police and SWAT team, and the continued efforts of the FBI in coordination with local and state levels of government to fully investigate this violent crime.

We grieve the ten who fell yesterday: veteran Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, Denny Stong, Neven Stanisic, Rikki Olds, Tralona Bartkowiak, Suzanne Fountain, Teri Leiker, Kevin Mahoney, Lynn Murray, and Jody Waters.

The Basketful Relief Project also stands in solidarity with those seeking the enforcement of stricter gun control laws and background checks, to better identify those who should and should not have access to firearms. The past seven days have brought forth seven mass shootings in the United States. We pray for practical solutions to the epidemic of gun violence we are regularly experiencing in our homes and communities.

With a broken heart, but always hopeful –

Catherine (Cat) Ann Russell
Basketful Relief Project, in association with Spike Productions

Beautiful Children’s Books to Feed Tummies and Minds

So the mission of the Basketful Relief Project is to write and publish beautiful children’s stories with the intent to help support world famine relief efforts and local food assistance programs here at home. Hence the tag line: Beautiful Children’s Books to Feed Young Tummies and Minds.

Launching the Basketful Relief Project in 2019, I started a personal fundraising page for famine relief efforts for infants and children in Yemen through Save the Children. I invite you to skip on over to this fundraiser and make a direct charitable contribution to this effort today!

Just recently, and I have heard this before, someone asked me, why Yemen? Inherent in this direct question is a legitimate wondering as to why worry about someone else’s problem so far away? Out of sight, out of mind as the saying goes. We have enough to be concerned about here at home. This last sentiment is true of course, but I myself had a life changing experience back in 2013 which has given me a new perspective on the interconnectedness of our world. I feel I should be dutifully concerned about the plight of infants and children experiencing significant trauma as innocent victims of a brutal civil conflict because, it could someday happen to us here at home. If I put myself in someone else’s experience, especially if its a crisis, I would most certainly want others to not shrug off my situation as out of sight out of mind.

Which brings me to my life changing lesson learned in 2013. In September of that year, locally here in Lyons, CO and up and down the Front Range, we were innocent victims of a 1,000-year rain and a 500-year flood that devastated our town. Lyons is nestled at the confluence of the North and South Saint Vrain Creeks and during this event the two combined to be a massive torrent of destructive power. The flood event was so mind boggling, I produced an investigative documentary to scientifically fit the pieces together as to what happened. Should you ever have an hour to spare (ha!), you can view this documentary here:

To say the least, the reconstruction aftermath of this event was daunting, and some areas still haven’t recovered as of today.

So what does the Colorado flood of 2013 have to do with famine in Yemen? Well nothing, except for me personally, in that experience I was a direct recipient of the good will of others. I witnessed first hand the outpouring of support from people and groups coming in and setting up to help us cope and rebuild. They were people that weren’t from here, but from all over the US and abroad. Their hard work and good cheer moved mountains and I understood, perhaps for the first time, why it is short-sighted to only be concerned about my own back yard. Thus as someone who rarely goes hungry, I sincerely empathize with mothers and their babies who do, and believe I am in a position to help. Will you join me? Have a look at the Basketful Relief Project’s beautiful children’s books we have published so far and consider making a purchase. By doing so, in a fun way you will be feeding a young tummy and mind.

What inspired this blog post was seeing this CNN exclusive today, March 11. Here is the link:

Famine is returning to Yemen — and a Saudi fuel blockade stands to make it worse

Published in February, 2021, The Hyrax Song is the second book in The Pearls Of Wisdom Series, a collection of creative children’s stories inspired by a Biblical Proverb. The Hyrax Song is great for 9-12 year old readers and of course their parents too! It’s in hardcover, glossy paged format, 95 pages and beautifully illustrated by Brooke Connor of Brooke Connor Design.

Purchase The Hyrax Song on BookBaby ($43.81), and locally at Red Canyon Art in Lyons, CO. Coming soon to Amazon.

There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer;
The rock badgers are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags;
The locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks;
the spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces.

Prov 30:24-28 (NKJV)

Journee is not only a mouse but a princess who loves adventure, especially when she has them alongside her best friends, Mr. Toad, Mr. Owl and Mr. Steed. Not long after their very first escapade together, finding the legendary Pond of Reflection, the four companions find themselves in yet another wild exploit, that is decidedly dangerous and threatens the entire kingdom. It all begins with their discovery of a furry blob on top of a boulder one lovely Fall day, and a message for Journee’s father, the great mouse king. It quickly develops into an exciting adventure, with an unlikely plan that just might thwart a mysterious threat gathering in the Great Plains by the sea, north of the High Western Mountain. A plan that will require the help of every kingdom animal great and small, and a very special gift of the rock hyraxes, who live in the crags of the High Western Mountain. For Journee, the best part about these kinds of adventure? If one can survive them, one undoubtedly will make new friends.

OUR MISSION

In 2019, Spike Productions launched the Basketful Relief Project (BRP) to write and publish beautiful children’s stories to support hunger relief programs here at home and abroad. With the purchase of a BRP book, Spike Productions currently donates ten percent of each purchase to reputable organizations fighting hunger. The goal however, is to increase this percent amount as more books sell. 

We hope these books not only grace your coffee table as classics, but inspire your young reader to engage in them time and again.

The BRP mission really is to help feed both young tummies and minds.

We invite you to browse our children’s books, here.