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Burmese handicrafts as well as weavings from refugee camps will be featured at a Palo Alto garage sale Sunday, Oct. 28, to benefit the Buddhist monks of Myanmar, who have been under attack by the Burmese military for weeks while outsiders have been banned from the country.
Palo Alto resident Barbara Slone said she hopes to engage the local community in addressing the crises, and is asking for items of all types to be donated to the sale.
The sale will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at her home, 2002 Barbara Dr. (near Embarcadero and Highway 101). There will also be an informational table with petitions and updates on the situation in Myanmar.
Slone said donations should be items such as good-quality clothing and household goods. She also needs volunteers to set up, sell goods and clean up.
Proceeds will go to the Burmese American Women’s Alliance (BAMA), a San Francisco non-profit that has donated $14,000 to Myanmar in the last two weeks, according to Sue Tint, who is assisting with the sale.
“I hope to raise as much money as I possibly can,” Slone said. “The monks are such loving and gentle people. They gave so much to me and I would like to pay them back.”
Slone traveled most of Burma with her son’s mother-in-law, a Yangon native, in February 2006.
“I have never seen a more beautiful place,” she said. “Even though most people are poor, you are embraced and treated with kindness by everyone you meet. I would feel bad if the country stayed closed.”
To donate or help, please call or e-mail Tint 408-464-8450 (htaytint@yahoo.com) or Slone at 650-465-8882 or 650-326-9718 (Barbara.Slone@gmail.com).
Donors should call Slone or drop-off items in the front porch of her home between Oct. 25 and 27.
Tax-deductible donations can also be made to BAMA, 493 Oxford St., San Francisco, CA 94134, or call 415-337-6406 or 415-672-9095.
Slone’s son, Josiah, will host a benefit dinner in November for Myanmar at his Saratoga restaurant, Sent Sovi, 14583 Big Basin Way. Please check http://www.sentsovi.com for updates.
By Karen Song
There will be another sale on Sunday the 25th of November. It’s the perfect place to pick up some holiday gifts without going to the mall! Each 50cents you spend buys a monk a morning meal. The sale will take place at 2002 Barbara Drive in Palo Alto and starts at 8am. Thanks from the monks for your support!