RobinsHoodCommunityCenter

The reason I wrote all this in one word is because that is the URL name of the Yahoo Group, Robins Hood Community Center,and it is worth looking up. In fact, I am a member of this pagan group, although unfortunately I haven't devoted any time to it lately, in fact I have rarely visited the site over the last three or four months, due quite plainly to lack of time to do so. Yet, that is the only Pagan charity that I know of, certainly the only one that I know of in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. And they do good work, or at least they try to.

They give free food (canned goods and dried goods, etc.) in addition to free clothing to people in need, especially to people that have experienced a sudden tragedy, such as a loss of home due to fire, death in the family of the main breadwinner, etc. Most importantly, perhaps, they have provided a place of refuge during the cold winter nights for the homeless, many of whom have no other place to go, and might otherwise freeze to death during sub-zero temperatures. Nothing fancy, just a place to come in and stay warm for the night.

The Reverend Bonnie Campaniello, who runs this organization out of donations, and with some proceeds from her New Age/Pagan oriented store, The Faerie Realm, is devoted to making a difference in the lives of the needy in Covington Kentucky, not necessarrily just pagans, but for anybody that needs help, whenever it is possible to do so.

Unfortunately, she has met some roadblocks along the way, from the more mainstream Christian oriented charities who seem to see her,and her religion, as some kind of a threat. One such place that purports to care for the poor and homeless had the temerity to turn down a donation of canned goods that Bonnie brought to their door. They didn't like the idea of receiving goods from a witch, I suppose thinking that this would look bad, for a Christian group to receive aid from one it likes to paint as "Satanic" and evil.

Another group, which runs a web-site by the name of Northern kentucky Saved, even went so far as to concuct harrassment of the premises of The Faerie Realm, acting in an insulting manner by praying at their window that the "evil" would cease.

Yet, some of these same Christian charities proved to be of no avail to Joe Young, who last year was thrown out of a Christian mission, and was forced to remain out on the streets. He was found dead, frozen to death, the following day. According to witnesses at the offending missions, there were availiable beds, but Joe had stayed his limit. Perhaps he had become somewhat rowdy, as he had a drinking problem, or possibly he was forced to leave simply because he had alcohol on his breath. At any rate, he is dead-murdered by Christians. The same types of people who like to pretend they are too good to receive aid from a pagan, the kind who feel they have a Chrisitan duty to harass practitioners of Wicca.

As for the Reverend Bonnie, she tries to help those who need help, when she can, without the expectation or the suggestion that they should be converted to Wiccan or Paganism, nor does she require identification, somehting which unfortunately might prevent her from receiving any kind of official aid, as this generally requires the collection of identification for law enforcement purposes.

She just helps because she feels she should do so. And her organizations, Robins Hood Community Center, and The Faerie realm, are two that are definitely deserving of support. As suchg, as winter months are nigh approaching, I would heartily encourage any of the unfortunately probably small handful of people htat might read this blog to donate what you can. It might give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Besides, it would just be a good thing to do.