I am always finding and being reminded of the reasons why I love what I do, wholly.  These past few weeks have been a beautiful, glowing affirmation of the wonderful community that I entered into when I decided to take on the title of “foodblogger.”  As  you know, one of our own suffered an unimaginable loss recently, and we all felt it too.  So did many others.  People from all over the internet, friends as well as those who’d only recently heard of Jennie, offered support via heartfelt Twitter messages, and hundreds of caring individuals rallied together at her call to make a peanut butter pie in honor of her husband Mikey.  We grieved along with her while celebrating his life.

But the harsh reality is that this sort of loss often calls for more than emotional support.  So the blogging community didn’t stop at pie.  From Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef:

“As you can imagine, Jennie is overwhelmed not only by her grief, and the sudden responsibility of raising two children by herself, but she is also struggling with this financially. She just learned that she cannot collect widow’s benefits from Social Security because she earns too much money each year. The health insurance for her and her kids runs out in December and she just learned that the total she will have to pay will be more than her mortgage. It’s possible she’ll have to pay off the entire mortgage in one lump sum because the apartment was in his name alone. And more than anything, Mikey wanted Jennie to continue living her dream of being a food writer. And he wanted to make sure his kids were taken care of well. That’s why he worked as hard as he did. So we want to help. And we hope you want to help too.”

Bloggers Maggy, Erika, and Aimee took this as an opportunity to launch the non-profit organization Bloggers Without Borders.  Their first cause: A Fund for Jennie.  100% of the proceeds donated will go to help Jennie and her girls.  These funds will be put toward everything from health insurance to saving for college to basic necessities like groceries.

If you feel so moved, there are a couple ways you can help.  First, you can donate directly to Bloggers Without Borders by clicking the button below.  It will take you directly to PayPal, where you will be able to submit your donation.  Obviously, these are difficult financial times for everyone, but even a couple dollars will help to make a significant difference in the lives of these three wonderful ladies.

Second, several bloggers have set up auctions in an effort to raise money for A Fund for Jennie.  They’re offering cookies, incredible dining experiences, hand-made crafts, and there’s even a running auction for a day with the one and only Penny de Los Santos.  It’s been impossible to see all of these amazing, heartfelt offerings and not want to throw my hat into the ring as well.

So, here at GF in the City, we are auctioning off a package of gluten-free goodness.  I’ve assembled a few of the products that I love most and that make my life easier, and I want to share them with you.  The package will include:

-One 12 oz package each of Bionaturae gluten-free spaghetti & penne
-One box of Mary’s Gone Crackers
-One 12 oz bag of LoveGrown granola
-One full-sized bag of Kettle Brand Sea Salt & Vinegar potato chips
-One 10 oz bottle of San-J Organic Wheat-Free Tamari
-Two ThinkThin protein bars

Also, the auction winner may choose a recipe for any baked good that has been featured on this site and I will send you all of the dry ingredients, pre-mixed, so that you can easily make it in your kitchen at home.

Please leave your bid in the comments below and note which recipe you’d like me to mix up and send your way.  100% of the proceeds from this auction will go to benefit A Fund for Jennie.  The bidding will open at $50 and the auction will close on August 31st, 2011 at 11:59pm.

This gluten-free gift pack is worth at least the opening bid–though I think we can all agree that lending a hand to Jennie and her girls is worth so much more.