MercuryNews.com

Internal Affairs: Was it a honeymoon tour of Milpitas City Hall? The plot thickens
Date of Publication: 
08/13/11

When $93 buys $125,000 in food for the needy and a cameo on television
If you happen to be watching VH1 Thursday night, you might recognize Carolee Hazard, a Menlo Park woman who turned a small good deed at Trader Joe's into a nationally recognized volunteer philanthropy, the 93 Dollar Club. You first heard about Hazard in the Merc in 2009, when she ended up lending a stranger with a lost wallet about $207 so she could pay for her groceries. The stranger sent Hazard a check for $300.

Asking her Facebook friends what to do with the extra $93, Hazard decided to donate the money to Second Harvest Food Bank. Her friends also took on the challenge -- and soon the 93 Dollar Club went viral. Since then it's raised about $125,000 for the local food bank.

Hazard's story has traveled far and wide, but she was surprised when VH1 called her this summer to tell her she'd been nominated for the "Facebook" category of the "Do Something Awards." Other "do-gooder" nominees in various categories include Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe, soccer star David Beckham, comedian Will Ferrell and one-armed surfer Bethany Hamilton.

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