Halloween’s all about fun, frights and free candy, right? Well, it can also be a great chance to do some good while going door-to-door.

Last year, a group of high school students (still costumed, of course) showed up at my door. But they weren’t interested in candy bars or peanut butter cups – they were collecting for the local food pantry. Canned goods, pastas and other non-perishables.

It caught me by surprise, but naturally I was happy to help. Who can turn down Batman asking you to help your fellow citizens? While dropping in a couple cans of soup, I also noticed that a few people had donated cash.

What a great idea.

If you plan on trick or treating with your family this year, consider mixing up the tradition a little. Let the kids score some of the sweet stuff, while you carry your own bag for food or even cash donations. Donate items to area food pantries, churches or other organizations who could use them to do good.

You’ll be helping local people in need. Plus, you’ll be making a positive impression on your children – instilling that all-important spirit of giving at an early age. Maybe they’ll start by sharing some of that candy with you.

We’re proud to announce that you can now find Greater Than Goods cause apparel on store shelves! Introducing Sigler on Main, a new clothing store in downtown Ames, Iowa (our hometown).

Sigler on Main sells cause shirts, as well as collegiate team apparel. They currently stock some of your favorite Greater Than Goods designs, including Pets are People Too, Motherhood is Not for Sissies and the Every Drop T-shirt which benefits the Gulf Coast oil spill clean-up efforts. As our line expands, new designs will become available.

If you live in or are visiting Iowa, we invite you to stop in and check out the selection of Greater Than Goods apparel in person. And most importantly, each purchase at the store will continue to support your favorite causes!

Wondering where the store is at? See Sigler on Main on a map and get directions. You can also “like” Sigler on Main on Facebook!

In November, we found a pleasant surprise in our inbox. It was a message sent via our contact form from Bert Jacobs, Chief Executive Optimist of Life is Good. Yes, that Life is Good – the worldwide feel-good apparel company!

Apparently a co-worker turned him onto our site and he wanted to reach out. Here’s what he said:

“I just wanted to say hello and give you praise for your concept. Business and social work are considered different disciplines in most cultures. We have never believed that at LIG. It is clear to see that you don’t believe that either.”

We’ll be honest – at first we thought it might be a hoax or spam. But after a little more correspondence, we realized we were talking to the real thing!

We don’t do what we do for those who are watching – we do it for those who are needing. But sometimes it’s nice to know people are taking notice! It makes everything all the more worthwhile. : )

I love fishing. The floppy hats, nomenclature like doodlesock and hawg and its ability to serve a metaphor for self reliance and independence.

At some point everyone has come across the aphorism ‘Give a person a fish, they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish, they eat for a lifetime.’ Down in West Virginia’s Jefferson & Berkeley Counties, Friends in Action of the Eastern Panhandle is teaching people how to fish. The non-profit pairs low-income families with mentors who serve as role models and provide emotional support; help with budgeting and parenting skills; tutor a child or help a parent acquire a GED or obtain a job; celebrate the good times and help get past the rough spots.

My original thumbnail didn’t actually have the Give/Teach quote. Rather, it was a bunch of fish with a hook hanging there all cryptic. This would’ve pushed the boundaries of our screen printing department, requiring multiple screens and locations unlike any shirt we have produced yet. But it didn’t convey the Give/Teach message very well. Or at all.

Speaking of the Give/Teach quote, traditionally it has been known as “give a Man a fish/teach a man to fish” which left me to wonder about women…wouldn’t they like to learn how to fish? I changed my phrase so that everyone can enjoy fishing.

The next drawing tested the waters with integrating the text with the fish. I started working on refining the drawing with pencil. This helped flesh out the style of the letterforms and fish.

I’m a very raw designer, instead of tight and technical, so I wasn’t concerned with making everything perfect for the final product.  I traced over the pencil with a pen and scanned it. From there I worked on the computer, redrawing it yet again, refining the forms and tweaking the colors. And ta-da, the completed design!

You can land yourself one over here.

This week, our good friend Mark Wyatt, Executive Director at the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, is making his yearly bike ride across Iowa with RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI is an annual event that draws thousands of Iowans who bike from border to border. The event has attracted celebrities such as Lance Armstrong, Sheryl Crow, Tom Arnold and presidential candidates over its 37 year run.

This year, Mark brought a little bit of Greater Than Goods on the tour. He’s selling our “Another Way to Roll” bicycling shirts as well as the exclusive Iowa Bicycle Coalition shirt. Of course, $5 from each shirt sold goes directly to his group.

Help support biking, bike safety and alternative transportation by checking out this line of shirts. And good luck to all the bicyclists on RAGBRAI this year! Keep pedaling!