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Basically, we are a bunch of people who love to dance to Donna the Buffalo, and want to share the good energy we feel at the shows, so we raise money for local organizations that serve people in need wherever the band takes us.

Starting in December 2001, we've raised over $58,000 from Ithaca, New York to Cozumel, Mexico, that went straight to work in the hands of people who feed hungry people, house homeless people, take care of kids, feed and cloth kids, empower women who left violent homes to live independently, serve families of kids with special needs, serve medical needs, give holiday presents to kids in the hospital, save homeless pets, and provide music and art experiences for low-income folks.

We had a Herd Party room at Winterfest 2001. Everyone staying at the Holiday Inn who wanted to party with the Herd gave ten dollars for the party room. There was food galore, and door prizes, and sharing all around in the usual Herd style. It was a central collection point for the toys and gifts people brought, at the request of the band, to give to the Children's Drop-In Center in Ithaca. Well, there was some money leftover, to the tune of $500, so we decided to give that to the Center, too. That felt good.

Then, along about April, Barbara (the original S2S coordinator) thought perhaps there was a way to harness some of the love and good energy being whipped up by Donna the Buffalo, and spread it around to people who need it. The next morning she woke up thinking about the charity, and wrote to the Herdlist with an idea that went something like this: "Remember when we gave to the kids at Winterfest folks? Let's do that more often." E-mails started flying this way and that with support for the idea and possible names and excitement and, well, it was just a natural step for this loving group to take. Barbara wrote to Barnaby, the band manager, and asked if it was OK with the band, and he replied something like "You'll have no objection from us!" Herd Charity was born. And Great Blue Heron 2002 was the site of the first official Side to Side Project.

At Great Blue Heron and then Grassroots, the Herd blew us away with their energy and their uncanny ability to spontaneously do what needed to be done and provide the supplies and energy necessary, without much real logistical planning. The coordinator's job is to led people who want to generously give of their vacation and celebration time to do good by putting the info out there, and trusting that what needed to be done would be done. And it is a beautiful thing, that each person who leads a project comes back to the coordinator, thanking her for letting them do it, and astounded at how generous the Herd is. People who sell tickets come and say that they loved doing it, they had so much fun and met so many people and thank you, thank you.

It is important to note that the Herd Charity (S2S) has seen coordinators and volunteers come and go over the years. When one person steps away (due to other time commitments), then someone else always seems to step forward! (More information can be found at the bottom of this page).