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3300 pipes for free!

Depending on where you stand (this week), the Internet newsgroup alt.smokers.pipes has a reputation for being civil, rowdy, packed with professional experts or shabbily uninformed. But one thing cannot easily be denied: Over the years, ASP has helped to cement a great many newcomers' interest in the hobby. If need be, the development aid can even be material. PIF is the acronym for a unique initiative, which provides pipes and baccy for the needy.

Ron 'Bear' Graves describes himself as the 'Postmeister General' of the campaign and has spent an incredible amount of time keeping it afloat. He handles all donations and requests personally. In this interview, he explains why it happens and how it works.

How did PIF come about, and when did it originate?

BG: Back in March of 2001, I was a new member of the pipe newsgroup alt.smokers.pipes and noticed that there were many new pipe smokers who had very limited funds to participate in the hobby. Often I would see questions such as, "Given that I only have one pipe, what is the minimum that I can allow it to rest without ruining it?" Some established members were down on their luck, and would post questions about how to obtain the least expensive tobacco.

On a bit of a lark, I went down to a local pipe store and asked them if they had any estate pipes that, for whatever reason, wouldn't ever sell. After they answered in the affirmative, I asked if they would let me clean them and send them to new pipe smokers, explaining that if their one or two pipes went bad, they wouldn't be likely to stay pipe smokers. I got the go-ahead, and did my first batch of 20 pipes and mailed them out, along with some tobacco from that very same store - stuff that hadn't moved in months. I decided to call it 'Pay It Forward' after the movie of the same name. The concept of the movie was that if a single individual did three selfless acts for complete strangers, with no thought of getting paid back, but asked that those recipients would do three nice acts themselves, the spreading ripples would bring about a better world. The only demand placed on a PIF recipient is that he or she in the future do a good act for someone else, without expectation of reward. We also ask, if possible, that they remit the postage that is affixed to their package.

Do you have an idea of how many pipes, how much tobacco and money have been donated since then?

BG: The response was very positive. Emboldened by the initial success, I went to the body of alt.smokers.pipes, and asked for the members to take a peek at their pipe racks and see if there were any pipes that they didn't smoke or want. If that was the case, could they send them to me, with the assurance that they would be cleaned and sent to less fortunate members? The response was immediate - within two weeks, I had received almost 80 pipes. Then something interesting happened, the kind Gents started sending tobacco that no longer appealed to them, pipe tools, cleaners, pouches, even pipe racks! The program started to explode, both with requests and with donations. During peak periods, Pay It Forward has mailed over 20 packages in a week, to 37 countries around the world, and every continent but Antarctica. At the present moment, we stand at almost 3300 pipes shipped.

And how many recipients have there been?

BG: Every recipient receives three pipes, plus tobacco, a pouch, cleaners and a tool... so we're probably pretty close to 1100 folks who have benefited. Do they all honour the gesture by sending postage? How many become donors themselves, later on? BG: Sadly, only about one in four recipients appears to be able to pay for their postage. The shortfall is subsidized by myself, and the Gents that belong to alt.smokers.pipes. I suppose the low remittance is indicative of the financial circumstances that surround the type of person we are targeting. Many recipients have, when their circumstances improved, become donors themselves. A couple of acquitted themselves with very spectacular donations. This I find to be especially gratifying.

Do you ever try to check whether an 'applicant' is truly needy?

BG: I always take a request at its face value. I have no real means of doing otherwise. I maintain the old fashioned supposition that a man's honour is unquestioned with me, until he gives me reason to re-evaluate.

How much work goes into this project on your side? Is it always such a satisfactory thing to be running, or does it sometimes get tedious?

BG: Untold hours have gone into the project. Out of about 3300 pipes shipped, about 2400 needed to be cleaned, buffed, etc. Then there is packing, email correspondence, standing in the postal line. It is very rewarding. Sure there are times when personal chores, even the job gets a bit neglected, and there are even times when I wonder what the hell I am doing - at least my long suffering wife does. Still, I know that those pipes have been smoked by students doing late night studies. Those pipes have been up with young dads who were worried about sick kids. I think of them and it keeps me going. I would be very remiss, however, to not point out that this program really is the child of alt.smokers.pipes. Those Gents are the greatest, and this program would have withered and died long ago without them. In short, I am really nothing more than a cheerleader and mail monkey.

Finally, what does one need to do to become a donor - or a recipient?

BG: To be a recipient, there are very few requirements and obligations: Firstly, be a reader of alt.smokers.pipes, or be referred by the same. Secondly, possess nine or less pipes, and state that you do not have the funds to purchase others, at this point in time. Thirdly, promise to do a good deed for a stranger in the future, and pay the postage back, to help the program continue to run. Finally, be qualified on the first point, and need help with tobacco, due to financial setbacks. That's it!

To donate, contact me at bear@pipes.org. Donors are what make the program happen, and we welcome any help.

(March 1, 2004)

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