"Attention, attention everyone!" the blue Zafara said, banging a small gavel on the podium. "The Great Neopian Guild's official meeting will now begin!" The Zafara placed the gavel down, and shuffled through a small stack of papers in front of her. "First thing up for discussion is... ahh, charity. Ruley, will you please come forward?"

A white Lupe approached the podium, and cleared his throat to speak. "Hello, my fellow guild members. Today I would like to discuss with you a great need in Neopia." Murmurs ran through the audience of attending guild members. "As you all know, there are many needy pets in Neopia that could use our help; and I, for one, would like to do what we can for them. However, there is only so much one Neopet can do..." The crowd rumbled with general agreement. "I suggest that we work together, to make Neopia an even better place!" the Lupe finished.

The crowd burst into applause as the Lupe smiled and took his seat. "Order! Order, please," said the Zafara taking the stand back. "Thank you Ruley, for your, erm, inspiring speech. Everyone please raise your hands if you have an idea on how to make Neopia an even better place."

The Zafara pointed to various hands, and half listened, as the same silly ideas were repeated... just as they were every meeting. Donations to the Money Tree, helping a pet get painted, giving toys to the needy... it's always the same... the Zafara thought irritably. Like any of that is ever going to make a real impact. She waited for the members to state their ideas, and pretended to write them down as she doodled on her notepad. She was just about to bang the gavel to signal the end of the discussion, when one of the newer members in back raised their hand, and shouted a suggestion...

Gasps echoed throughout the room. Certainly, the guild and its members were well-off, but they could hardly imagine an idea that would be successful enough to build FIFTY Neohomes. What kind of guild could do that?

"Think about it," smiled the new member, a red Kyrii.

"Who's that?" somebody at the end of the room shouted.

"Some new member! What's your name, kid?" another member yelled back.

"Pepper," the red Kyrii answered, waving a careless paw towards the Zafara who stood behind the podium. "Think about it. It could make a real impact, you know." Pepper winked at the open-mouthed Zafara, then disappeared out the door.

Uneasy laughter greeted Pepper's departure. Fifty Neohomes... who would be able to think up something of that magnitude? There was no doubt in their minds that their loyal and trustworthy Zafara leader would see the foolishness in Pepper's suggestion.

However, the Zafara was still staring at her notebook, a thoughtful look on her face.

"So, any other suggestions?" smiled a toothy Gelert, once the laughter had died down.

The Zafara banged her gavel. "Attention! All Council Members will adjourn to the Discussion Room, where a suitable suggestion will be chosen. The rest of you, wait here."

The Zafara beckoned towards four other Neopets, who jauntily sat on velvety chairs; there was a silver Shoyru, a pirate Shoyru, a striped Aisha, and a brown Ixi.

Twenty minutes later, the council had made their decision. Silently they filed out, to face the expectant members.

"Ladies and gentlemen," announced the Zafara, clearing her throat loudly, "we have unanimously decided to build fifty Neohomes for the poor and homeless." She stood firm, a fierce glint in her eye discouraging any who might object; inside, however, she felt like trembling.

The reaction to her words was astounding...

...the people cheered like mad. Nobody wanted to say it, but they all thought it was a good idea.

"However, we will be needing your help with some fundraiser ideas," the Zafara said. "Any suggestions?"

A small, bespectacled yellow Korbat raised his wing. "We could have another Petpet wash," he suggested. His idea was turned down, however, as everyone remembered far too well what had happened the last time they'd tried that. Who knew Onas could be so vicious?

"I know!" shouted a loud, annoying red Meerca. "Let's have a potluck! Everyone brings in their own dish, and then we charge people to come and eat it!"

Two nights later, the potluck was up and running. Guild members brought in all kinds of wonderful and delicious foods. There were pastas, hot dishes, and spiced meats of all kinds. There was even a giant platter of Tyrannian omelettes.

Many people came to the potluck, as the guild had put up posters and ads in all of the most visited places. The night went flawlessly. Some of the members who could play musical instruments had even gotten together and performed a couple of songs.

Afterwards, the guild members were cleaning up and putting things away, when a green Nimmo approached the blue Zafara.

"Okay, I've added up the profits... and we only have enough NP to build six Neohomes. Even with the estimated donation money for this week, we'll only have enough to build one more," he reported solemnly.

"Oh, no!" the Zafara exclaimed. "What will we do? I was so sure that this fundraiser would definitely give us enough, that I went ahead and already scheduled the construction! This is a disaster!"...

The Zafara put her head in her hands, shaking it in disbelief. "What will we do?" she moaned.

"Well, it's extraordinarily simple," a voice said. Both Neopets looked over in surprise, to be greeted by the sight of Pepper, the very one whose fault they all considered this to be.

"What's simple?" the Zafara muttered. "The fact that we're doomed? Well, yes... I suppose that's pretty simple..."

The red Kyrii just laughed. "You're going to have to work harder. I would suggest having a Garage Sale! You know, just like Mika and Carassa. It'll be great, and you know that everybody's itching to clean out their safety deposit boxes!"

The Zafara nodded, thinking that this just might work. In a flash, she got up on a large podium where the more musical members had been performing earlier.

"Listen up everyone! We need more neopoints, this isn't gonna cut it. So go home and grab up all the things you're not using. Save up every single thing because we're going to have a garage sale! We'll get together and try again in two days."

The entire crowd burst into cheers, once again, then hurried from the potluck. The Zafara didn't really understand what there was to cheer about, but she was glad that the idea hadn't been greeted with displeasure. They'd never get it done then.

Unfortunately, the rowdy members had left their booths of potluck food unattended. However, the Zafara decided that maybe that was best; perhaps now they'd work faster. She organized a clean up team of straggling members, and within a few hours they were done.

Meanwhile, another team was out, replacing the potluck posters with Garage Sale announcements. In two days' time, the members were back together, trying again...

...to sell items by the thousand. Who would've thought a new member in the guild could help so much? Neopians rushed in and out, buying items from each member's booth.

Within a few hours, one of the council members (the brown Ixi) took a record of how much had been sold.

"Gunther!" the Zafara cried, her heart beating with anticipation. "Are we even close to the quota?"

"Um, just a sec," the Ixi replied, calculating the total. "Add the four, carry the two. SWEET FYORA!"

"WHAT?!?!" the Zafara boomed, hoping that this garage sale had turned out to be a smashing success. "How much do we have?"

"Just enough to build forty three new NeoHomes!" the Ixi replied, grinning. "We've nearly reached our quota!"

"Oh, my... we're so close! Where's Pepper, that lil' red Kyrii?" the Zafara cried, tears dwelling in her eyes. We're finally doing something meaningful for the community, she thought to herself. That Pepper deserves a serious reward. She's the best member a guild could ask for!

"WE JUST BROKE OUR QUOTA!!!" another council member, the Aisha, boomed; her voice purred as she finished her sentence.

There was an uproar of cheers as the guild members realized that their one true goal of helping Neopia would actually be reached.

"Excellent!" the Zafara boomed. "Now, all that's left is to make our payment to the contruction company."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SOLD THE PROPERTY?!?!" the Zafara howled at the manager of the construction company, nearly exploding with anger. "But... we raised the Neopoints! Isn't there anything you could do to get the property back?!?!"

The manager just muttered a response.

"Oh, I see... you pushed aside a charitable project, in order to make room for a new industry, which is all but certain to pollute our world? That's why Neopia is so corrupt these days. The needy are pretty much ignored here now, huh?" the Zafara said coldly, "Well, we don't need you. We'll find a property for this act of generosity. I just know we will."

With that, she stormed back to the guild in frustration. Rattling her brain, she desperately searched for a solution. "Where's Pepper?"

There was a knock on the office door. That pleasant red Kyrii stood at the threshold, smiling. The Zafara explained their situation, causing Pepper to smirk.

"I know where we can get a property!" the Kyrii said, chuckling. "Follow me!"...

"I know it might look shabby now," the Kyrii said, gesturing to the overgrown grass and sludgy ground, "But with a tad bit of work, it could look wonderful!"

The Zafara grinned. "It's perfect, Pepper! I'll go inform the rest of the guild."

The blue Zafara hurried back to where the rest of the guild members were waiting. "Pepper's found it! Pepper's found the perfect property!" boomed the Zafara. The group broke into, yet another, round of applause. "The land isn't perfect, but it's nothing a few hours of hard work won't fix. So bring your gardening tools, and meet me at the Wishing Well tomorrow!"

The next day, as the blue Zafara arrived at the Wishing Well, she was greeted by over half of her members, all of them holding an assortment of gardening supplies. "There you are! Let's go show everybody the property!" chuckled Pepper, leading the group towards the overgrown field.

Within a few hours, the land had begun to look suitable for Neohomes. The grass was trimmed and flowers were planted; there was even a stepping stone path, leading out to what would soon become a large vegetable garden. "Wonderful, wonderful!" cheered the Zafara. "Now we just need to get construction started..."

...with a rally of cheers, the guild members rushed towards the pile of lumber and set off to work.

Never before had so many Neopians worked together so harmoniously and cooperatively. The rich got their hands dirty alongside the poor; painted and non-painted pets alike gave it their all.

Within yet another few hours, eight Neohome frames had been set up, and the new community was beginning to take shape. The pets were busy as Buzzes, and by nightfall ten Neohomes were nearly completed. Although they weren't much to look at yet, you could see the homes that love built.

"Oh my... this is amazing!" the Zafara cried, fighting to hold back tears of pride. "In only one day, we're about one-fifth of the way there! All right, we're done for tonight... good job guys, and see ya tomorrow!"

What the Zafara saw there simply amazed her. Tears of joy burst from her eyes, as she was astonished to find that her guild members were already working. They'd made tremendous progress on the project, and leading the pack was none other than...

The Zafara laughed, then trotted over to a corner where some help was needed. "What seems to be the problem?" she inquired.

A green Chia complained, with great drama, about a dilemma involving cement.

"I have an idea," the Zafara said. "Why don't we ask some of the stronger pets to use some hammers to get you out of there?"

One by one, she was able to lend her advice and solve multiple problems that the amateurs faced while building the Neohomes.

Soon, everyone in the group was shouting and clapping, as a salute to the Zafara and her brilliance.

"Glad to see I'm needed! Now, where else?" The Zafara looked about. Everyone was cheerfully working. Seeing as everyone had been helped, she picked up a hammer and some nails, then prepared to get working.

Suddenly, Pepper ran towards her. "We've got Neopets watching us! They like it, they really--"

He was just about to finish when several imposing looking Skeiths marched towards her. "We need to talk. We're from the Construction Agency..."

...Tears welled up in the Zafara's eyes at the sight of the Skeiths in their important-looking business suits. After all their hard work... to have it ruined by some corrupted, money-grabbing, heartless, overgrown lizards. Suddenly, she swiped away her tears with an angry paw.

"Hold it right there! You will not, I repeat, will NOT take this property away from the homeless! After all, we've worked so hard..."

"No, you misunderstand us," the leader of the Skeiths said.

"Actually, I understand you perfectly. You are more concerned with making money than making a difference. You are here to tell us that, due to some complication or another, the houses we were about to give to the homeless of Neopia will be taken away."

"Please, listen to what we have to say. We are from the Construction Agency for Homeless Neopets. We heard about your efforts, and came to tell you that your project has been recognized by our agency. We've decided to award you enough Neopoints so that you can build fifty more Neohomes. That is, if your guild is willing to continue construction..."

His doubts as to their willingness were drowned out by the cheering screams and shouts of the celebrating Neopets. All of them wanted to begin immediate construction of the new homes. However, after apologizing profusely, the Zafara felt ready to ask a question that had been bothering her.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how did you hear about our project in the first place?"

"Let's just say a little Kyrii told us."

The Zafara looked around for Pepper, and finally saw her, walking away now that her job was done. It was now time for her to go on and inspire others to help their fellow Neopet, and make Neopia an even better place for all to enjoy.

The End