Our Coat Drive was a Success!
We collected 102 coats, jackets, sweaters, hats, etc. for the homeless in the South Bay!
Many people cleaned out closets, put up flyers in their offices and brought items in to our November dinner. One Warm Coat provided banners, stickers, guidelines and templates. DIRECTV facilities provided large boxes and dollies. Glad provided trash bags.
The items were distributed to Shared Bread and the Harbor Interfaith shelter. We received a letter of thanks from Harbor Interfaith and a wonderful thank you card from Shared Bread saying "each coat was greeted with joy and gratitude".
Many homeless people will be a little bit warmer thanks this drive. And it took so little effort! Congratulations!
Our Shoe Boxes Made it to the Philippines!
We received word from Operation Christmas Child that our shoe boxes were delivered to the Philippines. Our 60 shoe boxes filled with toys, games, playing cards, stuffed animals, school supplies, toiletries, t-shirts, flip-flops, baseball caps and candy and personal cards were distributed by OCC as gifts to children living in poverty and victims of recent flooding.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in our November Shoe Box Packing Party !
For photos, stories, and other information about Operation Christmas Child in the Philippines click here.
Upcoming Events
- Counterpoint Dinner Party - Tuesday, January 18, 6:30 PM.
- The theme is Dignity. Discuss rights of indigeonous people and other human rights issues in the spirit of Martin Luther King Day.
- Homeless Count - Wednesday, January 26, 6:30 PM dinner, 8:00 PM count.
- Pair up or go in small groups to volunteer and assist throughout the South Bay with the 2011 Homeless Count. In order to make a difference in the lives of homeless men, women and children in the South Bay we need to know who and where they are. See the website of the South Bay Coalition for the Homeless for an application. http://www.sbhomeless.org/
Things You Can Do
- Register your favorite charity with your grocery store card.
- To register your Ralphs Club Card, click here: Ralphs Club Card
- To register your VONS Club card, go to the eScrip website
- To register your Albertsons Preferred Card, click here: Preferred Card
- Save canned food, toiletries or coupons for the needy.
- Send us your old coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats.
- Let us know if you hear of any local art education programs.
December Dinner Topics
- Cold Weather, Warm Hearts: a heart-warming story from "No Way Home" with Dave Price on CBS Early Show http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7067082n
- One Warm Coat provides banners, stickers, guidelines and templates to put on your own Coat Drive. They will also send you a coupon for a free box of Glad trash bags.
- Shared Bread provides a foundation for change in our community including
- A warm home-cooked meal every Wednesday from 6 to 7pm.
- Warm clothing and other comforts as available.
- Hygiene item distribution as available.
- Professional counseling for employment and de-tox referrals on an ongoing basis.
- Food pantry for distribution on request
- Harbor Interfaith Services "to empower the homeless and working poor to achieve self-sufficiency by providing support services including shelter, transitional housing, food, job placement, advocacy, childcare, education and life-skills training."
- South Bay Coalition for the Homeless is network that addresses the needs of the homeless to ensure human dignity and compassion through advocacy, service and referrals.
- The number of homeless in the South Bay has doubled in recent years.
- Sandpipers is celebrating 78 years of philanthropic outreach to those most in need in our community.
- Shoe Box Packing Update
Upcoming Events
- Counterpoint Dinner Party Tuesday, December 21, 6:30 PM.
- Update on our shoeboxes - we'll track where they are being shipped.
- Update on Kiva loans. Select the next borrower to support.
- Gift Ideas: Get your Christmas Shopping done while supporting good causes.
- Ideas for January activities in the spirit of Martin Luther King Day.
- Coat Drive - Save your old coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats. We will distribute them to local shelters. Details coming soon... Plus a heart-warming story about sharing the gift of warmth.
Things You Can Do
- Search the internet using GoodSearch and help spread the word. It's easy!
- Send us your old coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats.
- Shop for gifts that help support others.
- Urge Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council to remove the WTAC and the CMYAC from the list of facilities slated for privatization.
- Let us know if you hear of any local art education programs.
November Dinner Party Topics
It's always amazing how much we can learn about in one evening:
- All the Arts for All the Kids - is an independent nonprofit organization for the city of Fullerton dedicated to developing, sustaining, and supporting the arts as an intrinsic part of every child’s education. We would like to network with other local groups working to enhance art eductioan. In a quick search on the internet we found Adventures in Art, a PTA sponsored art education program at our old alma mater Howard Wood Elementary in Torrance. We hope we can find and support many more.
- CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, protect natural resources and deliver emergency aid. CARE places special focus on women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.
GoodSearch - GoodSearch donates to the charity of your choice everytime use search the internet using GoodSearch by using a patented way to track and direct a portion of advertiser dollars. Powered by Yahoo and endorsed by ABC News.
- The Watts Towers - this cultural icon is slated for privatization and the center urges us to ask the Mayor to stop this action.
- Charity Watchdogs - further research shows that there are no reliable watchdogs and we need to do our own checking. Our goal now is to take the information we have gathered and put together a few simple steps to follow.
- Dignity - I brought in the signed copy of the Dignity book and shared the wonderful pictures by Dana Gluckstein. We took copies of the form letter urging President Obama to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People (UNDRIP) to sign and mail in and give copies to others.
- The Women's Conference - I shared my experience at the fabulous conference in Long Beach and all the wonderful people I met and organizations I learned about.
- MDA Lock Up - Cathy's son Sam participated in a fund raiser for Muscular Dystrophy in Portland. We watched the really cute video about my jailbird nephew. www.joinmda.org/2010neportland/argonaut405
