Yes! Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us!
Newsletter October 2, 2024
It’s Official – We’re talking about Thanksgiving Baskets
Great Potluck at Lola Zybura’s
Next Potluck
Help and Items Needed
Projects Update
Our Partners
It’s Official – We’re talking about Thanksgiving Baskets
Here’s a picture from last year’s Thanksgiving Basket Project 2023
This is our sixth year of gathering for Thanksgiving food for families in south SLO County. As we’ve all heard, food insecurity has increased, and so have our numbers. This year we are gathering food for Thanksgiving Food Baskets for 185 families (up from 160) to be delivered on November 21st.
With the Port Workers strike just starting we hope this early start gives you time to sign up early and shop early in the event that the strike causes shortages during the holidays. Drop off and packing locations are different this year. See detailed instructions in the SignUpGenius below.
The drop off window is short – November 11 to 14. Please do not drop off early. Once you sign up we will send you drop off locations. If you need to drop off early, let us know, and we will give you an alternate location. Drop off location NOT at Mariam Shah’s!
There will be a separate collection and signup form for food for the Winter School Break in late November right after the Thanksgiving baskets are done.
Keep your eyes open for any sales for the items! Sign up early! Share in the comments in SignUpGenius beside your name if you see good buys anywhere.
Great Potluck at Lola Zybura’s
The September 19th Potluck Fundraiser at Lola Zybura’s home was a wonderful evening with over 30 people gathering for conversations, learning and helping our community. We raised over $2,000, and the agency advocates from the Family Resource Centers, the Link, the County nurses, Pregnancy and Parenting Support, Lopez High School, Mission Hope, Families in Transition shared the latest needs in their spheres of impact.
Next Potluck – Mark your Calendars
Thursday, October 30th at 6PM at Candace Guldeman’s home
524 Mesa View Drive, Arroyo Grande
Mark your calendars!
Help Needed – contact us at sslocwomenade@gmail.com
October 23, Wednesday at 11:30 a pick-up truck and driver to go to the SLO Foodbank to pick up food and deliver to the Food Market at the Pacific View Academy (next to Lopez High School on the mesa in Arroyo Grande.
October 30, Wednesday at 11:30 a pick-up truck and driver (or large SUV) to go to the SLO Foodbank to pick up and deliver food to 2342 Willet Way, Arroyo Grande for the Food Distribution at the Nipomo Elementary School
Adopt an Elementary School for Weekend Food Bags – Each school ranges 5 to 11 bags per week per school last year. Expansion schools – Fairgrove, Grover Heights and Harloe Elementary Schools
A project leader for a diaper drive
Hosts for future Potluck meetings
Items needed
Toilet paper
Diapers
Pack n Plays
Cooking Oil
Laundry detergent
Projects Updates
We Love Educators Volunteers for Teachers - To provide LMUSD educators with hands-on volunteer help in the classroom.
A number of people have signed up to volunteer to help but there’s always room for more. Thank you to the people who have signed up to volunteer for teachers! School is now in full swing. Lisa Arakaki has developed the form below that you can fill out and send to her.
Volunteers can fall into one of three categories, those being: single event, short-term, or long-term; and one of two student contact categories: limited contact or substantial contact.
You don’t have to be an educator (although that can be very helpful). We need both former educators and lay people to volunteer. You can specify what you’re comfortable doing. Teachers work with volunteers to get the best fit. Duties the past two years included:
Leading small learning groups – reading, writing and math
Helping with letters, numbers and phonics
Leading and supporting art lessons
Assisting with physical education units
Guiding individual students
Laundry Pop-Up – Belinda Benassi
The Laundry Pop-Up on September 21st was staffed by Ann McDowell, Midori Foster, Andrea Chavez and Donna MacCarley. The next Laundry Pop-Up is on October 19th at the Launderia Launder Mat at 501 Orchard in Nipomo Hours: 10 am - 12 pm. Each month we only need about 3 volunteers. Belinda Benassi leads this program and could use a few more volunteers.
Please consider joining us. To offer opportunities for volunteers to sign up in advance for the event site and dates of their choosing Belinda put together this Sign-Up Genius.
Nipomo Food Distribution – Rosemary Cleaves, Sue McCutcheon, and Mary Anne Morgan - project leaders
The October Food Distribution at the Nipomo Elementary School (always the second Tuesday of the month) will be on Tuesday October 8th from 4:30 to 6:30 We work with the SLO FoodBank and Nipomo Elementary School to make the Food Distribution happen. Thank you SLO Foodbank and all our fabulous volunteers! Let us know if you want to be on the substitute list. In September we gave food to 346 families and didn’t run out of food for the first time in a few months, which was a relief!
Our Partners
From time to time we find that we have raised sufficient funds to add new partners. Our process for adding a partner starts with comfort that we have sufficient funds to help our current partners as we move forward (always with a little trepidation). We recently added CARE4Paws, an agency that delivers animal care resources to those in need who need help to save their pets.
When we considered whether or not to add Care4Paws to our agency list, we considered what the impact of a pet can have on a person's life. We always have considered each agency's needs and the population they serve in our monthly board meetings and determination of where we can give money. We have, and will continue to prioritize funding to those agencies that directly serve a human population. We would never deny an agency that provides services to a human population funding in favor of funding pets.
So why did we partner with CARE4Paws? For some people, a pet can be their main companion, or a guardian or service animal. For some elderly and unhoused individuals, a pet may be an important bulwark against loneliness and depression. Some people consider pets their children, and value their lives accordingly. We felt that by helping some low income pet owners in our community, we would be helping their mental and emotional health as well, and often help them as they face making difficult life/death decisions for their pet due to affordability. Care4Paws is a non-profit 501(c)(3) as are we.
In Kind Receipt
Please complete and submit the in-kind receipt to help us track how much you are contributing in donor offered items: This is a jpeg that you can copy, paste and print.
HOW TO DONATE:
To make a donation write a check to South SLO County Womenade and mail to:
Our bank asked that checks be made out with the full legal name on the account.
South SLO County Womenade, 1793 Farroll Rd., Grover Beach, CA 93433. We encourage you to become one of our monthly or regular donors. This can be easily done through your bank or charitable foundation. Please remember that if your company has a matching grants program to include us. As you make or update your wills, please consider adding a legacy gift to us for our future sustainability.
or go to our website sslocw.org
Venmo sslocwomenade
Our email is: sslocwomenade@gmail.com
Our website is: sslocw.org
Our EIN# 27-0809744
Phone number: (805) 270-575
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