We could not do what we do without all the food that is donated to us
Lying awake last night from all of the excitement around the Jefferson Award story on KPIX/Channel 5 and KCBS 740 radio, I was thinking about the wonderful markets that have set up systems in their stores to make sure that the food that is close to date, too ripe or packages that are a little squashed are put in our hands for us to take directly to so many people throughout Marin County.
Without Paradise Foods Novato, Trader Joe’s San Rafael and Larkspur, Whole Foods Mill Valley and Novato and Harvest Market in Novato, we would clearly not be able to do what we do.
This is also a call to those stores who are still throwing food away. Let us help you reduce your dumpster bill and get that food directly out to people who can use it. We hear from more and more apartment complexes and individuals who could really use your food. Let’s have this be a win/win all the way around.
Jefferson Award Honor
Channel 5 reporter, Sharon Chin, with the help of photographer, Ted Nguyen, interviews Curt Kinkead and Ruth Schwartz at Parnow Friendship House in San Rafael. Photo credit: Susan Miller
Curt and I are totally thrilled and honored to have been selected for this week’s Jefferson Awards for Public and Community Service by KPIX/Channel 5. Here’s a link to the story, complete with the video that aired tonight on Eyewitness News at 6PM. It will also be aired on the following days and times:
Thursday, May 27 pm Eyewitness News at Noon and on CBS 5 Early Edition on Saturday, May 29, 2010 (probably 8AM, but times vary), and can be viewed online at www.cbs5.com/jeffersonawards. The story is also running on KCBS All News 740 AM and 106.9 FM on Wednesday May 26 at 6:50 PM, 9:40 PM and 11:50 PM, and Sunday, May 30 at 11:50 AM and 3:50 PM.
As mentioned in the story, we are actively seeking the donation of a newer mini-van (or two). If you have something no more than five years old with less than 100,000 miles, light in color, with working air-conditioning and the other usual features, please get in touch right away. You can reach us at info@respectingourelders.org, or by phone at 415-515-9003. We are also looking for additional vehicles for some of our volunteers, and because your vehicle will be put into service for a 501(c)3 nonprofit, you can get the maximum tax write-off.
We could also use financial donations to help us with our insurance bills that are coming due and to keep our van on the road. Curt puts over 1000 miles a week on this awesome vehicle donated two years ago by Birkenstock, and that means a lot of gas, oil and upkeep.
Last, but certainly not least, this award is the result of the amazing Susan Miller, one of our long-time volunteers, nominating us. Thank you, Susan. You are a total blessing in our lives!
Exciting News regarding Whole Foods stores
We are very excited to make two announcements:
1. Whole Foods Novato is opening on April 22 and we have been selected as one of the “out the back” donation nonprofits. This means that we are picking up every evening at 8:30 PM, seven days a week, and also on Sunday mornings. There are some big Open House festivities happening at the store this week. The event that is open to the public is the Community Taste Fair on April 18, from 11-3. Whole Foods Novato is at 790 De Long, on the corner of De Long and Reichert.
2. Whole Foods Mill Valley has once again selected us as a beneficiary of their Nickels for Nonprofits program. Last year, we received almost $1000 through this program. From April 12-July 4, we are a Nickels for Nonprofits recipient at Whole Foods Market in Mill Valley. Every time a shopper brings in their own bag, they can either receive a nickel credit or donate a nickel to one of three nonprofits – we are one of the nonprofits! When shopping at Whole Foods Market in Mill Valley, please bring your bags and remember to select us at the register!
So if you are in Novato on April 18th, do come by and say hello. And if you live in the Mill Valley area, do go shop at Whole Foods Mill Valley and bring your bag(s).
Thank you Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods
Curt and I and almost 20 other Respecting Our Elders volunteers had an awesome time sharing in the pick up and delivery of more than three van loads of food by the time we got home around 10PM last night. We started at Trader Joe’s San Rafael where we picked up a few boxes of food, and went on to Trader Joe’s Larkspur where we lost count of how many shopping carts full of food we sorted through, distributed among us and still had a full pick up truck and our van packed to the brim when we went to Sausalito to take care of over 50 people living on boats, mostly “anchor-outs”.
We sent our new friend Melvin home to his low-income complex in Marin City with several bags and boxes of food, packed up the surplus into our van and went on to Whole Foods in Mill Valley where we were greeted with several more of our volunteers, sorted out the huge donation from that store that included at least a dozen of those boxes of Christmas dinner fixings (all that was needed was the main course). We filled the van to the brim, and headed out into the night to find homes for all this food.
We tried to leave some bread at Rotary Valley Senior Village (we had heard that morning that the residents weren’t seeing a lot of bread in their regular Saturday night delivery) but there was a private party going on in the community room. We moved on to our friends in Bel Marin Keys who take care of about a dozen friends who are in need of extra food or who in turn take care of other folks.
They took everything off of our hands except for about a half a van load of bread. We headed home to the Villas at Hamilton and found another party in progress hosted by our friend and neighbor, Marcia. We packed her Dad’s car with bread to take home to his neighbors in West Oakland, and then another of our neighbors came by and packed her car with bread to take to her church’s homeless feeding program on Christmas morning.
It was definitely an interesting challenge to find homes for all that food, and it made for an amazing Christmas eve, giving us the opportunity to give and give and give, all evening long. What a way to spend Christmas eve!
We so appreciate the teams at each of these stores who made it possible for us to be so generous last night. Thank You!
Paradise Foods Chooses Respecting Our Elders
We are very pleased to announce that we have started picking up food donations from the new Paradise Foods store in Novato on Ignacio Blvd.
This is a great store, and they are excited to have found a local Novato nonprofit to receive their “spoils.”
Do stop by, do some shopping, and if you can, thank Karen McCloskey, the Assistant Store Manager, for deciding to work with us.
Check out the new Respecting Our Elders blog and website
We have set up a brand new website chock full of everything you could possibly want to know about Respecting Our Elders, what we do, how we do it, and who we serve. Do come visit and feel free to make comments, suggestions and ask questions. We will blogging regularly soon!