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Lacey Food Bank Program
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"Sympathy sees and says 'I'm sorry.'
Compassion sees and says 'I'll help.'
When we learn the difference,
We can make a difference."
Author Unknown
Not everyone wants to get involved in
the same way. This page offers suggestions on how you might participate.
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HOW CREATIVE WAS THIS?
The Employees, Residents and Families of TallWoods Care Center in Bayville, under the direction of Ms. Lee
Borghesi and her staff, once again filled a truck with donations of gifts and toys for the Lacey Food Bank Kids and
they topped it off with a barrel of food to help restock our pantry shelves. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, employees
and visitors could donate a pair of warm new socks and get a Lollipop or put their name
on a cut-out boot that would adorn the nurses stations and hallways; the $1.00 donation going toward the purchase of snowboots
for our Food Bank Kids. There was even a "Wear Your PJ to Work Day"
How's that for a creative and innovative approach to gifting? Thank You TallWoods for being a true
Friend of the Lacey Food Bank!
Now aren't you inspired to do the same?
PLEASE NOTE: WE WELCOME ANY AND ALL PROJECTS SUGGESTED BY GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS BUT ASK THAT YOU
NOTIFY US BEFORE YOU START AND LET US KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROJECT TO SEE IF IT FITS WITHIN OUR GUIDELINES.
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YOUTH GROUPS & SERVICE PROJECTS
For youths looking to complete service project hours, any of the following could be
organized and carried out individually or by signing up volunteers to do the work with you.
We will sign off on any service requirements that have involved the student
in more than just sorting food for a few hours on a weekend morning. (which requires an adult volunteer to
come in to supervise you) If you look through the newsletter you will see all the projects that have involved the Lacey
Food Bank Teen Volunteer Corp throughout the year.
We suggest that you email Teen Corp chairman, Donna McAvoy rdmcavoy@msn.com to sign up with the Teen volunteers and make an effort to become sincerely engaged, as they are. Then we
will be happy to sign off on your efforts or to provide you with a letter for you college entrance resume.
The food bank needs funds and food. For the former we suggest any typical fund raising
event from car washes and bake sales to piggy bank penny collections.
Organize a food walk targeting one food item
to be pledged per mile. One problem we have is collecting enough of one item to give to each client because it takes over
100 of an item to do this. We always need cereal, tuna or jelly.
Build a pyramid of one type of food, and challenge
other classes or groups to beat them.(The Great Peanut Butter Pyramid Challenge?) The picture opportunities for this would
be very effective. SuperBowl time ties in with a "souper bowl" collection project as done by the Ocean Acres Elementary School
this past month. Get permission to hold a schoolwide competition with the winning classroom given a pizza party as the prize.
(Foodbank to supply all pizzas) For sheer fun, sell lengths of masking tape to "nail" a favorite teacher to a wall. The Lacey
H.S. cheerleaders run the popular Mr. Touchdown contest, campaigning for their chosen player by selling $1.00 votes. This
fun project has raised nearly thousands of dollars for the food bank over the last several years.
In February,
the volunteers provide candy kisses as a treat for the clients as they signed in. They also decorated with red valentine hearts.
This created a little festivity for an otherwise drab day. This could become a class or troop project with the children adopting
a month or holiday, decorating and providing an appropriately decorated cookie, cupcake, or greeting card.
If you
are artistic, we need some artwork done - a banner, poster of welcome at the food bank, a mural to brighten our new space?
Perhaps your school would like to sponsor a poster contest and ask the library to display the entries from the children.
This could be done at all grade levels. The focus of the posters should be on food,the big blue cans, & sharing and caring.
We can give ribbons out to the winners in each grade category.The value in promoting public awareness of the plight of the
hungry would be significant.
In addition to the above suggestions, advisors might want to look at the ideas offered
to clubs and organizations.
We ask that public contact with recipients be limited. Many of them are elderly and proud,
not accustomed to accepting charity and public scrutiny would mortify them. parents of needy children don't want them to be
embarrassed in front of their school mates. Also, physical space is very limited.
We can and will schedule "giftings"
to the food bank and take pictures for distribution to the newspapers. We will also publish them on our website newsletter.
Feel free to call the the food bank at 242-2848 and leave a message so comeone can work with you on your project.
TO MAKE THE XMAS DISTRIBUTION MORE FESTIVE FOR FOOD BANK FAMILIES, FOOD BANK VOLUNTEEERS
SOLICITED BUSINESSES IN TOWN FOR DONATIONS OF FOOD CERTIFICATES SO THAT WE COULD HOLD A DRAWING. GIFTS RANGE FROM PIZZAS AND
BAKERY GOODS TO DINNER FOR TWO. NON FOOD ORIENTATED BUSINESSES DONATED SHOP RITE FOOD CERTIFICATES.
HEARING ABOUT
THIS, GIRL SCOUT TROOP # 476 SNEAKED IN AND PRESENTED US WITH TWO GIANT GIFT BASKETS FOR THE XMAS DRAWING, CHOCK FILLED WITH
EDIBLE GOODIES OF ALL KIND AND TOPPED OFF BY SHOP RITE GIFT CERTIFICATES.
THEY CERTAINLY EARNED A GOOD DEEDS BADGE
FOR THIS GIFT.
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INDIVIDUALS
We are looking forward to working with you on any level. There are so many
possibilities, depending on how much tiime you can give - as you can see below, even once a month can help us .
Are
you a take charge organized person? We participate in several public events during the year that could use
a coordinator along with helpers needed to staff the food bank table at public information days . Storekeepers
are needed from Monday ato Friday from 10 :00 - noon - a good role for someone who can commit to weekly schedules. You
could deliver food to those who cannot attend distribution day , canvas local businesses to find more sponsors or solicit
gifts for the clients Xmas drawing in December (gift certificates for pizzas, lunches, bakery goods etc.)
"Guy" volunteers
are always needed to collect food once a week from the barrels at ShopRite, and to help move the food each month on the
third Thursday. And if you are in good sound health are hearty and able to do more, sign up to help the food
bank clients doing small fix- it jobs, raking , mowing and shoveling for the elderly and handicapped clients.
The
pay is lousy ( okay, non-existent) but the rewards are high. And you get the chance to rub elbows with the elite of Lacey
Township, that great bunch of food bank volunteers who welcome all with open arms.
Just call the foodbank at
609-242-2848 and leave a message. We'll get back to you to discuss your volunteer potential Or e-mail us
at laceyfoodbank@aol.com
LACEYFOODBANK@AOL.COM
STILL NOT CONVINCED? AS AN INCENTIVE WE OFFER YOU .....
| VOLUNTEERS GET THEIR OWN |
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| SANTA HAT! |
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| DROP IN & SAY HELLO |
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Clubs & Organizations
#1. Gift an annual pledge of $250 to support one client.This enables us to buy
a year's worth of food coupons from ShopRite and supplemental food not generally given in quantity during food drives.
#2.
Assemble a special one time gift for our clients. Fruit baskets at the holidays comes to mind.Or canned hams at Christmas
and Easter. But it could be anything that we can not provide because of limitations in storing fresh or frozen food and given
at any time of the year.
#3. Organize a coupon " clipping & shopping "club with friends, neighbors or members
of your organization- Dick Sansone, the "stores master", has assembled some astounding double\triple coupon examples with
a variety of food gotten free or almost free and will be happy to share them with you.
Members of the club also benefit
by getting non food coupons for personal use by combining and swapping as well as the sociability factor. The cost is insignificant
- what you spend you end up saving! The food bank will benefit from all the addtional food, and you will feel good about yourself
at the same time.
#4. Hold a one item campaign - assembling a large amount of one item - cereal, juice, canned meats.
Perhaps members could be charged "admission" to meetings for the year or during the period of the campaign. The Lacey Woman's
Club collects over a 100 cans of tuna at their monthly meetings. The stores master will be happy to tell you what he needs.
Call him at 693-6357.
#5. Run a walkathon, a card party, cake sale or car wash. Any type of fundraiser with the proceeds
going to the food bank.
#6. Garden Club? A gift of your fresh produce in growing season, or from an organized group
gleaning in nearby farm fields would be a welcome change from canned vegetables for our clients. Select a member of your organization
to be a liason with the food bank as a way of keeping in touch with our needs.
#7. Sign up your neighborood or organization to be "Secret Santas" for a food
bank family of children. The Food Bank Kids committee will give you a profile of the children , their ages, sizes, needs and
wants.
And always, be attuned and sensitive to those who might need help and encourage
them to sign up for the program.
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