Good Cheer Garden Shed Raffle 2011

Jul 282011
 
 July 28, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson 5 Responses »

The Good Cheer Food Bank is holding a raffle in conjunction with the 3rd Annual Harvest Party and Music Fest. The drawing will be held at the Harvest Party on September 10, 2011 at the Bayview center. Last years garden shed raffle raised over $9000 for the food bank and it is turning out to be one of our special fundraising events.

The custom built garden shed/greenhouse was built by Bob Bowling Rustics and can be seen on display at the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview. Tickets for the for the 6 by 8  foot structure are $5 apiece or five for $20 and are being sold at all Good Cheer Thrift Stores, the Food Bank office, and at Bob Bowling’s booth at the Bayview Farmer’s market.

Bob’s contribution to the food bank is a labor of love. He has used his skills as an artisan to handcraft a truly functional work of art. Bob felt that his biggest contribution to the Good Cheer Food Bank would come from his hands and he was sure right!

We have been very fortunate to have the support of our business community here on South Whidbey and we try to write a little something about everyone who helps us create a hunger free community. We encourage everyone to buy local and help our local businesses prosper.

Bob Bowling Rustics and the Chocolate Flower Farm, two of our local businesses combine to take the “Best in Show” award at The Northwest Garden Show.

Bob Bowling Rustics offers an unlimited variety of playful yet practical garden structures for your outdoor living spaces. One of a kind playhouses, chicken coops, greenhouses, tool sheds, outhouses, and garden chapels are made to order.

This fun outdoor shower was showcased at The Open Door Gallery at Bayview Corner in Langley, Washington.

Stone Water Bowls are another popular item made by Bob Bowling Rustics.

Want to see one of his Chicken Coops? Just click on the photo above and watch a short slideshow.

Our thanks goes out to Bob Bowling and the other businesses in our community that continue to support The Good Cheer Food Bank.

Good Cheer and Good Luck!

Let’s make this years raffle a BIG SUCCESS!

Whidbey Island Bank’s $10,000 Community Challenge

Jun 022011
 
 June 2, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

Good Cheer’s two thrift stores and Rack clothing boutique are the funding base of the organization. They provide 67% of Good Cheer’s operational revenue. Last year, sales at Good Cheer’s Langley Thrift Store were $354,256 alone. The Langley store, which has been in continuous operations since the mid 1960′s, is in the final stages of a renovation and expansion of its retail space.

The project when completed will add a total of 1,140 square feet of retail space which could produce an additional $71,000 in annual revenues, money that will help fund the operational aspects of the Food Bank.

When the Capital Campaign was originally started Whidbey Island Bank was there to help the community. Bob Olson, Chairman of the Capital Campaign and a member of the Board of Directors at Good Cheer secured the first $25,000 from Whidbey Island Bank to kick off the campaign.

It seems only appropriate that Whidbey Island Bank would be here for us again as we complete the Good Cheer Capital Campaign with their $10,000 matching grant. They have been a great partner helping out last year with another community challenge that allowed us to get through a rough time when food was short at the food bank.

Anne Bobinac and Pam Bickel visiting the new addition as the Langley Good Cheer Thrift Store.

“This community has generously contributed to Good Cheer’s Capital Campaign which provided for the relocation of the Food Bank and which allowed Good Cheer to serve many more families. Good Cheer is so close to completing their capital goal for renovations to increase self-sustainability, that we wanted to help in this final push,” said Whidbey Island Bank Freeland Branch Manager Anne Bobinac.

“Whidbey Island Bank feels very much in partnership with the communities we serve and want to maximize donations by matching contributions made in this final stretch of the campaign. We look forward to this Community Challenge, matching up to $10,000 in donations,” she added.

This challenge follows on the heels of last year’s successful $5,000 community challenge sponsored by Whidbey Island Bank, which raised more than $40,000 for the Food Bank. Good Cheer Board member and Langley Branch Manager Pam Bickel spearheaded that effort, and joins Bobinac in this current community challenge.

Donations are being accepted at all Whidbey Island Bank locations on South Whidbey:

Clinton Branch -  Branch Manager Candy Anderson at 360-341-5238

Good Cheer has for decades has operated differently than other food banks. It conducts itself as an enterprise “company” using community thrift stores as its source of operational funding rather than relying on governmental grants/programs and general fundraising for financial stability.

Good Cheer is a self-sustaining non-profit charity. Our thrift stores recycle a high volume of still usable donated goods while providing low-cost clothing, furniture, and house wares to low income families. A search for other similar programs has not turned up a comparable self-sustaining food bank operation in terms of scale and hours of operation in western Washington.

Freeland Branch – Branch Manager Anne Bobinac at 360-331-5868

This successful and replicable funding approach has caught the interest of other food banks in the Northwest. With the improvement of facilities, Good Cheer will offer information to other organizations interested in this model of client services and operational sustainability. Good Cheer provides an important non-duplicated service to the community, without relying on federal, state or even county tax monies to support it.

Langley Branch – Branch Manager Pam Bickel at 360-221-0203

The success of the Capital Campaign will be measured by the increased number of people served, greater food choices for our clients and innovative programs that educate.

We will work everyday to make South Whidbey Island a hunger free community!

The success of Good Cheer is tied to the community. The participation of individuals, organizations, businesses and foundations at a variety of gift levels has made this a successful campaign.

For information about making a pledge, building naming opportunities, and gifts of stock or property, contact Kathy McLaughlin at Good Cheer at (360) 221-6454, ext. 6.

Good Cheer Capital Fund Drive
PO Box 144
Langley, WA 98260

Good Cheer!

Spring Cleaning – Call Out for Donations

Apr 132011
 
 April 13, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson 3 Responses »

Bayview Farm and Garden

Springtime is here though the weather might be telling us otherwise. This is just a reminder to think of Good Cheer when you’re doing your spring cleaning. We know that it is often easier to simply put items in the trash than to bag them to take to the nearest thrift store, or to wait for a truck to come and pick up donated furniture.

We’re getting a little sparse at  the Bayview donation station and that can be a concern. Thankfully, with the spring cleaning season arriving and a little help from our friends everything  should come together.

SW Commons Coffeehouse Bookstore

Spring Cleaning Tips:

Think of spring cleaning as an assignment and not a chore and this will mentally help you to overcome the “inertia” of cleaning. Set aside an area in your home or garage where you can sort out items for donation. Some items may need to be washed so keep that in mind and items that are in bad condition will go the dump. You might want to get some boxes and label them “Good Cheer”, “Needs Washing” and “Trash.”

When cleaning out your closets you can start with the top shelf and organize that area first. While organizing, ask yourself twice if you really need it or if you’re really going to use it again. Hoarding is a sure way to use up precious closet space and keep the area cluttered and untidy.

Garages can be more of a weekend project!

You can prepare in advance by buying several plastic containers of differing sizes.

Go through your garage and throw away any junk that is lying around, anything that would not be suitable for Good Cheer.

Adopt a rule that if it hasn’t been used for 12 months, it’s probably not needed (except for very expensive equipment or if you have been too ill or work-swamped to get to a hobby).

Go through all of your stuff and organize it into piles, for example, a pile of tools, Christmas ornaments, collectibles, etc. Be methodical, as the more things that you can place together in related groups, the easier it will be to see what you want to keep, what you have in duplicate and what you no longer want or need.

Store the piles in separate containers. For each pile you have, store those items into their own plastic container unless they are for the charity, recycling or throw-out piles.

Stack the containers out of the way where they can easily be accessible.

Label the plastic containers so you know exactly what is inside.

Take the unwanted items to the Bayview Good Cheer Donation Center and the items that are unsuitable for charity to the dump or recycle center.

Items Needed at Our Thrift Stores is a post that we did last year, it may give you some ideas:)

Thrift stores are are a great place to shop for people who don’t have much. Besides the usual bargains, there are occasionally super buys on barely-used designer clothes. Many a child has been outfitted for school from head to toe, complete with backpack, all found at the local thrift store.

Good Cheer’s thrift stores allows everyone to shop even those with less; there is a certain dignity that arises from buying your own clothes rather than accepting free clothes.

Good Cleaning and Cheer!

Artists Helping Good Cheer

Apr 042011
 
 April 4, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

The Prima Bistro is a great place to eat and enjoy. There is a certain sense of place; the feeling that you get by just being there. Sieb and Jenn Jurriaans, the owners of the bistro, have added to the ambiance by bringing in the work of our local artists. This month you can find the watercolor art of Ron Kasprisin.

Ron is a good friend who is aware of my connection to the Good Cheer Food Bank. I was telling him about the amazing use of coupons by the food bank. I explained how Shawn Nowlin, our Community Outreach Coordinator, had won an Albertson’s gift card of $100 and had donated it to the food bank. The food bank was able to take that $100 and convert it to $700 worth of food by their use of coupons.

Ron Kasprisin

Ron was impressed with what I had told him and he indicated his willingness to donate a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of his art to the Good Cheer Food Bank!

So, just remember if you do buy one of Ron’s paintings the portion going to the food bank will be well spent.

Ribbit!

Ron Kasprisin is a professor of urban design, an author, part-time actor, winery owner and watercolor artist.  He teaches at the University of Washington and his young winery is called Kasprisin Ridge. He has actually only been in one movie and you won’t be able to see it until sometime this summer (at the Clyde). The movie “Gospel Truth” was written by Levi Berkle and produced by Fine Wines Film – Whidbey Island.

Blue Boy

Salmagundi Club

A few years back his “Blue Boy” watercolor was shown at the Salmagundi Club. The club is a center for fine artists from New York and around the country providing exhibitions of paintings, sculpture and photography, conducting art classes and painting demonstrations and art auctions throughout the year.

Remember that monetary donations grow big at Good Cheer!

Good Cheer and many thanks to Ron Kasprisin!

Have You Ever…..

Dec 232010
 
 December 23, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Dug down deep in your purse or pocket and pulled out loose change, the only money you have until payday, and said to yourself “What can I do with $1.25?”  Then you see it: Macaroni and cheese on sale; four boxes for a $1. “Sure, it’s not the best,” you say to yourself, “but the kids like it, and we may be able to stretch it into multiple meals.”

Have you ever not eaten so your children could have more?

Have you ever skipped a meal so you could use that money to help pay your heating bill?

Have you ever gone to bed, unsure of how to feed your family tomorrow, and tossed half the night because of the anxiety?

South Whidbey Good Cheer has seen more than one economic crisis during our 48-year fight against hunger, but this recession just seems to last and last, pushing more people over the edge into needing help. News that the recession ended months ago makes little difference to those who still face the daily stress of struggling to provide for their families. Try telling the 772 families we are currently serving a month that the recession is over.

At a typical food bank, lines stretch outside the building as people wait to receive their weekly or monthly allotment. You are visually made aware of the need. Good Cheer is a little different: our parking lot is often full, and sometimes our waiting room, but because we are open six days a week, seven hours a day, it is rare to see lines outside our doors. The need, however, is just as real… and at times just as overwhelming.

With the support of our caring and giving community we have created a food bank with expanded hours… a food bank which provides clients with choice, with dignity, and with anonymity.

The Good Cheer team builds and supports programs and systems that are fair, responsive, and accountable to the families they serve. They have created programs that promote health while fighting hunger.

Good Cheer’s Food Bank point system is designed to charge more points for processed food and fewer points for healthy foods.

Good Cheer’s on-site garden produced 5,200 pounds of produce for the Food Bank this year, resulting in more than 7,500 bags of a wide variety of 1-point vegetable items.

Good Cheer Gleeful Gleaners harvested more than 1,900 pounds of apples, pears, plums and Asian pears.

In Good Cheer cooking classes, food bank clients learn from locally renowned chefs how to prepare meals using beets, bok choy, carrots, cucumbers, green onions, kale, leeks, mixed greens, parsley, pumpkins, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, and winter squash ––all items that were harvested from our on-site garden.

As a community we can all be proud of these accomplishments that are vali­dated by facts and statistics. It is much more difficult, however, to put into words what we as staff and volunteers experience daily as we do our work.

Children can be so real and to the point. A note was left on my desk by a child whose family uses the food bank.  “Thank you for being here for us. We would be very very down in money with out you. So we want to HELP you and we will work in the garden! THANKS!”

Touch your heart?

Here is a video that was created by Aly Dehay, a 15 year old student in  Advanced Art class, Coupeville HS. She created this video for an assignment and posted it on YouTube.

Good Cheer was founded because of those who would not stand idly by while their neighbors were in need. Throughout the years Good Cheer has been able to enrich and expand our services because of community support.

Thank you for your compassion. May you have a joyous holiday and a new year full of hope and happiness!

Good Cheer!

Good Cheer Holiday Gift Cards

Dec 202010
 
 December 20, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Make a $25 donation to the Good Cheer Food Bank and receive five holiday cards to send to family and friends!

Card “A”

For each $25 you donate to Good Cheer Food Bank you can opt to receive five holiday cards to send to family and friends stating that a donation has been made in their honor.

Card “B”

If you choose to make a donation online just enter Holiday card A or B in the designation (optional) area. The cards will be mailed to you at the address indicated by your donation. If you have questions you can give the food bank a call at 360-221-6454 (option 1).

You may also mail in your donation (Good Cheer at PO Box 144, Langley, WA 98260) or just stop by the Bayview location. Just make sure that we have your address and which card you would like.

Good Cheer and Happy Holidays!