Food Lifeline a Partner in Fighting Hunger

Mar 152011
 
 March 15, 2011  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 2 Responses »

Food Lifeline is a special non-profit that we all need to know more about!

Once a week our volunteer drivers head to Seattle to pick up pallets of free food from Food Lifeline.

1.  On an average we give out 53,800 pounds of food a month.  Last year we received over 60,000 pounds of free food from Food Lifeline.

2.  We have been a member agency of Food Lifeline  for the last seven years.

3.  Food Lifeline not only provides us with food, they also provide training at their yearly conference. They are a voice that gets heard, working on legislative issues both at the federal and state level.

Food Lifeline has a video presentation with their President and CEO Linda Nageotte; the video tells the story of Food Lifeline.

A Food Lifeline event that benefits you as well as our clients.

Do you like shopping at the Gap, Banana Republic or Old Navy? Of course you do and you can take advantage of the Gap “Give & Get” Campaign!

From March 17th-March 20th, use this 30% off coupon at Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy stores (including premium outlet stores), and Gap Inc. will donate 5% of the purchase proceeds to 1 of 6 charities. Be sure to choose Feeding America as your “charity” because Food Lifeline will receive 50% of all funds raised from stores located in Western Washington.

Enjoy a great deal and benefit Food Lifeline at the same time! Download and print this coupon or download it to your smartphone and present it to your cashier.

Here is the footprint of the Food Lifeline.

A couple of stories from the Food Lifeline:

•   A little boy in south King County who was found alone in the parking lot of his apartment complex told his landlord that his mother had simply left him behind.  When asked what he had been eating, the little boy showed his landlord the backpack full of food his local food bank had provided.

•   Two parents still raising their younger children welcomed both their adult daughters and all of their children back home.  There wasn’t enough room in the house for everyone, so the daughters and their children pitched tents in the backyard.  At least that way they were together, and they had access to electricity and plumbing.  Thank goodness for their neighborhood food bank whose staff and volunteers served this household of more than 20 people in need.

Volunteering and the Joy of Giving:

You know what makes me proud? You’ll notice that the Food Lifeline had almost 8000 volunteers that gave of over 39,000 hours to be of help. The totals in 2010, for Good Cheer, were 32,721 volunteer hours WOW!!!

Keep giving!

Good Cheer

 

Trust in Yourself and Don’t Give Up

Mar 072011
 
 March 7, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

“When things go wrong as they sometimes will” is the start of a poem that I will share with you once again.

So, how do we move forward in our lives when things are really tough. Last year I suggested that we might want to look at The Four Agreements and now I find that there is now a fifth agreement that has been put forth. These first four agreements are really especially significant since they are so simple and easy to put into action.

First off, let’s revisit the ways that we can respond to our world.

The Four Agreements from Don Miguel Ruiz:

1.  Be Impeccable With Your Word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2.  Don’t Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3.  Don’t Make Assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4.  Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

There is a challenge here. Give these four agreements a try for a day or a week in the office or at your kid’s Little League game. If you listen to yourself life can get better!

5. Be Skeptical, But Learn to Listen.

Don Miguel Ruiz, the author, says that “the result of practicing the fifth agreement is the complete acceptance of yourself just the way you are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are. The reward is your eternal happiness.”

Nancy Colasurdo, a Life Coach, had a good take on this agreement. “Wherever you go around the world, you will hear all kinds of opinions and stories from other people. You will find great storytellers wanting to tell you what you should do with your life: “You should do this, you should do that, you should do whatever.” Don’t believe them. Be skeptical but learn to listen and then make your choices. Be responsible for every choice you make in your life. This is your life; it’s nobody else’s life, and you will find that it’s nobody else’s business what you do with your life.”

Don Miguel Ruiz and his Toltec Teaching can be viewed by clicking here for his website.

Trust in yourself and don’t give up.

Good Cheer!

 

Roberta’s and Good Cheer

Dec 132010
 
 December 13, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Roberta’s in Langley is running a promotion for the Good Cheer Food Bank this holiday season. She has some very unique scarves that are made by Tammy Bourque and Greg Stemos under the Birghtly Twisted label. This is a great accessory gift for the holidays.

Roberta will be contributing 25% of her profits, from the sale of these scarves, to Good Cheer! She didn’t expect to be front and center on the Good Cheer blog site, that is our way of giving. We believe that it is important to share these stories with the community, everything gets started by the actions of a few.

The Brightly Twisted pashmina scarves are hand dyed so that each piece is truly unique. They can be worn by women of all ages and fashion identities, a funky accent piece or an added piece of elegance.

Roberta’s is more than about scarves, we hope that you will explore her store during the holiday season!

You will be greeted by Roberta’s sweetheart of a dog – Frankie! I seem to notice a scarf around the neck.

Good Cheer!

Whidbey Island Winery – Good Cheers December Tasting

Dec 012010
 
 December 1, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 2 Responses »

Whidbey Island Winery is our food drive sponsor for the month of December. The winery owned by Gregory and Elizabeth Osenback have been donating wine, tasting experiences and tours to many charities in the area. Gregory said that at this time of year…”In the spirit of holiday giving we are teaming up with our customers and donating all of our December tasting fees to the Good Cheer Food Bank of South Whidbey.  We wish you all a Merry Christmas!”

The Winery which is famous for its Dine in the Vine Events will be donating all of their weekend tasting fees to support the food bank. The winery is open from 11 a.m until 5 p.m. on the weekends.

There are 6 different varieties of wine at the tasting. The tasting fee is $3,  you can donate more than the normal fee if desired.

The Whidbey Island Winery began as a dream and a chance for career changes for Gregory and Elizabeth Osenbach. The two lived in Monroe and were making homemade wine. Producing wine in Monroe was a bit of a problem because the climate was too wet.

The biggest part of that dream was moving to Whidbey Island and starting a winery from scratch. As many of you know, Whidbey Island lies in the rain shadow from the Olympic Mountain Range. This makes Whidbey somewhat drier than much of the Puget Sound.

In 1984 Greg and Elizabeth moved to Whidbey Island. They found a 10-acre site that would be perfect for their winery; it was very close to Langley and would be a good location for retailing their wines.

They built a home and started growing grapes. With a maturing crop of grapes it was time to expand. In 1990 they built the winery building and proceeded to get all the licenses that would be required to sell their wines.

1991 was their first production year and by the summer of 1992 they had sold 400 cases of wine. Today that number is between 3000 and 3500 cases of wine.

Currently about one third of the grapes that are used in producing their wines comes from the Whidbey Island vineyard; the rest of the grapes come from the Yakima Valley. Greg and Elizabeth have developed a strong relationship with the growers in Yakima. They have input on how the grapes are grown. It used to be that the growers were paid by the pound for their grapes. This tended to reduce the quality of the grapes grown since the emphasis was on quantity. Now grapes are sold by the acre, there is less of a focus on quantity and more on the quality of the grape. If the crop level is lower you have better quality and the flavors are more intense.

If you click on the wine label above you can view a short video about the winery.

Leah, Greg, Elizabeth and Sangiovese the cat.

Elizabeth does the important book work that is needed for the enterprise’s success. Leah Waaramaki is the other half of the wine making team, with Greg, and she is also involved in the wineries marketing efforts. Leah comes from the wine growing area of California and has provided a lot of energy and love to the business and it’s wine making. Sangiovese keeps the birds out of the vineyard and runs for cover when eagles are overhead.

If you click on the above label there is a video interview with Leah Waaramaki talking about Seattle’s 2010 Wine Awards where they won four awards.

The Whidbey Island Winery produces both white and red wines. Three of the whites are produced at the vineyard; Madeline Angevine, Island White and Siegerrebe.

To find out more about the winery you can visit their website by clicking here.

The Winery is located on 5237 Langley Road in Langley, Washington, 98260.

You can call them at 360-221-2040

Giving Thanks – What a Great Community!

Nov 252010
 
 November 25, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 1 Response »

The Good Cheer Food Bank is only as good as the community that it is part of.  It is from this community that we find volunteers, charitable givers and businesses that have put their hearts into making Good Cheer the success that it is.

Below are photos of some of the organizations and people that make this community work. You can read the post that was written by just clicking on your photo of choice. I’m sure that we have missed someone but you all know that you are in our hearts and minds.

Fixing Homes…………………                                                        Thanksgiving on Wheels………………

Food Drives on South Whidbey Island…………………………………

Nourishing our young people………………….                           Supporting our Volunteers………………….

Island wide food drive…………………..                                         Affordable Housing…………………….

Grocery store partner……………………                                         Helping our children grow……………..

Harvest celebrations……………………                                         Fresh Fruit from our neighbors…………………..

Matching community donations……………                               Support through arts and crafts……………………..

Volunteers asking for help……………….                                      Businesses supporting raffles………………….

Providing community service…………………                               Supporting the best for women…………….

Gathering places and youth programs……………………          Sharing homes…………….

Local talent………………                                                                    Helping with medical expenses…………………..

Valued business partners…………………                                      Promoting student success……………..

Click on the photo above and you can read a wonderful poem about never quitting.  Good Cheer, like all of you who help,   is here to enable people and families. It is up the the individual to succeed in life.

“Don’t Quit.”

Together we all bring good cheer!

Freedom From Want

Nov 172010
 
 November 17, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Freedom From Want – Norman Rockwell

Life can be very trying. When your child is hungry, your body wracked with pain, or you have no idea where you and your family will find a place to sleep, it’s hard to find something for which you can be thankful. So, for just a few minutes on Thanksgiving Day, step outside your situation and just “be”. Find something, no matter how small, to be thankful for because in giving thanks, you will be lightening your load, even if for only a moment.

These boxes don’t look like much but they are part of Good Cheer’s Holiday Fixings. Food Bank coordinator Damien Cortez and a crew of volunteers have stocked our walk-in freezers with 850 frozen turkeys!

The grocery racks at Good Cheer are full of supplies for our clients to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

ZERO POINTS!

This food is in addition to a household’s food points and includes a frozen turkey (or a ham), 1 can of canned yams, stuffing mix, celery, canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, a bag of rolls, and (thanks to Ula Lewis, our coupon Lady) a tub of Cool Whip.

This holiday basket is in addition to a household’s normal points, and is available again in December.

There is another group on Whidbey Island that brings happiness on Thanksgiving Day. The Mobile Turkey Unit is a community service organization that has been with us since 1999. It was founded by Tom Arhontas, who had a special place in his heart for people in need.

The goal of the Mobile Turkey Unit is to provide a free, home-delivered Thanksgiving meal for people who would otherwise not have one. This includes the elderly, shut-ins, low-income and unemployed people, plus employees working on Thanksgiving day on South and Central Whidbey.

This year they expect to provide Thanksgiving meals to at least 200 families on South and Central Whidbey Island. There are more than 150 volunteers in the program, a lot of people sharing from their hearts.

“Everybody wants to deliver,”  Joan Smith the organizer for the group says, explaining that it brings great gratification to the drivers.

Smith recalled the story of a young girl who saw a Mobile Turkey Unit driver pull into her family’s driveway. She ran out into the driveway shouting, “Mommy, mommy! The turkey is here! Thanksgiving is here!”

You can volunteer or donate to the Mobile Turkey Unit at their website.

Happy Thanksgivings Day!

Love, Peace and Happiness to All!

Hearts and Hammers of South Whidbey Island

Nov 122010
 
 November 12, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 1 Response »

Hearts and Hammers of South Whidbey Island is a local non-profit organization formed in 1994 that brings together hundreds of volunteers annually to help repair and rehabilitate homes of those who are physically or financially unable to do the work alone.

In the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors, homeowners receive labor and materials at no cost to them thanks to the contributions and support of the larger community, including individual volunteers, churches, service and community organizations and local businesses.

The annual Hearts and Hammers workday is on the first Saturday of May each year. A typical volunteer effort would include repairs and renovations possible within the scope of a one day work party; projects such as carpentry, plumbing and electrical repairs, painting, weatherization, roof and gutter repair, yard cleanup, and trash removal, the installation of wheelchair ramps, railings and grab bars.

How are Hearts & Hammers homes selected?

Homeowners can apply for volunteer help directly through the web sign-up page or by phone or email. Hearts and Hammers also gets suggestions from pastors, senior services, medical professionals, relatives, neighbors and community organizations. If you are a Whidbey Island homeowner in Clinton, Langley, Freeland or Greenbank in need of Hearts and Hammers volunteer help this might just be your lucky day!

A Hearts and Hammers intake volunteer will ask you a few questions that will get you started through the process.  All applications for volunteer help on the May workday must be submitted by January 31st. The work assessment teams visit proposed sites to determine the needs and see if the work is within our financial and time constraints. Final selections are approved by the Board of Hearts & Hammers.

How can I support Hearts & Hammers?

Give us just one day a year! Whether old or new to the island, we need you! Please sign up on our volunteer page. Plus, you can lend financial support to Hearts & Hammers by donating on the web page or send to:

Hearts & Hammers
PO Box 694
Langley, Wa. 98260

The photos tell the story. This is straight from the heart!

Our volunteers range from highly skilled, to non-skilled but willing to work! There is a place for everyone. In recent years we have averaged about 400 volunteers working on 40 projects on the May workday. They come to give neighbors a helping hand and to build community spirit.

If you have an immediate need involving health and safety in your home you can call (360) 221-6063. Hearts and Hammers offers help throughout the year for homeowners with emergency needs who cannot wait for the annual May workday.

See you on the first Saturday in May!

Bring your hearts and hammers!

ANNUAL HEARTS & HAMMERS VOLUNTEER WORKDAY
SATURDAY, MAY 7th, 2011, Beginning 7:45am

We have put together a slideshow of the last three years of Hearts and Hammers. You can just feel the love! Just click on the logo below.

Mark your calendars for this fund raising event:

February 11th, 2011

Spaghetti Dinner and Volunteer Drive kickoff

This annual fundraising event marks the start of Hearts and Hammers volunteer drive and the end of winter hibernation. Held at the Langley United Methodist Church meeting hall from 5-7 pm, you can get a good meal at a reasonable price, sign up to volunteer for the May 7th workday and purchase this year’s t-shirts and hats. This is a fun, social evening with a chance to gather with a large part of the community, meet new neighbors, enjoy great spaghetti and often live music too.

Good Cheer!

Good Cheer Coupon Classes

Oct 022010
 
 October 2, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Want to learn about coupon clipping from a pro?  Ula Lewis will be at the food bank in Bayview this coming week to help you learn how to maximize your dollars. Ula will have two coupon classes one on Tuesday, October 5th from 5:00-7:00 p.m.  and again on the 6th from 10:00 a.m. until noon.

She will be back each week at the same time for consultations. If you would like to be on her email list you can send an email to damien@goodcheer.org  and we’ll get you on her list.

Ula raised 11 children and she had to watch her food budget; clipping coupons was one technique that worked very well.

Lewis is a special kind of volunteer for the Good Cheer Food Bank. She’s a coupon-clipper, organizer and frugal shopper who saves us hundreds of dollars a month by using coupons for items purchased at chain stores offering double and triple coupon redemptions.

Does this get your attention? That looks like 100% savings; yes no bill.

Ula can spend up to 30 hours a week at her coupon and shopping work for Good Cheer; on top of volunteering at the Food Bank. This is a woman with a great heart!

You may be surprised by what you can learn!

Good Cheer!

South Whidbey Youth Connection and Community Challenge

Sep 202010
 
 September 20, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 2 Responses »

The South Whidbey Youth Connection is a part of the HELP Network of South Whidbey Island and an integral part of the community.  We’ve written about the HELP Network in the past and there are a still a few more organizations that need to be highlighted.

You can click on the above logo to read all the posts associated with the HELP Network.

Providing a gathering place for our youth is extremely important and we do it well on South Whidbey Island. Having the South Whidbey Commons and the Youth Connection is  a blessing.

The South Whidbey Youth Connection is all about having fun and helping our children grow. It  is an organization that fosters healthy youth development by offering a drug and violence free opportunities for area teens in a safe and nurturing environment.

The South Whidbey Youth Connection was created in 1989 by a coalition of caring Islanders representing public schools, congregations and a circle of community leaders. What sprouted as a small after-school center has grown into The Hub, a drop-in center for middle and high school students, where healthy interaction, fun and food are shared five days a week.

The Hub  re-opened on the first day of school, September 7th, in their usual location at the Langley United Methodist Church.

Local philanthropist Nancy Nordoff is issuing a challenge to the community. Nancy will match up to $5,000 in donations received through the middle of  October that will directly support The Hub’s operations. If you usually wait until the holidays to make your annual donation, please consider doing it now so Nancy can match it. You can click here to find out how you can support the Youth Connection.

The South Whidbey Youth Connection provides a number of activities for the young people of our community.

Swimming with friends.

Spending time with our larger four-legged friends:)

Surfs up!

You should also know that the D.V. and Ida McEachern Charitable Trust have been lending a big helping hand at the Hub.  After more than two decades of use, many of their games and appliances were wearing out and needed to be replaced.  Thanks to their support they are getting new dishwashers and toasters for the kitchen, new foosball, air hockey and ping pong tables, new instruments for music lessons and jam sessions, and several new Wii and Xbox games.

Need some help around your home or business?

The Teen Employment Experience Network continues to grow. This summer was a big success!  During the past 2½ months (May 15 to July 31) they’ve employed 13 youth in South Whidbey for a total of 170 hours. 15 employers have utilized their services;  the majority being “at home‟ employment, such as mowing lawns, weeding, moving furniture and the like.

Quite a bit going on at the South Whidbey Youth Connection!

Good Cheer!

Whidbey Island Bank Community Challenge for the Good Cheer Food Bank

Jul 302010
 
 July 30, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Whidbey Island Bank is truly a community bank and it happens to be the only bank that still has a headquarters on the island. The bank was started by a group of Whidbey Island business people in Coupeville back in the early 1960s.

Today, the bank is one of the largest employers on Whidbey Island. This is a bank that cares about the community and how it does the business of banking.

Last year the bank earned a 5-Star rating from Bauer Financial for financial strength and stability. Nice to know that we have one of the strongest banks in the nation right here on the Island.

Whidbey Island Bank has a challenge for you!

Whidbey Island Bank is sponsoring a Community Challenge Matching Fund Drive from now through August 31st to help raise needed funds for the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview. The bank will match donations from the community up to a total amount of $5,000. The matched fund potential of $10,000 will help Good Cheer keep food shelves stocked through what continues to be a time of increased needs owing to the continued recession.

We are all at our best when we are helping others!

According to Pam Bickel the manager of the Langley Branch, “The idea of a fundraiser began with an article in the South Whidbey Record in June about the increased use of and decline of monetary donations for the Food Bank.  Whidbey Island Bank feels very much in partnership with the communities it serves and wanted to help in some way.  The bank felt it could maximize a donation by matching contributions made by our community members during a month-long campaign up to a total amount of $5000.00. Part of being a good neighbor means stepping up when the community meets challenging times.”

We are very grateful to Whidbey Island Bank for their leadership in this matching fund drive. They continue to be strong supporters of Good Cheer in terms of both donations and employees who volunteer at Good Cheer.

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

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

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

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

Donations can also be made at all Good Cheer Thrift Stores and the Food Bank office in Bayview. You can mail donations to Good Cheer Community Challenge / PO Box 144, Langley WA 98260 or click here to contribute online.

Donations should be identified as “Community Challenge” in the memo area on checks and online.

Good Cheer!

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