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Changes are blowing in the wind!

Have you heard all the news? It's all right here!


Newsletter June 7, 2025


New agencies

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We welcome two new partner agencies: Family Care Network, Inc and Transitions-Mental Health Association

Mission of Family Care Network: they  meet people where they are and provide them with the tools, skills and connections to redefine their lives.

Mission of Transitions-Mental Health Association: it  is dedicated to eliminating stigma and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illness through work, housing, community, and family support services.


Farewell to Caity McCardell from the board


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Caity McCardell is stepping off the board of South SLO County Womenade. She has served as our treasurer since inception in 2019.  She first got involved with us at our Food Distributions at the Nipomo Elementary School way back in June of 2015. When we started operating as South SLO County Womenade she joined the board.  During her tenure with us she has not only been our treasurer, but also our bookkeeper, banking person, marketing materials creator, website designer and maintainer and annual raffle creator and organizer.  We thank her for her dedication, big heart, hard work and  for keeping us financially organized. We will miss her!


Welcome Our New Bookkeeper


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Jillian Motil has volunteered to handle our bookkeeping going forward.  Jillian was referred to us by Caity McCardell. Jillian is a professional hair stylist at the Iron Scissors Salon in Pismo Beach.  She also runs her own bookkeeping business. If you need or know an organization that needs a professional bookkeeper, you can contact her at:


Jillianaireyourbooks - Email: Jillianaireyourbooks@gmail.com - Phone #: 716.253.4170


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Kristin Bertsch Heenan is joining the South SLO County Womenade board as Secretary.  Kristin lives in San Luis Obispo and has been involved with us since March 2021.  She started volunteering at the Food Distribution in Nipomo.  For the last 3 years she has been the amazing project leader of the very successful Thanksgiving and Winter Break Food Basket projects. It is due to her organization skills that those programs run so smoothly.


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Marcella Gelman is joining the South SLO County Womenade board as a director.  Marcella lives in Pismo Beach and has been involved with us since September 2018.  She also started as a volunteer at our Nipomo Food Distribution. She has been our shopper for gap items in our Thanksgiving and Winter Break Basket projects for the last 3 years.  She has also been the volunteer who has picked up food donations from the SLO Foodbank Season of Hope that we have been able to give to our monthly food distributions in October, November and December.


Next Potluck 


The June potluck location has changed and will now be in Arroyo Grande on Saturday, June 21st 3PM at Steve Curry’s home at 591 Manuela Way, Arroyo Grande. (originally at the 950 Room in Cypress Ridge).  Evites have been sent .  This is our first time at Steve’s home, and we are very grateful for his hospitality and offer to host this potluck fundraiser!  If you did not receive one and would like to attend, please email us at sslocwomenade@gmail.com.  We look forward to seeing you there.


Teachers’ School Supplies Drive


2024 Collected Supplies
2024 Collected Supplies

This year will be our sixth year of Missed the Bus! Our project leader, Lisa Arakaki is ready and getting us organized.  This year's drive will be held July 14 - August 14, 2025. One major difference this year is that we will be holding half of the collected donations and delivering them to schools in January 2026 after Lucia Mar's 3-week winter break. This is at the request of Lucia Mar principals, who said they would appreciate receiving school supply donations in January instead of the beginning of the year when other agencies also provide school supply donations.


NEED: With the splitting of the distribution into two time periods, we are looking for a storage place for the school supplies from August 16, 2025 to January 16, 2026.  We also need a location to do the sorting and packing of the supplies in August 18 to 22.


Your help will be greatly appreciated to make this summer's school supply drive a success. Please go to the attached SignUp Genius to sign up to help: WeLoveEducatorsProject Volunteer Sign-up for Womenade School Supply Drive July 14-August 14, 2025


 


About our Missed the Bus! Project. Every year there are many school supply drives for students, but we forget about the teachers.  With the cutbacks in school funding, teachers dig deep into their pockets to provide the needed supplies to help the students excel.  The school supplies sales will start soon, so keep your eyes open. We are designing an Amazon Wish List and will have a link in our next newsletter. Here’s the list of desired items:

  • Glue sticks

  • BABY wipes (to clean their headphones)

  • Clorox wipes (to clean surfaces)

  • Blue Painters Tape

  • Masking Tape

  • Magic markers

  • Large Sharpies for Poster Board

  • Dry Erase  Markers both colored and black

  • Strong Magnets/Magnet Clips

  • Scotch Laminating Sheets

  • Durable Folders

  • Avery Labels 6427


Here’s the time line for the project:


-Donation collection period: July 14 - August 14, 2025


-Sorting: week of August 18-22, 2025 (location TBD)


-Delivery of half of donations to schools: week of August 25-29, 2025


-Delivery of other half of donations to schools: week of January 12-16, 2026


We Need Your Help


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Yes! We Mean YOU!


We often hear from Womenaders that one of the things they love about South SLO County Womenade is the various opportunities offered for “Hands ON” Service!  Well, we need you!


 


With the changes on the board and two of our wonderful project leaders joining the board, we are in great need of some of you to step up and help us with the various projects we run with hands on opportunities.  Current project leaders are all willing to provide training and support. Board members are available to serve as mentors and supporters.  Without new people we may have to discontinue some of the projects.

  • Project manager of the Weekend Brown Bag program (aka lunch buddies) for the elementary schools.Judy Woo leads the middle school program and Jean Baker leads half of the elementary schools. Ann McDowell is the current overall project manager and maker of bags for the other half of the elementary schools. She needs someone to step up and be in charge

  • Project manager of the Season of Hope food pick-up. Person to pick up food mid-October to mid-December at the Season of Hope Drive which is run by the SLO Foodbank.We pick up and distribute to partners in need of food at that time of year.Marcella Gelman is the current project manager.

  • Project manager for the Hygiene Drive  - Robin Pisz has run the project for the last 2 years and is stepping down.She has offered her wonderful barn for staging and has written an amazing project manual for the next project manager. This project runs during the month of April and delivery in early May.

  • Project manager for our Annual Raffle – Caity McCardell ran this project for the last 5 years and she has stepped down from the board.The raffle takes place in April.

 


Please consider volunteering for one of these important project manager roles. send an email to sslocwomenade@gmail.com


Help and Items Needed 


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



or venmo sslocwomenade



Our website is: sslocw.org


Our EIN# 27-0809744

 
 
 

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