So many ways that you can get involved and make a difference!
February 13, 2022 Newsletter
Fundraising
COVID19 Delta and Omicron have cut into our fundraising efforts, and donations are down. Our primary method of raising funds is through our potlucks. As you know our goal is to have one a month but we lost out on January and February. Our March potluck Womenader has a family medical emergency and has to postpone. We are hoping someone will volunteer to hold a potluck in March for us.
Potlucks are the host’s party, and they invite their list of friends. In concert with South SLO County Womenade they decide on a date and time (if you want any advocates to attend it needs to be during the week). You can have be a closed group only inviting your friends and neighbors, or it can be open to any Womenader who would like to attend. If it’s an open potluck Womenade will send out Evites to its membership and the host contacts their own list. Womenade has tables available and will contact the agencies, make the presentation of what we do, collect donations. Please let us know if you can hold a March potluck sslocwomenade@gmail.com
Raffle, “Admin April”, and Potlucks
Raffle - Planning has started for our gatherings in 2022. Our first group open potluck will be on April 26th at 3PM and will have chocolate theme. We plan to hold a raffle at that potluck and are searching for donations to us for this raffle. We would love offers of items for the raffle as well as “experiences" such as frequent flyer tickets or time shares that you could offer! Please dig into your stashes of things that you think might make a good raffle prize and contact us at sslocwomenade@gmail.com.
Admin April - The proceeds of our last Admin April in 2020 lasted us a couple of years, and we need to hold another one. Our expenses are very small (approximately $3,000 a year and mostly for insurance) but they still exist. No one gets paid in South SLO County Womenade and all our traditional funds raised (except Admin April) are used to meet urgent and emergency needs. We will hold a specific fundraiser “Admin April” in Sptil. A few donors have already made donations earmarked for Administrative Expenses, and we are very grateful.
Projects
Many of you have said you are looking for meaningful things to do. A couple of teams have put together a couple of projects under our umbrella. See how they’re doing it, and if you have a project that you’ve always wanted to do, contact us and we’ll see if we can work with you to run it under our umbrella.
The Book Drive
This drive is run by Sharon McDaniel, Kim Heyde, Piper Adelman, and Carla Lalley. They have a love of books and a passion to promote reading in children in our community. They held a very successful drive in December as a trial run. They are going to run a new book drive 4 times a year – the first delivery is taking place March 1st! They are organized and motivated. They have enough books for their first delivery but are in need of books in Spanish. Many of our South County families are Spanish speaking. If we can gather some books in Spanish it will help the literacy of the children and the parents as the parents will be able to read to their children while the children learn English in school. We have curated a list of books on Amazon in Spanish for different ages of children from nursery school to grade 6.
If you would like to help, here’s how to access the Amazon wish list:
1. Sign into your Amazon page (it would be great if you signed into smile.amazon and sponsored San Luis Obispo County Womenade)
2. Near the top of the Amazon page click on the box that says “Hello, your name, account and lists”
3. In the middle of this next page there is a column that says "Your lists"; click on Find a list or registry
4. It will ask you for the registrant's name = Womenade; and then click on select a registry or gift list type box = custom gift list; click search.
5. We only have one registry list = Books in Spanish
6. Remember to click the "see more items" at the bottom to get the complete list. The mailing address is Sharon's office address: McDaniel Reporting,1302 Osos St., SLO, CA 93401
The Feminine Hygiene Product Drive
We are so glad to announce that Lola Zybura and Lisa Chadwick saw our request in the last newsletter for someone to lead this project and have volunteered. The plan is to run this drive in April. If you’d like to help them out please let us know sslocwomenade@gmail.com, and we will put you in touch with them.
Other projects needing a leader – Many people have said they would like to be involved in a more hands on manner. Here are a couple of projects that need a leader and a team to make it happen.
Food donations. We have a number of food distribution programs going (Nipomo Food Distribution, weekly supplemental food program for residents in need, school weekend supplemental food programs) , and we need someone to head up a project to put together a list monthly of specific food items we could use for these programs. We are expanding our student weekend food program to elementary schools. We are looking for individuals who would like to be the weekly delivery person to elementary schools as we bring them on line. . If this is something that appeals to you please contact us at sslocwomenade@gmail.com and we will work with you to get started
Toiletry Drive in August The leader of the project will recruit co-leaders, helpers, places to gather the donations, contact the places that need the toiletries and arrange for delivery to these agencies. If this is something that appeals to you please contact us at sslocwomenade@gmail.com and we will work with you to get started.
Nipomo Family Resource Center – Advocate Zitlali Hernandez Pluma
Family is currently experiencing homelessness; daughter has severe asthma and needs an air purifier. $37.70 Amazon
Mother is going through a divorce; she is looking for a different residence and is trying to repair her car so she can transport her kids. $300 Toyota of Santa Maria
Single mom of five kids is behind on bills because she can only work part time.Needs help with buying laundry detergent and clothes for her kids $150 Walmart
Mom got sick and had to stop working; she is struggling financially.Her daughters need clothing that fit and could not afford clothing without assistance.$150 Ross
Child has severe case of head lice.Parent has tried medicated treatments but they did not work. It is harmful to use the medication more than a few times. Parent cannot afford alternate safe treatment. Parent is a full time Cal Poly Student.$150 Nit-Picking Lice Treatment Center
Arroyo Grande Family Resource Center – Nayeli Salinas Benitez
Mother was out of work for a month due to injury/surgery. Got behind on her bills. Can’t pay rent without assistance. $300 California West Property Management (landlord)
Child is an unaccompanied youth, sleeping in her car, needs gas to get to school in her car & needs gas to get to a shower $100 Shell
Oceano Family Resource Center – Stella Medina
Child needs tutoring due to educational challenges and parents can't afford to pay for a tutor. Child is making progress but needs 5 more sessions.$60 Amelie Guerrero (AGHS Tutor)
Single dad on a limited income needs to have renters insurance in order to remain in his apartment and not be evicted. $191.15 ASI (CAA98748) Insurance
Single disabled dad on a limited income needs gas money to get his son to a doctor appt $50 Exxon
The Link – Erica Andrade – Mesa Middle School and Judkins Middle School and Brenda Gonzalez – Paulding Middle School
The student biological parents are currently working with CWS on gaining custody of her children. She is unable to work due a medical condition, and she needs financial assistance to cover her car payment. She is waiting on her unemployment funds to come in. Her car will be repossessed soon if she does not pay some of the cost down. $394.14 Car Payment (Beneficial Bank)
A grandmother and her grandchild have just been evicted. They're living with a family friend until they find a place. They do not have enough funds to cover gas costs. They need gas to get student to school and to find rentals. They will also use funds to cover toiletries for student. $150 Gas gift card
A low-income family must drive to a large city for an important pre-surgery appt for student. The student parents have been laid off due to harvest limitations and do not have extra funds to cover gas. $50 Gas Card
Both parents have been out of work due to the winter season and do not have enough to cover foods cost. They are using all their funds to cover rent. $50 Food card
A family of four has been evicted and is living in a small trailer until they find housing. They are surviving on father’s income, and he does not have enough to cover basic needs such as toothpaste, fem products etc… $100 Visa card
A mother is the sole income earner of her family and is in the process of seeking support for potential domestic violence. She does not have enough funds to cover the rent and her two children’s basic needs. $300 Rental Assistance
Casa Solana – Renee Poirier, Executive Director
Casa Solana was able to provide a gift bed to mother of 3 boys who had been living in her car. She has been addicted to Alcohol and other substances for many years. $800 for a gift bed
The Nutrition Team – Mary Anne Morgan
Food from SLO Foodbank for Food distributions, food supplement program and students’ weekend food $327.10
Department of Social Services/ Transitions Mental Health Association – Christy Romano/ Mayra Valencia
A woman in need of money for gas to get to her therapy appointment.She lives in the outskirts of AG - $25 gas card
Elderly woman needs clothes because she lost weight due to illness. $50 Walmart card
A domestic violence survivor (female) needed household items and food.Abuser took all victim’s money $25 Food4Less and $25 Walmart
AN UPDATE ON FUNDS RECEIVED
1/1/22 to 1/31/22 $3,654.09
1/1/21 TO 12/31/21 $91,597.26
2/1/2019 TO 1/31/22$228,707.46
MANY THANKS TO OUR FABULOUS JANUARY DONORS
Rosemary Cleaves, Linda and Bradley Wilbert, Fran Norris, Mary DeJong, Karen Kolba, Sheila and Richard Semana, Phyllis Sims, Wendy Castleman, Elaine Stewart, Cory Gonzalez, Barbara Schader, Alex and Jessie Shu, Gail Applegate, Mary Ann Morgan and Madeline Fay, Carol Wilcock, Susan McCutcheon, Carol Chenot, Caity McCardell, Marcelle Kardush
Amazon
We are a charity on Amazon Smile. Please remember to sponsor us when you shop on Amazon. You can select us SLO County Womenade and Amazon will give a small percentage of your purchase to us!
HOW TO DONATE:
To make a donation write a check to South SLO County Womenade and mail to: South SLO County Womenade, 1793 Farroll Rd., Grover Beach, CA 93433. We encourage you to become one of our monthly or regular donor. 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.
or go to our website sslocw.org
Our email is: sslocwomenade@gmail.com
Our website is: sslocw.org
Phone number: (805) 270-5751
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