Let’s be the giving type this holiday season.
The holidays are traditionally a time of great need for our blood center and food banks given heightened travel and busy schedules. For almost 40 years, Richmond has shown their loyalty, providing the needed blood supply for our community. We want to remind you how important it is to give during this season.
Richmondmom.com readers are surely the Giving Type!
When you support life by donating blood Wednesday, November 27 through Sunday, December 8, 2013, Virginia Blood Services will donate $1, on behalf of every participating donor in the Richmond area, to FeedMore Food Bank to help feed the hungry this season. With our participation, their community goal is to raise more than $4,000 to provide approximately 16,000 meals to those in need across Virginia.
They are also holding food drives at all community donor centers and mobile drives during this time. When you donate, please bring a non-perishable food item to help feed the hungry in our community. Virginia Blood Services will deliver all food donations to FeedMore.
Just by coming in to donate during this time of year, they will make it easy for you to TRIPLE your giving and provide the strength, hope and courage to patients in our community.
Donate Blood. Feed the Hungry. Support Life.
Please consider making an appointment online at vablood.org or by calling 800.989.4438 to support our local needs, including MCV Medical Center here in the Richmond area which is a Level 1 Trauma Center, as well as over 20 other hospitals in the state of Virginia.
On behalf of the hospitals and patients we serve, we thank you for being the giving type.
]]>
We often want to do something to help others, but we just can’t find the time.
Now you can!
More than 8,000 Boy Scouts are distributing empty bags to your doorsteps on October 26th to collect food for needy families for distribution through FeedMore. Although 260,000 households will receive a bag on October 26th, only about 15% of households will fill the bags and donate food. That’s still a lot of food for families with hungry children, adults, and the elderly.
Saturday, November 2, 2013, Scouting for Food will make it easy for everyone to help out those who need it most. They are collecting nutritious, non-perishable canned and boxed food for FeedMore (no glass please). On November 2nd, place the bag of food outside your front door no later than 9:30 am for pickup by the Boy Scouts from the Heart of Virginia Council. The Scouts will deliver your food to FeedMore’s Central Virginia Food Bank for distribution to families.
If for some reason, your bag is not picked up by 2pm on November 2, you can also drop the bag at your local Martin’s store in the purple box located outside each store or call 804.204.2642 for a pick-up.
Wondering what to donate? Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Peanut butter
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruits
- Tuna fish
Last year, the Boy Scouts collected 197,000 pounds of food for FeedMore. This year they hope to collect at least 206,000 pounds off food. With the help of Richmond moms and dads, we can exceed this goal!
Get the entire family involved in this important project and fill the bag by November 2nd. If you don’t receive a bag on October 26th, you can use any bag to collect your food. It’s really that easy. See below for more information.
]]>
We’ve mostly all heard about FeedMore and the critical role the organization plays in the lives of Richmond area residents.
Did you know that September is Hunger Action Month?
This is a time when the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks, including FeedMore, unites to urge individuals to take action in their communities. The goal is to mobilize all of Central Virginia to get involved with hunger-relief efforts in our community.
According to the FeedMore website:
“Last fiscal year, FeedMore distributed 20-million pounds to nearly 400 partner agencies through our Central Virginia Food Bank, served 1,056,112 meals to 12,368 children through our Children’s Programs (Kids Cafe, Summer Food, and BackPacks), provided 323,097 meals to 1,628 unduplicated homebound individuals through Meals on Wheels, and distributed 1,098,383 pounds of food to 71,265 individuals through our Mobile Pantry.”
FeedMore is always in need of food no matter what month it is or time of year. FeedMore serves various populations including:
- Local children who need a nutritional foundation to learn and grow
- Central Virginia families struggling to provide for themselves
- Your senior neighbors who need food and services for health and independence
- Our region’s most vulnerable people
There are many ways to give to FeedMore including individual food donations, group food drives, financial donations, and other ways. Mike Smith of MIDAS of Richmond makes it easy to give through many different events throughout the year.
Now there’s another way to help FeedMore get more of what they need to feed hungry families.
nTelos is Giving Away Money
Once again, nTelos Wireless is helping another charity in our area. They are donating from $1 to $1,500 to a charity, based on the number of tweets and shares for the contest. And each person votes for their favorite charity to win on the Richmondmom.com website. There are three charities involved and FeedMore is one of them. You have an opportunity to vote for your favorite charity to win this generous donation from nTelos. The three charities include:
Here’s how it works:
- Vote for your favorite charity to win by clicking here.
- For every Facebook “like” and “share”, $1 will go to the winning charity people vote for through Richmondmom.com.
- For every “Tweet” and “Retweet” that uses the hashtag #nTelosCaresRVA, $1 goes to the winning charity.
- The winning charity could win up to $1,500!
- REMEMBER: Your favorite charity from the list above PLUS #nTelosCaresRVA must be in each post or tweet for the vote to count!
So get busy socializing and let everyone know about this contest so your charity can win. The contest runs from Monday, September 16, 2013 until September 30, 2013 at 5pm. Vote for your favorite charity today and tell everyone else too.
Articles on Noah’s Children, FeedMore, and Prevent Child Abuse Virginia on our website are provided to help you make your decision on which charity to vote for.
]]>
Mark Smith delivers food for hungry kids!
Mark Smith of Midas of Richmond says, “I had the pleasure of delivering backpacks of food to Westview Elementary earlier today. Westview is a great place to take the backpacks – the faculty and staff always make time to chat, the kids have big smiles and bright eyes – and, man, do the faces light up when they see me carrying the backpacks in.”
This program feeds these hungry kids all weekend long. There are 16 single serve, self-serve nutritious meals and snacks in each of these bags that fight chronic hunger. Each back pack costs just $10 to deliver – so the 40 back packs represent a $400 investment in fighting hunger.
“This gets me thinking – what would you think about signing on to WWW.FEEDMORE.ORG right now, and making a $400 donation – you will feed this every child in this school who is in this program for an entire weekend! $400 is a lot of money – I get that, how about signing on, and donating what you can? Write ‘Let’s feed more kids’ in the comment box, so we can track this,” challenges Mark.
This is a real program that feeds over 2,000 kids in 50+ schools all over Central VA. Let’s accept Mark Smith’s challenge and take action to fight hunger for these kids. Whether you can give $400, or $10, every dollar helps helps! Click over to FeedMore to learn more and donate now while you’re thinking about it. A hungry child will appreciate your actions!
Don’t forget to put ‘Let’s feed more kids’ (and let them know that you heard about it on Richmondmom.com too) in the comments when you donate.
]]>
Mark Smith of Midas of Richmond is serious about raising money and getting resources for FeedMore, and saving lives through VA Blood Services.
Fight Hunger
In May, you can fight hunger with car care AND save lives with car care at Midas of Richmond, thanks to Mark and his team. Come in and get your VA State Safety Inspection done for free with a $10 donation to FeedMore’s Back Pack Program. This program feeds a chronically hungry child all weekend long.
If your inspection isn’t due, come in and buy certificates for you and your family which can be used when it is due. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.
Save Lives
Donate a pint of blood to VA Blood Service during the Midas May 25th blood drive, and get a free oil change, or oil change certificate. A pint of your blood saves three lives – where else can you have your oil changed and save lives all at one time?
You take care of your community and Midas of Richmond takes care of your car. It’s just that easy.
Thanks to Midas of Richmond and Mark Smith for all they do for our community.
]]>
Get ready for Richmond Restaurant Week and some delicious food and fun!
It’s all to help raise money for FeedMore and Meals on Wheels. Restaurants are donating a portion of their sales to these organizations.
April 22-28, 2013 is the spring event and it happens again October 21-27, 2013. Each time you go out to dinner at participating restaurants during Restaurant Week, you contribute to the local economy and help eliminate area hunger through a partnership with The Central Virginia Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.
Many participating restaurants are offering delicious dinners for $25.13.
Why $25.13?
The cents represent the year we’re celebrating. The whole dollar amount helps support the Central Virginia Food Bank and Meals on Wheels and the costs associated with Richmond Restaurant Week.
Participating restaurants include:
- Acacia
- Amici
- Amour Wine Bistro
- Amuse (at VMFA)
- Avenue 805
- Bacchus
- Bistro Bobette
- Charles City Tavern
- Chez Foushee
- Europa
- Helen’s
- India K’ Raja
- Julep’s
- La Grotta
- Lehja
- Little Venice
- M Bistro & Wine Bar
- Made in Asia
- Mezzanine
- Millie’s
- Mosaic
- Rowland
- Sam Miller’s
- Secco
- Selba
- Tarrant’s Cafe
- Tastebuds
- The Dining Room at the Berkeley Hotel
- The Blue Goat
- Tobacco Company
Visit the website to learn more. Some restaurants may require reservations so plan ahead. Help support FeedMore and Meals on Wheels in a unique way – and enjoy delicious local food in the process!
]]>Feed Hungry Children While Celebrating Virginia Wine Month at The Wine Loft!
Richmond, VA (October 4, 2012)–October is Virginia Wine Month, a popular time to sample some of the state’s finest vintages. This year, The Wine Loft (www.wineloftrichmond.com) is using the month’s focus on local wines to help a local charity. For every bottle of Virginia wine purchased this month, The Wine Loft is donating a backpack of food to FeedMore.
“Virginia Wine Month is always a great time to encourage people to try some of the amazing local wines we carry,” Jeff Ottaviano, proprietor of The Wine Loft says. “We’ve donated to FeedMore many times before, and October is one of our favorite times to help those in need. Richmonders can come in, find a new favorite wine, support a local winery and feed the hungry all at once.”
The backpacks The Wine Loft is donating are part of FeedMore’s BackPack Program, which feeds children in need. “There are over 3,600 kids in Central VA who are chronically hungry—they simply do not know where their next meal is coming from,” says Mark Smith, FeedMore’s board chair. “With help from friends like Jeff and Christy Ottaviano at the Wine Loft, FeedMore feeds as many of these kids as we can every day.”
Of its more than 85 wines by the glass and 200 by the bottle, The Wine Loft carries around two dozen different Virginia wines from wineries such as Barboursville Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, Stinson Vineyards, Veritas Vineyard and Winery, Jefferson Vineyards and more. The staff members, who are all fully trained in Virginia wines, will be happy to help customers choose a variety to suit their palates.
Maureen McDonnell has also recognized this initiative: “Bob and I have enjoyed partnering with the Central Virginia Food Bank on a number of projects and I was thrilled to learn about this new effort to help ensure fewer children go to school hungry,” she said. “This project is another great example of the many amazing private-sector partnerships in Virginia working to help those in need.”
The Wine Loft is Richmond’s premier wine bar, located in West Broad Village in the heart of Short Pump. Opened in 2010, The Wine Loft offers hand-selected wines from around the state and world, a full menu designed to complement the wine selection, nightly specials, live jazz and an intimate atmosphere.
]]>