KFB event.

Looking for another fun, active event for you to go to and save the world? Well you are in luck! For the fifth year, the Millennium Triathlon team has graciously selected Kids' Food Basket as one of the charities to receive proceeds from the race. Last year more than 10,000 Sack Suppers were made possible with this event alone! 

Click here if you want to register to challenge yourself and save the world! 

Tomorrow is the big chop and I'm getting super nervous. I will be donating at least 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love, which takes donated hair and makes it into wigs for children with illnesses which cause them to lose their hair. I've been growing my hair out for about two years now...so it will be a big change! 

Here is my last day of curling before work :( I will try to get a post up tomorrow night to show you the after pics....wish me and my cousin Leah (who is donating with me) luck!

Be the change. Make the difference.

KFB golf outing.

Remember Kids' Food Basket? The really awesome non-profit that I featured last year (back when I was only turning 24. SAD.) that collects items to put in sack suppers so the children of Grand Rapids have a meal after they leave school?

Well, if you love them (and I know you do), and you love golf, I have the perfect event for you! On July 25th at the Scott Lake Country Club in Comstock Park, you can join the Golden "K" Kiwanis Club Golf Outing! It's a four person scramble including 18 holes ($80 per person or $320 per team), which also includes a golf cart and open driving range before the start. AND the money goes toward a great cause....KFB of course :)

Click here for more information or to register! Saving the world is easy today, if you love golf.

Be the change. Make the difference.

KFB event

Before I tell you about an awesome event where you can have fun AND save the world, I want to make sure you know about Be The Change on Facebook. I decided to create a FB page separate from my own account to hopefully spread the word a little farther. So if you haven't already, go to Facebook and "Like" Be The Change. Make The Difference. to stay up to date with the latest posts.

On to the event :) You can help out Kids' Food Basket this weekend!

Saturday from 9am-3pm, the K&M Mopar Muscle Modern & Classic Car & Truck Show is  at K&M Dodge/Ram (4100 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525).

The nationally recognized award winning radio show hosts "The Grilling Guys" from 107.3 WBBL FM will be there grillin' up some food. All proceeds from the food sales goes to Kids' Food Basket! 

OR if you'd like to volunteer to help at the event by serving food, contact Sara at sarasd@kidsfoodbasket.org. Saving the world is SO easy!

Be the change. Make the difference.

do you like hockey?

Do you like hockey? If so, you are in luck :) There is an event coming up that will benefit one of our nonprofits from 2011 that you will just LOVE!

Remember Kids' Food Basket?  I talked about them back in July and we collected a ton of food for them for my birthday.

Well, now you can enjoy a nice Grand Rapids Griffins game AND support KFB! On Friday, February 10th @ 7pm you can see a game and have $3 per ticket sale go to KFB. Click here for all the details. Such an easy way to give back!


Be the change. Make the difference.

 

the difference -- Kids Food Basket

July was definitely one of my favorite months so far. The support and presents given as donations to Kids' Food Basket were huge, and I was honored to pass my birthday off to the kids of GR. Thank you a million times for all that you guys did this month! 

Childhood friends :)

Also, thank you to KFB for giving me Whitecaps tickets for my birthday! It was a wonderful night spent with my best friend Kim, and my Aunt and Uncle.

Me, Uncle Richard and Aunt Barb :)

Here is the grand total collected in July for KFB :

*162 juice boxes                                               *24 apple sauce cups
*64 granola/chewy bars                                      *32 jello/pudding cups
*20 cheese and crackers sticks                            *20 mini cereal boxes
*24 fruit cups                                                   *240 snack zip lock bags
*240 sandwich zip lock bags                               *160 lunch bags
*136 cookies                                                    *12 oatmeal pies
*20 mini bags of CheezeIts                                *24 animal cracker packs
*36 peanut butter cracker packs                          *38 fruit snack packs
*15 mini muffin packs                                        *12 nutty bars
*270 crackers                                                   *320 napkins
*$7 (which can pay for 7 meals!)

Me and Christine from KFB with all the food!

These numbers are truly AMAZING! KFB is doing great things and I encourage you to continue to support them. If you'd like more information on how you (and your business or girl scout troop, etc) can get involved, click here to find out how!

Stay tuned for next month's feature and how YOU can continue to make a difference in the lives of others.


Be the change. Make the difference.

cooler of love

Another great thing about Kids' Food Basket is that they have every volunteer sign their name in this walk in cooler. I was so blown away by the number of names written everywhere in/around/outside of this cooler that I just had to snap a few pictures of it. There is just so much love.

 




So much love that I had trouble finding a space to add my own little name! Even the window on the cooler door was completely covered. 

 

Yes, the ceiling was covered too, which you can see a little in this picture. The amount of people who have volunteered their time at KFB is truly amazing, and the proof that this is an organization a LOT of people care about is in the writing.  

Can you find my little old name in this last picture?!

There is still time to donate! I will be taking the donations to the Whitecaps game on Thursday to pass them off to the team at KFB! Make sure you get your donations to me before then...or click here to make a financial donation!

Be the change. Make the difference.

kids helping kids

Along with the sack supper program, Kids' Food Basket also has a program called Kids Helping Kids. This is a program where they encourage kids to get involved in creating awareness and educating other kids about the effects of childhood hunger.  

They have a youth action board for high school students that work within their schools to build awareness, lead fundraisers and food drives. They also have a Junior Ambassador program where they also educate and encourage other kids to get involved. 

If you know of a youth group, boy or girl scout troop or any other club or organization for kids, they can get involved! They can decorate bags, pack sack suppers, have food or juice box drives...they can make a difference! 

Through the kids helping kids program, over 25% of the hours volunteered at Kids' Food Basket  come from young people under the age of 18. Lets keep our kids educated and involved to give them a brighter future :)

I had a wonderful birthday on Friday, and received more donations over the weekend! Thank you to Cory, Sarah, Andrei and Mom for all the great presents! This coming week is the last week I will be collecting birthday presents/donations--click here for a list of items you can donate to feed kids in Grand Rapids!

Be the change. Make the difference.  

my first birthday presents

My Aunt Barb and Uncle Richard surprised me at work last weekend! Their surprise visit was exciting enough for me, but on top of that, they dropped off my first birthday presents!

The bag on the left is from Aunt Barb and Uncle Richard, and the orange bag is from their friends, Jack and Lynne. These four have been amazingly supportive every month and have made several generous donations as well. They are out to save the world with me :)

So, in the gift from Jack and Lynne, I got twenty four fruit cups!

Then, in the bag from my aunt and uncle, I got twenty cheese and crackers packages, twenty four apple sauces, twenty four fruit snack packets, and thirty two jello or pudding cups!

Since these two made such great donations once again, they have won the Whitecaps tickets for being awesome AND the first ones to donate :) Thank you again Barb&Richard and Jack&Lynne for all of your support.

Even though the tickets are gone, there is still time to donate! I will be collecting wish list items found here throughout the month instead of asking for birthday presents. Or you can go to the Kids' Food Basket website by clicking here and make a financial donation. 

Be the change. Make the difference.

sack supper program

The main program at Kids' Food Basket is called the Sack Supper Program. With this program, KFB makes and delivers 800-1,000 calorie sack suppers to almost 4,000 kids each day.

Volunteers assemble sack suppers each day at tables like these at KFB. These tables were designed by KFB and Amway's operation excellence team to be the most efficient, and they did a great job. Each table can produce 600 sack suppers PER HOUR. 

The bags for the suppers are donated and often times decorated by volunteers. Then they are filled with one fresh fruit, one  fresh vegetable, a meat/cheese sandwich, a 100% fruit juice box and a healthy snack such as trail mix. Most of these items are donated by individuals or corporations, or KFB can buy some of the items in bulk at a discounted rate.

During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, KFB provided more than 404,409 sack suppers to children in Kent County. That is a huge number, and their program is growing. They constantly have schools on the waiting list to receive their KFB's help at their school.


If you would like to donate to the sack supper program, click here to view the wish list. Or another easy way is to buy extra large lunch bags and decorate them to make the sack supper a little more special to the child receiving it :)

If you would like more information on how the Sack Supper Program works at Kids' Food Basket, click here to watch a video from their website.

I'm still accepting birthday presents (we are now in birthday WEEK) in the form of 24 of any item on the KFB wish list! Or you can click here to make a financial donation.

Be the change. Make the difference.  

the map

When I visited Kids' Food Basket, I was able to get a better idea of just how many kids they serve and where. Before I show you the map, you have to understand the map key:

 
Each different color symbolizes a different school, and where they are at in the sack supper program. The percentage is the number of students that are getting free or reduced breakfast or lunch through their school program. As you can see, the red dots have assistance from KFB and the sack supper program, and the blue dots are on the wait list. 

Now, here is the map:

 

To put this in perspective for you, that line going down the map, near the middle of the image is US 131. There's a lot of red and blue dots, not far from where you pass through on the S Curve. Grand Rapids is an amazing city, with so much to offer. But it's also a struggling city. 

GR has a food hardship rate of 19.4%, ranking it 34th among the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the US. This percentage is higher than Detroit (18.8%) and Chicago (17.4%).

This last image shows the schools Kids' Food Basket helps. The number written in black is how many students at that school that will receive a sack supper, and the numbers in blue is how much KFB brings to them. 

For reference, this is what a tub looks like:  

              

The schools and summer park programs that receive assistance from KFB  have 80% or more of students that live at or below the poverty level. Coming up next I will tell you all about how KFB serves approximately 4,000 students each day at 25 different schools. Stay tuned :)

You can still win Whitecaps tickets by bringing me a donation for KFB/my early birthday present! Or click here to go straight to the Kids' Food Basket website and make a financial donation!

Be the change. Make the difference.

my morning at KFB

We are back in business! I finally have my new computer up and running, so lets dive right into my visit at Kids' Food Basket.

I showed up for my tour, and Christine, the Fund Development/Community Outreach Coordinator showed me around. They moved into this new building not even a year ago, and what they have done with the place is amazing. 

This room is where all the magic happens--all the sorting, packaging, and making sandwiches. You can literally feel the energy right when you walk in.

Luckily, I was there in time to see some volunteers in action! The wonderful staff from Bistro Bella Vita in Grand Rapids closed down their restaurant for the morning and all came to KFB to package suppers. 

On top of that, from July 12-August 13 they are collecting 100% juice boxes AND allowing people to donate to KFB when they pay for their meal. How wonderful :) I've never been to the restaurant, but you can bet I will be heading that way next time I'm in GR!

If you and/or the company you work for would like to volunteer at Kids' Food Basket too, email Christine at christine@kidsfoodbasket.org

KFB is the only hunger relief organization working with elementary schools to provide evening meals to children in Kent County. THEY NEED OUR HELP! 

Stay tuned to find out more about my tour, what you can do to help, and why it's so important for you to do so. 

In the meantime, you can make a financial donation to KFB by clicking here. I also still have two sets of tickets to the Whitecaps game on July 28th to give to the first people to bring me 100% Juice Boxes! And last but not least, if you haven't done your birthday shopping for me yet, click here to see what I want for my 24th birthday!

Be the change. Make the difference.    

whitecaps tickets!

Sorry for my absence lately! I just bought a new computer and FINALLY got it back from the Geek Squad at Best Buy...and I'm still trying to get it up and running!

In the meantime, I wanted to let you guys know that I toured Kids' Food Basket on Monday and it was amazing! I have so much to tell you about how wonderful this organization is, I can't wait. But for now I have to tell you that they gave me some Whitecaps tickets to raffle off :) KFB will be at the Whitecaps game on Thursday, July 28th to raise awareness about childhood hunger in Grand Rapids. They will be collecting juice box donations at the game, so make sure you bring some along!

ALSO, Thursday games at the Whitecaps are $1 hot dogs and $2 beers! What a deal :)

The two people who bring me at least 24 juice boxes first will receive a set of tickets for the game on July 28th :) Good luck to you all!

I will be back later this week to share some pictures and more info about my tour.

Be the change. Make the difference.

why KFB needs our help

I am in shock from these facts on the Kids' Food Basket website. If there is ever a doubt in your mind as to why you should help this month, read this:

*30,000 children in Kent County live in poverty
*the amount of children living in poverty jumped from 9% to 16% in six years in Kent County
*From 2000 to 2008, Grand Rapids had the largest spike in poverty among ANY US city at 8.9%
*The schools KFB serve have a population in which 80% or more of students live at or below the poverty line

If these kids don't have proper nutrition and well balanced meals, their brains will not develop properly. These children are our future, and the time to help them is now.
 
Again, this month I am asking for donations to KFB for my 24th birthday instead of presents. I will only be accepting (wrapped in pretty paper or unwrapped) granola bars, cracker packs, 100% fruit juice boxes, individual fruit cups, pudding cups and gelatin cups, peanut butter, 100% vitamin C dried fruit packs (.9 oz or similar), snack size zipper-lock bags, sandwich size zipper-lock bags, kids size toothbrushes, brown/white paper lunch sacks: 8 Lb. or extra large, healthy snack bags, plastic spoons, napkins, or individual serving size cereal.


Don't be alarmed, you can still donate to Kids' Food Basket even if you weren't planning on buying me a gift :) Click here to make a financial donation on their website. I will be touring KFB on Monday and I can't wait to tell you more about it and show you some pictures! Stay tuned, and in the meantime, say a prayer for those in Grand Rapids effected by today's shootings.


Be the change. Make the difference.

the rundown on Kids' Food Basket

In 2001, the principal of Grand Rapids Public Schools' Straight School, Mary Ann Prisichenko, discovered some of her students digging through dumpsters looking for food. At the time, Mary K. Hoodhood was a volunteer at Meals on Wheels, heard this story and simply had to take action. And so began Kids' Food Basket.

Kids' Food Basket began over eight years ago, and at the time served 125 kids each day through the Sack Supper Program. Now, they serve 3,700 kids each day at 27 different schools by sending them home with a nutritional 1000 calorie meal. This program ensures that lunch is not the last meal of the day. Throughout the summer, the sack suppers are distributed at 15 park sites each week day.

Their Sack Supper Program is ran by volunteers from the community every day, that come together to help the community. FKB also has volunteering and educational programs for the youth to understand the challenges of hunger and give them opportunities to help fellow kids.

This is an awesome organization that is doing really great things in the Grand Rapids area.... and we are going to help them this month! As I mentioned earlier, I am donating my birthday this year and will only be accepting twenty-four (or more, or less) of the following items as birthday gifts:

-Granola Bars
-Cracker Packs
-100% Fruit Juice Boxes
-Individual Fruit Cups, Pudding Cups or Gelatin Cups
-Peanut Butter
-100% Vitamin C Dried Fruit Packs
-Snack size zipper-lock bags
-Sandwich size zipper-lock bags
-Kids size toothbrushes
-Brown or White Paper Lunch Sacks (8lb or extra large)
-Healthy Snack Bags
-Plastic Spoons
-Napkins
-Individual Serving Size Cereal


So get birthday shopping and stay tuned for more details about Kids' Food Basket. OR if you would like to make a financial donation directly to KFB click here.


Hope you all have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!


Be the change. Make the difference.

July Feature -- Kids' Food Basket

For the month of July I will be featuring Kids' Food Basket which is a non-profit out of Grand Rapids that provides kids with nutritional sack suppers who may not be provided with food otherwise. I will be visiting and taking pictures of Kids' Food Basket in a few days, and throughout the month I will be telling you more about them.

As many of you may or may not know, July is my birthday month! I love birthdays mostly because I love to open presents and I love surprises. But also because I think everyone deserves one day out of the year to be spoiled and showered with love :)

My birthday cupcakes from last year--made by Aunt Barb!

With all of that being said, this year I've decided to donate my birthday. This means that I am completely blessed to have everything I need right now, and thus do not need any presents. Instead, I will be asking for gifts of twenty-four to give to Kids Food Basket. Examples: 24 juice boxes, 24 granola bars, 24 zip lock bags, etc. I will be giving a detailed list of acceptable items in a later post.

Why twenty-four, you ask?! Well, because I'm turning 24 this year, and this is my attempt to make a difference AND deal with old age at the same time :)

Now, even if you weren't planning on buying me a present you can still donate to Kids' Food Basket this month. This is truly an amazing organization and I can't wait to tell you all about them. If you'd like to get a head start and check them out, click here.


Have a nice 4th of July everyone!


Be the change. Make the difference.