Ideas for local meet ups... VENICE or SANTA MONICA area...

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Permalink Reply by Maria Jones on September 30, 2008 at 10:32am

I would love to attend a meet-up. I'm not from the Santa Monica/Venice area, so I'll leave the planning to someone else.

I think al volunteering would be a great idea...maybe a beach clean-up out there?

Permalink Reply by Vicki on September 30, 2008 at 10:46am

Cami - I love the idea of us all volunteering somewhere together. I will start looking for group projects that we can participate in. I enjoy volunteering for the benefit of children, animals and our soldiers.

Permalink Reply by Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder on September 30, 2008 at 11:23am

I like the beach clean up idea... and also vicki's thoughts about something child or animal related. I look forward to hearing everyone's ideas.

Permalink Reply by Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder on October 1, 2008 at 10:18am

These ideas come from PAT here in our group... I'm just copy and pasting them here to attempt to consolidate the two strings where ideas are being posted.

Well, hunger is always an issue and there are many food banks that don't get much except at the holidays. Here in the San Fernando Valley there is a pretty good pantry in Studio city. It's supported by many different church groups from a big variety of denominations. But with the economy in the trash, there are many more people who need this place to go.

We could each start a neighborhood food drive where each of us lives and then take the stuff to the local food bank. Make up a flier to announce that we will be coming around on this or that afternoon and if they have anything, just put it in a bag and we'll collect it for the Food Pantry.

I think first that one would design a flyer - half a page is enough and put the flyer in each door - all the local restaurants and tree services do it, so why not. You say exactly what you need - 1 brown bag full of non-perishable goods - everything from toilet paper to canned tuna, but if your apple tree is bearing, leave a bag of fresh picked fruit and that's OK too. Then say what day you will pick up. Ask the donor to leave the bag by the walkway up to the house and then enlist a couple of kids with wagons to trot along with you and start picking it up - or use your car because you've got to drive it to the Food Bank anyway.

I'd say each person should decide how many blocks you want to cover - 3 or 4. If you don't get a lot the first time, don't give up. Re-do the flyer and set the next date. Keep doing it periodically - maybe twice in a month, and pretty soon people will come to expect it and be more anxious to respond. Remember to give your neighborhood the credit when you drop it off to the Food Bank - might be your idea, but it's pretty much their donation.

Oh, and why not use the card you can download "You Are a Gift" - it would give purpose and some new thoughts to your whole neighborhood. Nice way to say thanks anyway.