happy holidays!!

happy holidays to all!!

what a year! at the end of last year, i thought that our 21.000 item donation total was going to be hard to beat. well, guess what? not only did we pass it, we nearly tripled it!
our rough total right now is ~$60.000!

in addition, our adopt a family program was wonderfully successful.
we gifted 21 families with a total of 88 family members.
and, we gifted 122 moms with our adopt a mom program.
whew!!!
thank you to all!!!
a few other successes-
a local family received a used RV to call home,
over 20,000 diapers were donated,
many very lo income families had warm clothing for their children.

after a couple of days of rest from this crazy week,
i have finally put together our numbers for the year.
so far, our out of pocket expenses are $17,640.
so far, we have received $14,846.
the difference we need to receive is $2794 by 12/31/07
my stipend of $14,000 is not included in this total.

please, if you are able to help us reach our goal of $17460,
send a ck to: 174 spruce ave. menlo park, ca 94025
or use paypal.com with my email address as the recipient.
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

thanks so much!!!
look for our 2008 plans in the next week!!
megan

Last Call for our "Adopt a Family" Holiday Giving Program.

GREETINGS.

HERE IS OUR UPDATE AS OF SATURDAY THE 22ND. IN CAPS~

greetings.

it is amazing just how many gifts we have received to give to our families this year....

we are still in need of just a few others.

a women's bike- GIFT CARD TO TOYS R US RECEIVED.

a gift card to macy's - GIFT CARD TO TARGET RECEIVED.

a gift card to north face - GIFT CARD TO TARGET RECEIVED.

a new car seat for a 1 year old - STILL NEED

a new car seat for a 2 year old.- STILL NEED

a gift card for a family portrait.- STILL NEED

6 more gift cards to target for $25-$50. each.- STILL NEED PLEASE!!

2 gift cards to old navy- STILL NEED

a gas card.- STILL NEED TWO.

and a partridge in a pear tree....

thank you all!!!

(email me if you would like to gift any of these items,
i will pick up from you!!- most of the gift cards you can buy from safeway)

urgent need for gift cards for our holiday giving program

greetings.

at this late date, i have had two more families added to our holiday giving program.

to save you from battling the retail craziness... i will do the shopping if you can help me out with gift cards.

target, safeway, toys r us, mervyn's, ....

please send them to:
174 spruce ave.
menlo park
ca- 94025.

PLEASE- email me first and let me know they are being sent...
i get a little nervous about the mail this time of year...
if i can pick them up from you i will~~

thanks, megan

holiday giving program- update.

greetings.

i am in a whirlwind of gifts for our holiday giving programs~! there has been such an amazing response from local moms to make this a very exciting season of giving!! thank you all.

i have just a few more gifts that need to be "adopted".

this is a last minute family wish list.
THIS FAMILY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!!!- extra gift cards are always welcome.
single mom with 2 year old son. for the 2 year old.
art supplies.
crayons,
chalk,
paint.
large roll of paper.
pots and pans for his play kitchen.
bath toys/paints...
he wears a size 3t on top and a 2t on bottom and size 8 shoes.
she would love a new "special" outfit for him for christmas dinner.
he loves dogs, trucks and trains.
he isn't into spiderman, cars, nemo, sponge bob....
or her.
simple/basic digital camera
flannel sheets/queen size.
bath towels- pink/yellow/lavender
gift card- cost plus, pier one, target, safeway, mervyn's, shell, kepler's.
so that she can shop the sales after christmas!
anything other than basics have not been in her budget for a long time...
she receives diapers and clothing for her son through project warm hug.

STILL NEED. - extra gift cards are always welcome.
mom and son in shelter
women's bike (prefer black)

STILL NEED extra gift cards are always welcome.
mom with 15 year old.
mom just had a heart attack.
$50 gift card to target.
$50 gift card to safeway.

STILL NEED - extra gift cards are always welcome.
single mom with 7 year old.
mom got laid off a month ago.
women's black work shoes. size 7.
synchilla sweatshirts/tops form gap or old navy.
gift card to toys r us.
coupon to movies for two.
gas card.

STILL NEED- extra gift cards are always welcome.
single mom with one year old.
only able to work part time.
gift card to target
gift card to safeway.
hi chair
changing table.

STILL NEED ALL OF THESE... for project warm hug.
donations and gift cards to add to our emergency fund.
this fund is available to moms who encounter an
unexpected expense that they need help with.

payoff of our borrowed car. $4000

payoff of our out of pocket expenses. $4100

someone to sponsor my "stipend" of $1000 a month for the last 14 months!!

and someone to sponsor my 2008 stipend of $1500 a month!

STILL NEED. a business, an organization, a neighborhood, ... to sponsor a month for next year. we are working towards this kind of project based community involvement.


thanks so much!!!
megan
(i would love a gas gift card!!!)

Gift giving update/ gifts still needed.

greetings.

the response to our giving programs has been wonderful!!!

we only have a few extra gifts that need to be gifted...here is the list of gifts. please take a look and let me know if you would like to gift...

please wait for my confirmation before buying...

gift cards would also be great, i am sure that i will have some last minute requests.
thanks so much
meganproject warm hug

mc-single mom in need contour pad/changing table.
carseat for a 16lb baby
3 yr old girl- toys
high chair

la- single mom with 7 year old.
mom-size 7 work shoes.
synchilla tops- large
girl/7yr old.
disney figures, high school musical gear. cheetahgirls, hannah montana
pair of movie tickets
gas gift card

c4- in family shelter.
mom- pots and pans or nail kit.
14 yr old/boy-dress watch
7 yr old/boy- jacket size 10 boys.
11 yr old/girl-foot massage kit/foot soaker.
all love music
gift cards welcome.

"conjoined twin's family"
10 in family/ $50 for each.
i have the GIFT list or gift cards and i will shop!!

p4-
target gift card- $50+
safeway gift card- $50+
single mom just had a heart attack.
and has a 15 year old daughter.

our wish list still includes:
$4100 for out of pocket expenses.
$14000 for 14 months of stipend for megan
$4200 to buy the used car i am borrowing.
88 more moms to be sponsored for our mom's giving program ($40 a piece) already have 112 sponsored!

someone, ... to adopt us. project warm hug has 501c3 status as an affliate program of friends outside-until 12/31/07.

2008 budget is $36,000! and that includes all of our expenses and my "full" time salary!please

let me know if you have any questions.
thanks so much.megan
468-3065

Address to send gift cards and checks.

hi

i hope to make this easy for everyone who is interested in donating to our adopt a mom/family programs.

please send all gift cards and cks to:
megan rosenhart
174 spruce ave.
menlo park
ca. 94025.

please make cks out to:
project warm hug.

please indicate with a note or in the memo section
whether the ck is for our adopt a mom program
at $40 a mom.

or

our adopt a very special family project.

or

towards our out of pocket expenses.

that way i can keep track of the "accounting".

one last "to-do". if you would please email me with
what you are sending so that i can make sure all
gift cards and cks are received.

thanks so much!!!
megan

Our Holiday Boutique is Monday, Nov. 26th!

You are cordially invited to
Project Warm Hug's"Give a Little – Get A Lot" Holiday Boutique
Monday, Nov. 26th * 2-5 p.m./5:30-8 pm

You'll be so ready to step away from the turkey by then,
so get out your Treos & Iphones to mark down a very special date on your calendars –Nov.26th!

Come sip tea or champagne and spend a little "you"time shopping for a good cause.

Please join a wonderful group of moms and designers for this upcoming boutique that will benefit *Project Warm Hug*, a local program that provides diapers, warm clothing and cool books to local children in need in association with Friends Outside of Santa Clara County.

This will be an intimate holiday shopping opportunity to purchase unique, handcrafted items to help you get a jump start on your gift giving for friends, family, teachers - and maybe yourself, too!

Date: Monday, Nov 26th, from 2-5 pm; 5:30-8pm
Location: 1621 Portola Avenue, Palo Alto, in the Southgate
neighborhood (cross street is Miramonte).
Hosted by: Pamela Weiss

Browse & buy during tea time in the afternoon or drop in after dark for a glass of champagne and a bite of dessert while you cozy up to local designers &artists including:
•Ashley Jane Designs: Ashley Jane offers distinctly unique handmade clothing and gifts for babies and little girls and will feature vintage postcard reproduction wall plaques as well as a new product – fabric wallets for moms! Ashley Jane is a one woman show run entirely from the East PaloAlto home of designer Ashley Higashi. Her designs are sold exclusively through home shows and local events.
Website:Ashleyjaneonline.comhttp://ashleyjaneonline.com/
•Copper Moon Apothecary: Katy Thompson is known for her healing lotions and potions - handcraftedsoaps and lotions using organic, natural sustainable ingredients with no animal testing.
Website:http://www.coppermoon.net/
•Sara Jane Jewelry: For women, Sara Jane features handcrafted jewelry using sterling silver combined with gemstones and/or freshwater pearls.
For the sweet little girls in your life, there are fresh water pearl bracelets with crystals and sterling silver necklaces/bracelets with charms. Also,for girls, handmade whimsical and dainty hairclips,headbands, and bows!
A darling addition to any little girl's outfit!
•Shalini Bitzer: Shalini presents beautiful embroidered shawls and wraps in many different styles. Wool and silk pashminas, fun and funky little handbags in festive colors - even quilts and bedspreads!
•Jewelry designer Anna Yee: With her beautiful handcrafted jewelry, Anna blends a combination of pearls and gems to create the perfect jewelry to wear for all occasions.
•Big Heart Designs: A fun collection of whimsical and retro-inspired children's clothing and accessories handmade by local moms and represented by Megan Rosenhart, director of Project Warm Hug.

Truly in the giving spirit?

Donations of gently worn children's clothing and diapers (all sizes, loose and open packs are fine) will be collected at this event, so take a moment to clean out your little one’s closet to make room for holiday bounty while providing a new home for your kids’ outgrown clothes and too-small diapers!
Proceeds from this event will directly benefit Project Warm Hug’s holiday Adopt-A-Family program that seeks to match area families with their specific holiday needs and wishes.

More info: For more information about the “Give A Little, Get a Lot” Holiday Boutique or Project Warm Hug, email mrosenhart@yahoo.com or call (650) 468-3065.

Update as of November 20th!

hi

i have a lot to update you on.... our holiday program is going full steam ahead.
our adopt a mom program launched last week. we have been honored to gift a really special family. donations of goods are coming in and going out. financial donations are beginning to come in as well!! and life is very full right now.

details on:
our holiday program.

as of last night we have 16 families with a total of 70 people who are a part of our "adopt a family" program. thanks to this wonderful community of parents, all of these families have been matched up!!! i am sure that i will have a couple of last minute requests! thank you all for your support with this program.
if you are still interested in "adopting" a family, email me with your name, budget of what you are willing to spend, and any special interests... like single mom with small children...
our adopt a family program will continue year round!!! so, please sign up if you are interested in helping out this season or next year!!

i was overwhelmed with how many single moms are struggling with living here. so, i have put into place an "adopt a mom" program. i am really excited about this program!!
here are the basic details.
each sponsorship is $40.00/per mom.
each mom will receive a big heart designs handcrafted item such as a large receiving blanket, a stroller blanket or a nursing poncho. local moms will be making these items, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to project warm hug and moms will receive a beautiful gift. big heart designs is my attempt to have project warm hug be self sufficient, train single moms how to sew and be able to earn money by working from home, and put all of my many years of design, production, retail, wholesale skills to work.
in addition to the big heart designs gift, these moms will also be gifted with some practical items such as diapers, wipes, clothing....
i am thrilled that this program will be offered year round as well.
my goal is to gift 200 moms this season. so far, we have 112 sponsorships!!!
please email me if you would like to adopt one, two, ten or a hundred moms.
mrosenhart@yahoo.com


project warm hug has been contacted to "gift" the following family.
i see this as a huge honor!!
please let me know if you are interested in being apart of this gift giving team.
i will be "assigning" a gift wish to you this weekend.
gift cards will also be helpful.
project warm hug will be continuing to be this family's "secret Santa" year round!!!
here is the latest email i have received from their social worker.
thanks so much.megan
project warm hug. ___________________________________________________
Hi Megan
Thank you so much for your help with this family. I have written a short introduction and a wish list for the girls and their mother.Yurelia and Fiorella are two year old conjoined twins. They were successfully separated at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital on 11-12-07. The twins have overcome many hardships since their birth. They have strong spirits and were able to endure a high risk surgery, where they only had a 50% chance of survival.Yurelia has already undergone a second surgery to correct a heart condition. The twins parents have very limited resources. Their parents, Maria and Jose have 9 other children, in Costa Rica, where the family is from. One of their son's has cerebral palsy. Jose only earns $200 dollars per month. Maria and the twins will remain in the United States for a prolonged period of time while the girls recover and possibly undergo other surgeries. Jose will return to Costa Rica to care for the other children and Maria will have to care for the twins on her own. It would be wonderful to have these girls and their family receive unexpected Christmas gifts .thanks again, maria.

since receiving this email, i have also received the wish list for the other members in their family. if you would like to donate to this family, please email me as well. mrosenhart@yahoo.com

donations are coming in... still need diapers!!! baby clothing, strollers, car seats,
i have some new donation drop off sites. in redwood city, community street jam on veterans blvd and celebrate art on main street. email me and i will set you up with the donation site closest to you. mrosenhart@yahoo.com

financial donations are trickling in... we still need $4300 to meet our out of pocket expenses this year. i am also hopeful that my stipend will be covered for the last 14 months @ $1000 a month... our 2008 budget is a mere $48,000,
i bumped it up from $36,000 in order to have an assistant to help out with office "stuff".

i will be attending a lot of holiday events during the next two weeks. i will post them tonight on this site!!!

happy thanksgiving!!
megan

who we are and how you can help.

project warm hug

our mission is to provide dry diapers, warm clothing and

cool books to local children in need.

...

our vision is that through our efforts, an increase in

social awareness of our economic diversity will occur.

...

how can you help?

* donate diapers. all sizes, open packs and loose diapers are fine.

...

*donate gently worn children's clothing, newborn to 5T.

larger sizes as well as women's, men's and

maternity clothing are also needed

...

* donate your spare change. we operate with a bare bones budget.

your spare change really does make a difference.

...

* donate gift cards; safeway, target, salvation army, savers. these cards are used in emergency situations as well as for our adopt a family program.

...

*sponsor a family for our year round adopt a family program

simply email me your name and any details of a family

you would like to assist, and i will match you up.

...

* offer a financial donation to help us with our emergency program.

...

*offer a financial donation to assist us meet our bare bones budget.

...

*offer a couple of hours of volunteer help!!

...

*refer us to a business or a social organization that might be

interested in adopting project warm hug as community service project.

...

2004/2005- 4000 items were donated.

2006- 21,000 items were donated.

2007- so far, 53,000 items have been donated!!

...

thank you for your interest.

megan

mrosenhart@yahoo.com

update as of November 6th, 2007

greetings all.

this past week has been all about organizing our adopt a family program.

the response from the community has been wonderful!!! it looks like as of today we have 21 families who will be either adopting a family, providing gift cards, volunteering or cooking for them.

this week is all about matching up families with families.

if you are interested in getting involved, please email me at:
mrosenhart@yahoo.com
with your name, phone number and your interests...

________________________________________________________

also, the big news of last week is that our "trailer family", received their donated RV and moved into it on Friday!!! truly an amazing donation from a very generous family.

we also received a generous check to cover all the fees and expenses for this transaction to happen!!! thank you.
________________________________________________________

so while i was coordinating this donation to happen, my car died! come to find out the repairs needed are more than the car is worth. i can have a portion them done but i still run the risk of it dying again. i have loved this car, it was donated to us last year from a very generous family.

in the meantime, another very generous mom has lent me a car.

________________________________________________________

oh, and yes, we also donated a bunch of clothing, a crib, a couple of strollers, some diapers and some housewares last week as well. #500 items to add to our
#52,000 totally.

#52500 for the year so far.

________________________________________________________

still need the last of our out of pocket expenses covered... only $4200 left!!!
and then it would be awesome to fill our emergency fund with $2000 and
it would really be awesome for my stipend for the last 14 months covered, $14,000....

______________________________________________________

my wish list includes:

gift cards to add to our newly formed emergency fund.
these will be handed out to families who are needing a helping hand during a challenging time in their life.
Safeway and target are the most useful cards.

the purchase of my "borrowed car". the seller is a single mom and this would be so helpful for her as well. if someone bought the car, then they could donate it to us and receive a receipt for tax purchases...

this is my big wish!!!
i would love for "someone" to adopt project warm hug for 2008. this adoption would include having expenses covered including a small salary for me!
our total bare bones budget for next year is $36,000. this could be a great opportunity for a business/foundation to show their community support!!!

that's all for now!.
megan

Weekly Friday Update. October 26.

greetings.

i hope you enjoy this new format.
each friday i will be updating you with:
the donations we made that week.
the donations still needed.
our wish list.
the questions asked that week
an update on the adopt a family program
an update on the diaper and spare change drive.
comments by megan

DONATIONS MADE-
donations made to st francis center in redwood city.
diapers, clothing, baby items including a stroller, a crib and mattress, a bassinet.
~3000 items.
donations made to friends outside in santa clara.
diapers!!!!
~1200 items.
donations made to the pre to three program.
oodles of diapers!!

TOTAL ITEMS DONATED TO DATE- #~52,000
project warm hug found:
a winnebago for a family to live in.
there trailer is falling apart.

a car to borrow while we decide whether to
and how to fix our "workhorse-mobile"

DONATIONS STILL NEEDED-

diapers... all sizes, always needed.
if you want to order online and have them shipped directly to me, let me know and i will give you the address needed.

warm coats- children's, women's and men's.

warm blankets- new if possible.

OUR WISH LIST-

gallons of spare change!!
you can set up a jug at home, at work, at church, at school....at a holiday party.
our funding is based on a very bare bones budget,
your spare change will actually make a difference.

the remainder of our out of pocket expenses is $4300.

to refill our emergency fund is $2000

to pay megan a $1000 a month stipend is $14000 for the last 14 months.
yes, megan has not been paid for the last 14 months.

to have the repairs paid for on our workhorse is $519.00

i would love to add gift cards to our emergency fund.
safeway, target... have the most items needed.

OUR ADOPT A FAMILY HOLIDAY PROGRAM.

i have had an amazing reponse of families who are wanting to adopt a family this year!!!

i will be sending out a separate email, but if you are interested please email me and let me know. mrosenhart@yahoo.com

what i need to know is:

your name.
your email.
how much you want to spend on a family.
(we have a wide variety of families)

the matching will be made in the next 2 weeks.

OUR DIAPER AND SPARE CHANGE DRIVE.

currently:
St Timothy's in San Jose is conducting a diaper and spare change drive through the end of November.

to begin in november:
community street jam in redwood city.

and we have 3 others who hopefully be onboard for November 1st.

COMMENTS....

this has been a really challenging week for me. finally after 2 months of looking, a new roommate moved in on sunday. i had spent that rent check three times over. monday morning i find that the rent ck is missing and replaced by a note telling me that she doesn't think it will work for her.
whew, that was a shocker!
that day i posted that i was looking for a travel trailer for a family because theirs is falling apart. a few hours later, one showed up!!! wow!!!
tuesday, i am trying to figure out how to pay my pge bill without the rent money.... finally my mom helps us out, i am at the bank cashing the ck, go back out to the car and it doesn't start. the fourth time that week that i needed to have it jumped. the nicest aaa guy cks the battery and the alternator. both are shot! he actually followed me home to make sure i could get home. my mom meets us in the parking lot to pick up my bill and the cash and drives it to the pge office for payment. she manages to make it there with 10 minutes to spare.
that night i put out a post about needing a car to borrow while i figured out how to pay for the repairs or if it was worth spending the money on this car. a couple of hours later, a mom emails me to let me know that she has a volvo wagon to borrow. wow!!! so i have been able to continue picking up and donating out diapers and items all week!

i am telling you about this week because it has been a defining moment for me.
i work with families (or their caseworkers) who are in crisis, 24/7. every time i get a request from a family or caseworker, it is an urgent request!

i get it!
i understand just how much stress these families are under day to day.
i was able to find a family in need a new home, but could hardly make my pge bill because i didn't have the rent ck i was anticipating.

there are so many families living on the fringe where if any emergency happens it throws them into a crisis. these families are all one payck away from being homeless if they aren't already.

i wrote a post about 4 single moms last week. all who are needing some kind of assistance. likely you thought that these moms were unemployed, homeless, undocumented, ... or something like that. please read the post if you haven't already.

these four moms are actually my babysitter, her cousin, my next door neighbor and myself.

i ask you to please gift how you are able to; a pack of diapers, a safeway card,
a gas card, a target card, a handful of change, a hour of volunteer help, helping us reach our 2007 budget, making a pledge for next year's budget....

we are 501c3 approved by being an affliate program of friends outside of santa clara. you will be given a receipt for all donations made.

thanks so much. megan

QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK???

do you have 501c3 status if i want to make a financial donation??
YES.

where can i send a donation check?
174 spruce ave. menlo park, ca 94025. to my attention.

if i want to start a spare change drive, can you provide me with a flyer to hand out??
YES

do you have your 2008 budget in place?
YES, $50,000.
email me if you would like the details.

can i forward your information to other mom's groups??
YES.

why do you keep project warm hug going??
i understand the clients we assist. i know how hard it is to be a single mom, to have lo-income status, to be on medi-cal, to try to navigate the systems for assistance. i also know that we are one of the very few if not only programs that donate diapers, that donate these items on a consistant basis. at this point, too many families are depending on us.
i believe that if you are able to make a difference then that is what you are meant to do. and that is what i am doing.

are you participating in any holiday events???
YES.
i am usually at the campbell farmers market on sundays from 9-1.
i am going to try out the sunnyvale market tomorrow, october 27th from 9-1.
i will be participating in a number of holiday boutiques and will post my schedule.

how can i be reached??
mrosenhart@yahoo.com
650-468-3065

thanks for your kindness,
with many warm hugs.
megan

a dose of reality; single motherhood

i had a day of reality cks today.

i met 4 moms today all who are in need of assistance.
you won't find these moms in a shelter.
you won't findthese moms on the street.
all of these moms have a home/ rented not purchased.
the common thread is that all of these moms are single moms, struggling to make it here in the bay area.

first a young single mom of a 2 month old son. she has taken a leave from school. no insurance, no income, needs work where she can bring her son.
she has asked for assistance; diapers and clothing.
DIAPERS, CLOTHING PROVIDED BY PROJECT WARM HUG.
WISH- GIFT CARD FROM SAFEWAY OR TARGET.

second- a young single mom of a 2 month old daughter. she is suffering from postportum depression.
a part ofher depression stems from money stress.
has asked her mom to care for her daughter while she tries to get
more stable. has asked for diapers and clothing.
DIAPERS, CLOTHING PROVIDED BY PROJECT WARM HUG.
WISH- $100 TO CREATE A SPECIAL GIFT BASKET FOR HER.

third- a single mom of a 8 year old. she was laid off a month ago.
she has been offered temp positions but is struggling with how to get her daughter from after school care by 6pm.
has asked for food assistance. after school care assistance. or a local job. doesn't have enough to cover basic expenses.
I OFFERED TO PICK UP HER DAUGHTER ONE DAY A WEEK.
WISH- GIFT CARD FROM SAFEWAY OR TARGET.
fourth- a single mom of a 2 year old. she works fromhome.
she has had some unexpected expenses that wiped out her cking account.
she has asked for assistance to pay her pge bill. has just enough for food and gasuntil the next day of potential income.
DIAPERS AND CLOTHING PROVIDED.
WISH- GIFT CARE FROM SAFEWAY OR TARGET.
$200 TO HELP PAY HER PGE BILL.

i wanted to share these stories so that you have a clearer picture of how our services can help our community.

our wish- for a supply of target and safeway cards that we can use to gift moms like the ones in the stories above. let me know if you can help.

thanks so much.
megan

update as of october 10th.

greetings to all!

this has been quite the week.

project warm hug donated over #2400 items to la casita in redwood city, taking our total to over #40,000 items donated to date. actually #41348!!

i also downsized our storage unit in redwood city by30%. the timing on this was not my choice but the management at public storage pulled a very unethical move and i was not willing to stay there any longer. this move cost me a lot of time and a lot of money that had not be allocated to this project($1200).

i can finally get back to business for the rest ofthis week!
i have 3 businesses who are going to begin diaper and spare change drives for us! yeh!!!!

hopefully this will bring in some money for our holiday program.
aiming for $15,000 to gift #1000 children and their families.

in addition, our scarf a thon has begun. a number of moms have already commited to making quite a few scarves. i have a lot of extra yarn and fleece to add to this project! if anyone is interested in hosting a crafty evening, we could gather and create away!! i am happy to host the first if anyone is interested incoming. let me know what time and days work best for you.

here are the current numbers.
donated to date- #41,348
we will double last year's numbers tomorrow!!!
out of pocket expenses still needed to be paid- $4030
stipend needed for megan- $14,000
holiday program- $15,000 for gifts for 1,000 kids.

2008 funding- finally we are at a point with our donation results and our budget expectations meet at $1.00 an item donated.
for example-if project warm hug receives $50,000 in funding, a minumum of 50,000 items would be donated that year. this is really exciting for me... last year we were at$3.60 an item. with approx 21,000 items donated with abudget of $72,000- only ~$46.000 received.

my wish is that somewhere out there is a business/individual/ foundation... that is willing to "dare" me to donate #100,000 items, with a gift of $100,000.
this would mean that we have gone from #1500 items to#100,000 items in 5 years!!!
please tell your friends!

i know that my wish will come true!
peace. megan

let the scarf-a-thon begin!!

project warm hug's holiday program begins with our scarf-a-thon.

our goal is to have 1,000 scarves to donate this holiday season.

this is part one of our program. part two will be announced next week.

if you...if your kids...if your kid's school...if your friends...if your families...
can sew, knit, crochet, then you can help us out by making scarves, long ones, short ones, thin ones, full ones,....

kindly email me with the number you will make. we will have a day when all of them are given to project warm hug. (hope to get some press on this) the date will be in early december.

so start creating!!! have a scarf making party with your friends!!
let's hug our local children in need with warm scarves!

news flash!!!-

project warm hug has donated 11,440 diapers this week! thanks to a very generous local mom who had 60 cases of diapers delivered for us to donate!

in addition, i also donated out ~800 items of clothing, another #300 diapers, a swing, a glider rocker and ottoman, a lamp, a stool, 3 strollers...

our current total of items donated is:

26,500
11,440
1108

for a total of-
38948 items!!!

last year we had #21000 items donated!

Winding down third quarter... here is our update.

Greetings as we move from summer into fall...

Project Warm Hug's third quarter was awesome!!!

We received $9200 in financial donations. This kept us going for this quarter.

We received soooooo many diapers and clothing, and items.

We have expanded our donation sites. Details in Blog.

We exceeded last year's total donations!
Currently we are at 26,500
I know that this quarter is going to blow our sox off!
It is very likely that we could reach #40,000 items donated!

Thank you all!

As we move into our fourth quarter for the year, here are our goals.

In order to be current on our out of pocket expenses we need to receive: $5,800. just received another $1500, so only $4300 is needed!!

In order to pay Megan's monthly salry/stipend, we need to receive: $14,000
($1,000 a month for the past 14 months)

In order to move into 2008, we need to receive the first quarter's expenses of: $9000.
(our budget is set at $3000 a month, $1500 for out of pocket expenses and $1500 a month "salary" for Megan)

Our goal for our holiday program is to be able to donate #1000 hand crafted items to local kids and families in need.
Big Heart Designs has a variety of gifts that can be purchased and donated. For more info:
projectwarmhugsholidayprogram2007.blogspot.com

Our goal is to complete 3 Diaper and Change Drives.
Our first one got started last week at St. Timothy's Lutheran School in San Jose.
Our first one was completed at Holy Cross in Los Gatos. We received over 1000 diapers and $160.00 (third quarter)

This drive is so great for kids to participate in. Both diapers and loose change is collected, and donated to Project Warm Hug. Easy set up, great results. Let me know if you have someone you would like for me to talk with about this event.

Our goals are fairly simple this quarter. Lots of funding, lots of gift making , lots of gift buying, lots of sharing and caring throughout our community!

It is very likely that we will be hosting a Holiday Tea and Boutique as a fundraiser in Nov/Dec. Look for details soon.

Our Current Wish List includes: other than the obvious- diapers and change.

Gift Cards to Target, Mervyns, Safeway...
We would love to have some available when we need to purchase items for a family in crisis.
We would also like to give these out to families in need for the holidays.

Gift Cards to Joanne's Fabrics.

To receive $300 to pay off the balance of the new sewing machine I will be using for Big Heart Designs.

To receive a gift card for Ducky's or alike so that I can finally wash our pickup suv.

To receive a garage makeover as I am organizing my garage to be our donation inventory site.

Volunteers for a variety of fun projects! An hour can make a difference!

Anyone who can knit, crochet, sew... who can make hats and scarves for our holiday program.
or who would like to host a crafting afternoon for friends to get together and create gifts!

and personally... my goal is to receive enough extra funding so that I don't have to have a roommate and can move my office/studio out of the kitchen and have an office! (an extra $700 a month)

and to finish up this post, here is what has been said about Project Warm Hug.

"Project warm hug has been very supportive of our families. I have been with the Prenatal To Three program for 7 years and this is the first time we have had an organization donate diapers on a regular basis. I often seen clients that are on their last diaper and unsure of when they can purchase more. Project warm hug has been wonderful in provided diapers for our very poor families. Please continue to support this program as our families are very poor and have very limited resources."
Tami Whelen, RD

Thank you all for the wonderful successes so far... and Happy Soon to be Holidays.
Megan

Check out our Holiday Program Preview!

http://projectwarmhugsholidayprogram2007.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 16th update.

Greetings.

My head is spinning with the number of donations we have received and donated out in the past few weeks. We had already exceeded last year's numbers at the first of the month. I donated out close to 1,000 items and 600 diapers just this past week.

Having donation sites is great. So many more families have been donating diapers and items. It has cut my time way down by only having to collect from a number of sites. I added Sunnyvale and Cupertino sites earlier this month. Scroll down to donation sites for addresses.

As we begin into our 4th quarter 2007, our holiday program will kick into gear. Our hope is to donate 1,000 gifts to 1,000 children in need. Big heart designs has created a number of gifts that can be sponsored for the children. Not only will a child receive a great gift, but Project Warm Hug will receive a percent of the proceeds and all gifts will be made by work from home moms!!! I am setting up a special blog site for our holiday program. I will have the link set up by tomorrow.

Our first diaper and change drive is winding up with week. I look forward to announcing the results. As this one is winding down, two more will be starting up. The diaper and change drive is very simple. Each person brings in a case of diapers and a handfull of loose change for a designated period of time. Kids love this because it is so visual. A great lesson in sharing and caring for local kids in need. If you have a group that is interested, please let me know and I will get you all the information needed to get started. This is a great drive for families, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, childcare centers, church groups and so on....
My hope is that with 2-3 running each month, the majority of our fundraising will be met!

Current wish list- not in order of importance!

Diapers, diapers, diapers.
order online and ship directly to-
174 spruce ave. menlo park, ca 94025.
or- drop off at our donation site.

Volunteer help to keep our holiday program running smoothly.
There will be lots of 1-2 hour projects to choose from.

#1 wish!!!
That our holiday program will be fully funded.
#1000 gifts @ ~$15-20 each. $15,000 - $20,000

We have received $600 of the $2500 that is offered to be matched.
$1900 is still needed to have this generous offer completed.
use paypal.com and my email as the receipent-
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

Basically- Funding, Time and Diapers.

Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive!!!

Megan.

p.s. I will be posting a calendar of farmers markets, holiday boutiques and events that I will be selling from. Great gifts!!!

it is that simple.

it is so simple.

30 moms (or businesses, families, organizations...)
who will make a monthly donation of $100.00

that takes care of our bare bones budget.
$1500- expenses covered.
$1500- megan's stipend.

it is that simple.
this is a great opportunity to teach your children the joy in giving.
this is a great opportunity to show the community that you care.

if you are interested, email me!
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

thanks, m

two new drop off locations.

Diaper Drop-off Locations... so far, if you are interested in being a drop-off location please let me know. mrosenhart@yahoo.com thanks!!!

Please ONLY leave diapers at these locations. unless you have contacted me first.

NEW LOCATIONS;

SUNNYVALE
Carolyn- 436 Leota Avenue
off of El Camino in between Mary and Bernardo and in between Olive and Iowa
please leave diapers on the porch

CUPERTINO.
Sun- My address is 10304 Colby Ave, Cupertino, 95014;
I'm near Portal Parkin Cupertino.
Nearest cross street is Amherst, nearest major crossstreets are Stevens Creek & Portal, near the Chuck E Cheese.
Drop off on the porch preferred (behind the shades).

kathy- redwood city
2532 McGarvey at Connecticut;
please leave them on the porch.

wendy- los altos.
794 Sunshine cross street springer
please leave diapers on the porch.

marquerite- palo alto
3080 Cowpersouth of oregon expyplease
leave diapers on the porch.

julie- menlo park
1339 orange
cross street valpariso.
please leave diapers on the porch.

Celeste- Daly City
145 W. Moltke St
Daly City, Ca
cross street is Station Ave
you can leave donations behind the gate.

megan- campbell
i am usually at the campbell farmers market on sundays from 9-1pm.
i am in the artist section. our booth has a blue playroom foam floor.
650-468-3065
call ahead to make sure i am there.

how project warm hug got started...

many of you have recently asked how project warm hug got started. i took a look at some very old emails and found theses. this is a conversation i was having with tijana, formerly the director of the childrens embassy in kosovo.

i finally met her, not in her home county but here in san jose, just a couple of weeks after my father passed away. included is the first attachment that went out to explain what project warm hug was all about.

i ended up having surgery that september and couldn't travel. instead of donating to kosovo... i kept it local and donated to friends outside, the organization that my grandmother started over 50 years ago.

i will never forget the morning that i drove to the santa clara county fairgrounds. this was the location that over 300 families went to pick up their adopt a family gifts. the moment i saw the kids lined up with their families, i began to cry. it was overwhelming to see all of these kids counting on friends outside for their christmas gifts. my heart was so moved by this experience that i have kept project warm hug local ever since.

there are so many children within miles of our homes that have virtually nothing. moms who are having to choose between food and diapers, moms who are raising their families while dad is a day worker, grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren while their son or daughter is not a "fit" parent.

here is where my heart is.
many of you know that i became my godson's mom just a year ago.
at that time he was only 9 months old. he had spent the summer with his birth mother, living in golden gate park in his stroller.

i have had a chance to truly understand what it is like to have virtually no money. my priority was to keep my new family safe; which meant moving when our safety was compromised last fall. the timing of this move totally de-railed my holiday fundraising plans. i am grateful that my mom has been there for us this past year.

i have learned how hard our "county assistance" plans are to navigate. i have learned that counting my change meant whether or not i could put a couple of gallons of gas in my car. i have learned to ask for help. i have learned how grateful a mom can be to given a pack of diapers, a warm sweater, a new book. i have learned how important it is to not feel all alone. i have learned that there are so many other moms out there who are struggling and who don't have family to help them out. because of all that i have learned.... i am even more determined to serve our community.

i was asked a number of times this past year, "why don't you just shut down project warm hug? you don't have the money to keep it going. you don't have the time or energy to keep it going."

my answer is simple. my family became a project warm hug "family" this past year. i know how grateful i am to be able to receive diapers, clothing, books... there are too many moms out there relying on us to help them. whether or not they even know project warm hug, what we do makes a difference, a huge difference. how can you turn your back on that?"

so from fleece hats and scarves, project warm hug donated over 21,000 items last year. our count as of august 31st is over 19,000 items. i estimate that by the end of the year, we will have donated well over 35,000 items and have served at least 1000 local children in need.

please note the following is NOT our current program....
thanks, megan

april 2004.
hi friends,
some of you knew Bill, some didn't but he did some great things in this part of the world. He died recently but his daughter decided to carry on with his important work. I will be helping her out here! If you can please do help as well!Best regards,Tijana (former Children'd Embassy)-----

april 2004
Friends.
I have just started a new project to carry forward my
dad's humanitarian legacy. Please take a moment to
review the attached file. Email me with any questions.
Thanks so much.
Megan Moser Rosenhart.

In memory of my father, William A. Moser and to carry
on his legacy of humanitarian work in eastern Europe,
Project Warm Hug has been created.

On October 15th, 2004 (my father’s birthday),
a minimum of 100 sets of warm hug fleece children’s
accessories will be hand delivered to homeless
children’s organizations in Eastern Europe.

Details of the specific organizations will be sent to
your email address when they have been confirmed.
Because no child should be without a warm hug.

How can you participate??
Each warm fleece set includes a hat, a scarf, a small
snuggie blankie and a few lollipops. The warm hug fleece
sets are available for sponsorship at $30.00 a set.

Your $30.00 sponsorship will cover the cost of fabrics, production
and a percent of the coordination and travel expenses for delivery.
Please indicate the number of sets you would like to sponsor, your name, your address, your email address…and send your check to:
Project Warm Hug
c/o Megan Moser Rosenhart.
mrosenhart@yahoo.com
650-468-3065
Thank you for your support.
Megan Moser Rosenhart.

The Project Warm Hug Update.
May 2004
After launching this project at Menlo College’s Award ceremony last week…I am excited to report in that not only will we be delivering over 100 sets to Eastern Europe (specifically to the former Children’s Embassy in Kosovo), but I am looking at delivering sets to Lima, Peru, and in our homecounty.

Right now I am working with a team of friends who are committed to each finding 100+ sponsors. This will increase our total sets to close to 1000. Wow….wouldn’t that be great!!!
So…what can you do????
Sponsor a set or two or more☺…. or Be committed to sponsoring a 100 sets through your friends, family and organizations.
Help us with the production of the warm hug sets…cutting…sewing…assembling…
Communicate to me any information on organizations that can
benefit from Project Warm Hug…
Specifically Homeless Children’s organizations … anywhere in the world.
Communicate to me any organizations that would like to donate to this project…
We are looking for: candy, toys, stuffed animals, games….they must though be easy to transport…and not perishable.
Anything else you can think of that will help make Project Warm Hug
a success…
Thank you so much for your support,
With many warm hugs,
Megan Moser Rosenhart.

end of the summer updates...

summer greetings.

how did the summer fly by so fast?

i cannot believe that it is september and school is back in session. both of my nieces started school this past week and it reminded me of years long ago when there was so much anticipation about the first day of a new grade; who would be in your class, would you like your teacher, what i would wear for the first day back and so on...

my little guy is way too young to have any of those thoughts. so today was a slow day at home, running a few errands and playing in the backyard. i think i relaxed more today than i did on my short vacation. we went up to my mom's cabin "in the woods". four hours of driving with a 22 month old. before we had even spent an hour in the car, he had thrown up, my mom's dog had thrown up,... and the trip stayed on that level for 4 days.

we are glad to be home.

while we were on "vacation", i actually had a few moments to tally up our summer's efforts. oh my goodness, project warm hug has been rockin'.
last year's total donation count was just over 21,000 items. well, we have already donated over 20,000 items this year. just fyi, i count one diaper as one, and one crib as one. i have breakdowns of the catagories; diapers, clothing, larger items. the first month's of this year were much slower than usual as i was dealing with money challenges! most of the 20,000 has occured in the last 4 months.

good news-

project warm hug has added two new donation drop off sites; one in cupertino and one in sunnyvale. i will be adding these to our list once i confirm addresses.

a number of donations have come in as a result of our matching funds challenge. so far, $100, $20, $50, $100, $250 have been either received or promised! we still have another $1980 available for matching!!!
details are on a previous post.

requests- not many right now, but i am sure to have a lot more starting tomorrow.

a stroller for a single mom at a shelter.
diapers of all sizes.

new news-

i activated our yahoo group. all that are on this group will have first notice of requests, good news, crisis news, and so on...
project_warm_hug@yahoogroups.com

still on our wish list.

a garage makeover with storage shelving to organize our donations!
just need some manpower to make this happen.

diapers and dollars.... will always be on this list!

new on our wish list!

connections with pampers, huggies, safeway, target... oprah???\
we could seriously donate over 50 cases of diapers a week if we had them. actually we could donate as many as we could get a week...

holiday gift giving program-
details will be released very soon~~~

email me with any questions, thoughts, suggestions....
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

my son learned a new word this week. we are going "hoooooommmmme", (home) as we got in the car to leave the cabin. glad to have a home to come home to! many families within a few miles of us don't .

"how much do you make?
how much of a difference are you making?
a balance between the two is essential."

i wish i could remember where i heard this...
just thought it was appropriate for this area...

m.

update will be posted by the evening of sept 3rd.

Great Opportunity- Challenge Grant!!!

Greetings!

We have a tremendous opportunity in the next four weeks that I know we can achieve.

A generous PAMP mom has made a challenge to the local community on behalf of Project Warm Hug. From now until Sept 22nd, every dollar donated to PWH she will match dollar for dollar-- up to a total of $2500.

Your donation has twice the value and power to make a difference. How to do it? It's easy log ontohttp://www.paypal.com/ or send a check to 174 spruce ave,menlo park, ca 94025 by Sept 22nd.Your continued generosity has helped many children and infants get the daily essentials they so desperately deserve. Dry diapers are our most requested item. Currently, we are serving about 1,000 children!!

Your support is making a difference today. Won't you please help me continue our mission of providing warm clothing, dry diapers and cool books to local children in need. Just log onto http://www.paypal.com/ and you can help make a difference right now. (use my email address-mrosenhart@yahoo.com as the recipient, funds will be deposited into our business checking account.)

Thank you!
Blessings, Megan

current wish list.

here is our current wishlist-

other than diapers and funding...

1. a garage makeover to allow us to house all of our donations.
needs shelving unit, paint, piece of carpet would be great.
lots of tupperware boxes. and a few folks to help me put it all
together.

2. gift cards to target, safeway, gas cards.

3. 5 hours a week of volunteer time.

4. some more diaper donation drop off points.
need sunnyvale, mountain view, cupertino, san jose, los gatos.
let me know if you would like to volunteer.

5. encouragement that this is all worth it!!!

Latest Update on the Diaper and Funds Drive!!

Greetings.

So far we have received some very generous donations!!!

40 cases of diapers!! - svmomsblog
all of which will be donated by the end of the week.

$2,000- yeh!! -svmomsblog

$2,500- yeh! - pamp mom

and a challenge grant- pamp mom
for the next $2500 to come in,
it will be matched dollar for dollar.
total worth- $5000
-$50 received. - pamp mom
$2450 still needed.

we are well on our way of meeting this year's goal of $31,200

please tell your friends!!!
thanks, megan

From Big Heart Designs, Fleece Stroller Blanket with Ribbon Ties.

This is the perfect gift!!! A snugglie, soft stroller blanket with ribbon ties. The ribbons are tied to the stroller so you will not lose another blanket!!! The size is approx. 28" x 28". This print is called "dogs gone wild". Each blanket is $14.00, shipping is included within the U.S.

Email me with your fabric selection, the quantity desired and your mailing address.
I will email you back a total, which can be paid through paypal.com using my email address of mrosenhart@yahoo.com as the recipient. Once I receive payment confirmation, I will send it out to you!! Easy as that!

25% of all sales will be donated to Project Warm Hug!!!

Here are two other designs of the fleece stroller blanket; "flower power" and "navy and white stars". I have limited amounts of each. Made from 100% polyester fleece. Throw it in the washer and dryer! The trick to washing fleece is to make sure that there is no velcro, no rough fabrics, no denim jeans in the wash with it. Wash soft fabrics with soft fabrics to keep them soft!!!

Diaper Donation Drop-off Locations.

Diaper Drop-off Locations... so far, if you are interested in being a drop-off location please let me know. mrosenhart@yahoo.com thanks!!!

Please ONLY leave diapers at these locations.

kathy- redwood city.
2532 McGarvey at Connecticut;
please leave them on the porch.

wendy- los altos.
794 Sunshine
cross street springer
please leave diapers on the porch.

marquerite- palo alto
3080 Cowper
south of oregon expy
please leave diapers on the porch.

julie- menlo park
1339 orange
cross street valpariso.
please leave diapers on the porch.


Celeste- Daly City
145 W. Moltke St
Daly City, Cacross street is Station Ave
you can leave donations behind the gate.


megan- campbell
i am usually at the campbell
farmers market on sundays from
9-1pm. i am in the artist section.
our booth has a blue playroom foam floor.
650-468-3065
call ahead to make sure i am there.

our financial wish list.

hi all.

UPDATED!! AS OF AUGUST 20TH.

for those of you who have asked... here is our financial wishlist.

for july and august's expenses-
$400 asap! by today. 8/13! RECEIVED!!
$1400 by august 15th. RECEIVED!!

for september- december's expenses. RECEIVED!!
$800 by september 1st
$800 by october 1st
$800 by november 1st
$800 by december 1st

for reimbursement of november 2006- june 2007. $2000 RECEIVED SO FAR.
$10,000 by december 31st.

for megan's "stipend" for the last 14 months.
$14,000 by december 31st.

that will catch us up!!! TOTAL STILL NEEDED- $22,000

2008 budget is being created based. tba.
likely around $30,000 for the entire year.

a thank you from a mom...

megan,
i wanted to express my gratitude for the beautiful clothes for my son, xxxxx.
thank you so much for the diapers for both of my children. everything did really come in handy during this time of hardship for me. thank you again. xxxx


this is why i do what i do.
megan

updated diaper and funds drive.

hi all.

our diaper cupboard is bare. we donated out our last pack of diapers today. we have requests for diapers that could equal more than 2000 a week!!!! so the original 5000 diapers hoped for needs to be increased to at least 10,000 if not 20,000.

our bank account is bare. i personally paid for july's expenses of $900. i am in dire need of reimbursement in order to cover my july/august bills. $15,000 is still the magic number to pay for our expenses 11/06-12/31/07. these are all out of pocket expenses, no payroll.

please email me directly with any questions, suggestions,...
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

thanks so much, megan

Summer Diaper and Funds Drive- August!!

Hi all.

Happy summer... and it is going by so fast...

I have implemented a diaper and funds drive both in san mateo county and in santa clara county,(along with friends outside). I am hoping that if you are interested, you will copy these words and create a flyer to hand out to friends, family, our business, our service organization... Meeting our goals are critical for this program to continue.

We have added the Pre-natal to Three program as one of our recipients. We are going through 1000's of diapers each month with this program alone. We have just emptied out our diaper shelves again!!! This means we have donated close to 5500 diaperss in the last month. I have added in our drop off information. You can use additional drop off locations if you want to.

Thanks so much. Megan.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Project Warm Hug's
Summer Diaper and Funds Drive
August 1st- 31st.

Project Warm Hug hopes to receive at least-

5000 diapers, of all sizes
and
$5000
for
Project Warm Hug to continue to
serve our local children in need.

Diapers can be dropped off at: email me with your address,
i will be doing pick ups once a month.

Financial donations can be sent to 174 Spruce Ave, Menlo Park, Ca.
or through paypal.com using mrosenhart@yahoo.com as the recipient.

Project Warm Hug is in it's 4th year of service
Last year, Project Warm Hug donated over 20,000 items
to our local children in need. It's operating out of
pocket expenses this year are $7500 per county. For a
total of $15,000, both San Mateo and Santa Clara
counties are being served this year.

So far this year only $1500 has been received. Megan
Rosenhart runs Project Warm Hug as a way to carry
forward her family legacy of humanitarian work. Megan
is a single mom, who donates her time to continue her
community investment of serving our local children in
need. It is vital that a total of $15,000 is received
this year in order to continue this program.

For more info- go to...

projectwarmhug.blogspot.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________


please email me with any questions. thanks again. megan.
(i will be out of town, no cell, no email from 7/31-8/4th.)

urgent. diaper drive update.

greetings friends and family.

i started a diaper drive for project warm hug
a month ago. we have collected and distributed
over 3000 diapers so far.

now i have requests that i can't fill!

our shelves are bare and i need your help.

we are in dire need of more diapers-
if you have loose diapers,
open packs, can buy an extra pack,
can donate a gift card from a store
where we can buy diapers.

i will be coordinating a pick up run next week.
let me know if you need a pick up.

if you are able to set up a drive at your work,
church, office, business.... please let me know and i
will make sure you have the flyers you need.

while this was a summer drive... it is now a
year-round drive. diapers are our most requested
item!!

thank you so much.
megan

Just the beginning of our July update.

summer greetings!

in the last three weeks a lot has been accomplished!

project warm hug has made three large donations to local organizations that deliver our donations right to the families in need.

i will get the first two's numbers up shortly, but i can tell you that the
san mateo county, pre to three program just received-

1 stroller
740 diapers
14 cans of formula
1 bottle of lotion
35 pieces of maternity clothing
and 150 items of newborn clothing.

thanks to all of you who donate to us!

__________________________________________________________

thank you to the palo alto menlo park parent's club, project warm hug received it's first grant since last august!!! for $1500! thank you so much!!!

___________________________________________________________

thank you all who have been pariticpating in our diaper drive. it looks like we have collected and donated close to 3000 diapers so far. this program is going to continue through the end of august. please email me if you have diapers to donate, open packs are fine, new packs are great, wipes are great too. i will let you know where the closest drop off place is, or when i will be in the area to pick up.

___________________________________________________________

we are beginnning to receive target gift cards, any amount is welcome. we will use these cards to purchase uniforms for the children in shelters who need them for school. please mail them to megan rosenhart c/o 174 spruce ave. menlo park, ca 94025.
please note, this is not a drop off location for items. just our mailing address.

___________________________________________________________

changes to decrease our expenses.... we have consolidated our san jose storage to one unit. this will save ~~ $150 a month. we are beginning to consolidate our redwood city storage into a smaller location as well. hope to save another ~150.

with these changes... our annual budget from November 2006- December 2007 for out of pocket expenses is $15,150~ of which only $1500 has been covered. this does not include any compensation for the program director. that's me!

please, please, please.... participate in our community fundraising program!!

announcing project warm hug's community fundraising program.

we need #151 families to donate $20 dollars a month for the next 5 months.

5 dollars a week. that is less than 2 lattes!!!

in order for me, megan to receive a $1500 a month salary... yes, $18000 a year. that is less than $9.00 an hour on a full time basis....
another 180 famiilies need to donate $20 a month for the next 5 months.

so in total.

we need #331 families to donate $20 a month for the next 5 months.

it is that simple.

donations are tax deductible!!!

send to- megan rosenhart c/o 174 spruce ave. menlo park, ca 94025.

that is it for now!
thanks for all of your support.

megan

New Pick Up date for the Diaper Drive; Saturday, June 30th.

Our next pick up date has been changed from Friday to SATURDAY, JUNE 30th!!!

Email me with your address, pick ups from Mountain View to Redwood City!

If you are able to leave a few dollars for gas expense, we would appreciate it!
Leave it in an envelope taped to the diapers!

Thanks so much.
megan

Campbell Farmers Market- Sundays from 9-1pm

Take a little field trip and drive to Campbell on a Sunday... and visit us at the Farmers Market.

It is a great market, huge!!!! and with a dozen or so artist vendors.

Big Heart Designs is now a vendor!!! and selling our whimisical little girl dresses by Polka Dot Millie. We are also selling a number of baby items that are great gifts!! Each week we feature new items!! A portion of all sales is donated to Project Warm Hug.

Hwy 17- west to Hamilton. Continue forward... and turn left on Central.

Hope you can stop by and say hi!!

p.s. i am in the finishing stage of setting up an online shop for all Big Heart Designs items!!! i will post the info when it is completed.

Our Upated Wishlist.

Wow, miracles do happen!!!

We now have a washer and dryer!!!

We now have a digital camera!!!

We now have a printer!!!

We still need-

Gift Cards from Target... to purchase tupperware bins to store diapers in.

Gift Cards from Home Depot/Orchard Supply... to purchase a storage shed for donations.

Gift Cards from Gas Companies.... to purchase gas with.

Volunteer hours.

Funding.

thanks!!!

Our Summer Diaper Drive has begun!!!

Our Summer Goal.

Receive 15,000 diapers!

Receive $15,000 in donations!

So far, last week we received approx. 900 diapers!!! 8 hours of pick ups, 6 u-turns, a tank of gas, a package of bubble yum, a package of cheddar goldfish for my son, and lots of water to drink.

So far, The Palo Alto Menlo Park Parents Club has granted us with a $1500 donation.

The next pick up date will be NEXT friday, June 29th. If you have diapers to donate, please email me at mrosenhart@yahoo.com and leave me with your address, cross street and phone number. Leave your diapers out on Friday. I am also asking for a few diapers for gas money. Please leave it in an envelope with PWH on it. Tape it to the diapers!!!

How else can you help??? Have a diaper drive at work, at church, in your neighborhood,.... we can use all the help we can get!!!

We are currently 6 months behind in fundraising, that is $7800!!! If you have a few extra dollars, or if your business provides community grants/assistance.... please help us as you can.

I will update our diaper/donation drive weekly!

Thanks so much, Megan

p.s. diapers are still our number one request. all of the diapers will be donated to local family shelters, local organizations that assistance lo-income families and local organizations that assist families that are affected by incarceration.
La Casita/St Francis Center, Shelter Network, Elsa Segovia, Friends Outside.

June's First Update!

Summer Greetings!

I have a lot of share with you! Lots of opportunities!

DIAPER DRIVE-
diapers are still our most requested item. any size, open packs are fine. wipes would also be great. next friday, i will be doing a day of pick ups. email me with your address and i will pick up on the 15th.

FARMERS MARKET-
i have submitted my big heart designs collection and it was approved! by urban village farmers market association. as an artist vendor, it will be likely that i am at a different location each week. i will post this information.
this week; sunday from 9-1pm we will be at the CAMPBELL farmers market. for additional information email me at mrosenhart@yahoo.com
i will be debuting the cutest collection of little girl's dresses, totes for mommy and me, aprons for daddy and me (great for father's day). and car seat covers that come off easily for washing. the portion of every sale will be donated back to project warm hug. this is the first step for us to become self sufficient.

HUGE DONATION DELIVERED TODAY-
project warm hug delivered over 300 items of clothing today, 2 crib mattresses, a bouncy chair and a bathtub to St. Francis Center in Redwood City. they are in need of diapers, tampax, double strollers, car seats for toddlers, maternity clothing. if you have any of these items, email me and i will pick up next friday.

BUDGET CUTS IN ORDER TO STAY AFLOAT-
i have our monthly budget down to absolute bare bones. simply with the cost of storage and gas, we need $500 a month of our san mateo county recipients and $500 a month of our santa clara county recipients. any kind of financial donation is greatly appreciated. yes, it is tax deductible!

OUR WISH LIST-

a washer and dryer, so we can wash the lost and found we collect. (also need it personally, it would save me so much time and effort to be able to wash from home)

a canopy for the farmers markets, orchard supply has the one we want.
donation of $120.00

gift cards for target, gas, joannes fabrics. all are very useful for items throughout the month.

tupperware tubs- for sorting donations. we need about 20 at each location. target has a version that is $3.99. perfect size. donation of $80.00

any leads on summer events where artist vendors are welcome!

anyone want to host a big heart design trunk show??? lots of fun!
and you can receive really cute clothing as a thank you. i am hoping to be able to have one trunk show a month!
for more information... bigheartdesigns.blogspot.com

thanks so much for your support.
look for another update next week!!!
megan

update as of May 19th, 2007

while this isn't the first of the month, or the last of the month... i happen to have a few extra minutes and wanted to take advantage of this time to update our blogspot.

as you have read in previous blogs, project warm hug is going through a lot of transition. we have closed our offices, have been consolidating our storage spaces, and generally trying to decrease our expenses any way possible so we can stay afloat.

i had a big eye opener this past week. i tallied up all of the expenses i have paid for project warm hug since 1/1/07 and tallied up all of my personal/family expeneses that need to be paid asap.

well, the amount that i have spent and the amount i need are nearly exactly the same. as i sat in a meeting with the family self sufficiency team this past week, i was trying to explain why i was there asking for their assistance.
the answer was simple, my investment in our community and to friends outside of santa clara, my commitment to completing our business lease and my determination to make this all work.... had compromised my personal finances.

it was asked why don't i just close down project warm hug??? simple, there is no where else that families in need can request diapers... let alone receive the children's clothing and items needed.
i now understand from the viewpoint of these families. my family is now a project warm hug client. if it wasn't for project warm hug, my son wouldn't have clothes, the toys, the books, and the diapers he has now.

this understanding makes me even more determined to make project warm hug stay afloat. i have cut our budget from $72,000 last year which was actually closer to $50,000 down to $13,800. YES $13,800. that is all we need to stay afloat to cover out of pocket expenses. $500 a month for San Mateo county and $500 a month of Santa Clara county. what that includes is storage space for the donations, a place also to sort and inventory AND barely enough gas to cover the pick ups and deliveries.... that is it. no salaries, no office, no advertising... the extra $1800 is for rent paid for the first 3 months.

so i ask you to please think of friends that like to donate to a good cause. we are one, and we need your help. currently we are $6800 behind... and have 7 more months to go. we donated over 21,000 items last year. this year, we have set up a children's clothing closet for friends outside which contains over 3000 items including maternity and teen clothing- and lots of diapers. i would like to set up the same for shelter network and elsa segovia family shelter in the next month.

we are set up on paypal. using mrosenhart@yahoo.com as the recipient address.

so other than just asking for money.... i have created a children's clothing and accessories business called big heart designs. we debuted last week with great success. for every item sold, project warm hug receives $3. (bigheartdesigns.blogspot.com)

polka dot millie- whimiscal and wacky clothing for girls... 2t -6t. ready to sell!!!

retro willy- funky and fun clothing for boys... 2t-6t will be ready in another couple of weeks.

carseat slipcovers for britax car seats are ready to sell!!!
an easy on and easy off cover made from terry cloth. use it until it gets dirty. pop it off and wash it... and pop it back on. you do not need to take apart the car seat to change this cover. it goes right over the original! and is only $24.00 for the first 20 sold. other fabrics and designs will be made, Fleece for winter!!!

i am hoping to be able to sell at one of the local farmers markets in the next couple of weeks. i will update you with this information.

lastly... thank you all who have been so supportive in the past. we certainly wouldn't be able to serve our community without you.

with warm hugs. megan

Vendors, Sponsors and Advertisers- May 2007

A Celebration of Motherhood
Saturday, May 11th, 2007
A benefit for Project Warm Hug.

Featuring:

Big Heart Designs~
children’s clothing~ designed,
created and marketed by moms.
Megan Rosenhart, mrosenhart@yahoo.com
bigheartdesigns.blogspot.com

Silpada Designs~
Beautiful sterling silver jewelry!
Jean Barbagelata
j_barbagelata@hotmail.com

My Busy Kits~
Lorraine and Annabel
www.mybusykit.com

Silent Auction Contributors
Big Heart Designs- Megan Rosenhart
Usborne Books- Megan Rosenhart
Silpada Designs- Jean Barbagelata
My Busy Kits- Lorraine and Annabel


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Pampered Chef.
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Usborne Books.
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order direct- www.ubah.com/g2302

~~~A Celebration of Motherhood~~~

A Celebration of Motherhood

Afternoon Tea and Garden Party

***

Saturday, May 12th from noon-4pm

in the garden at 174 spruce ave.

menlo park, ca

***

introducing big heart designs

children's clothing and accessories

designed, created and marketed by moms.

***

showcasing

local women artists

local women-owned businesses

***

great silent auction!!!

***

a benefit for project warm hug!

***

for vendor, advertising or sponsorship information,

please contact megan at mrosenhart@yahoo.com

***

hope to see you on the 12th!

Our April Update.

hi all.

sorry it has been so long since my last update.
life has been moving very quickly these past few months.
lots of updates for you. so here we go...

1. Office update- Our Menlo Park office/studio/shop... closed the end of March. Two strong reasons for this decision. One, we don't have funding yet this year, and I couldn't afford to cover the rent. Second, I was finding it harder and harder to be on the second floor, carrying a toddler and stroller. I know that many of you were also have trouble with this. So when our lease ran out, I chose not to re-new.

2. Location- We are now working out of a storage unit in Redwood City and the back of my SUV!. I will have a monthly drop off location in Menlo Park. It will likely be the 1st Saturday of the month. Along with being a drop off day, we will also be hosting a "yard sale". I will post the date for May soon.

3. Finances- This time last year, we had already received $20,000 in funding. This year we are in the red by about $5800 so far. I have reduced our overhead to $865 a month before any stipends. This allows us to have storage/warehouse space in Redwood City for Shelter Network and one in San Jose for Friends Outside of Santa Clara. At this point, the $5800 needs to be recovered and the $865 for the next 8 months needs to be received.

4. Programs- In our current situation, I am able to continue to receive donations ( children's clothing, diapers, and some larger items as needed) and deliver to both Shelter Network and Friends Outside. I have set up a Children's Clothing Closet for both locations. This allows the case workers to pick up what their families need as it is needed. In addition to gently worn children's clothing, our biggest need is diapers. All sizes, open packs are fine.

5. Additional programs from last year-
The End of the Year Lost and Found Program. Last year we picked up the end of the year lost and found from over 16 local schools. We received an awesome amount of great clothing. To continue this program, we need at least $2500. I figure we did about 100 loads of laundry. At $15 a load for the time and expense, and $50 for the pick up (gas and time) . I already have a number of the schools asking if we are going to do this again. We need funding for this to happen again....
The Chocolate Bunny Program. Last year we delivered 304 chocolate bunnies to the children we serve. Unfortunately, we did not have the funding to be able to do this program this spring. Hopefully next year, we will be able to do this again.

6. Our wish list-
a digital camera- we have a few items we can sell on eBay to raise money.
gas cards- my SUV uses up gallons of gas each week picking up and delivering donations.
gift cards- for our supplies as we need them.
diapers, diapers, diapers.... or gift cards to purchase them.
lots and lots of Tupperware boxes to organize our donations in. $3.99 at target.
volunteer hours... to sort donations, to inventory, to pick up and to deliver.

I am hopeful that our fourth year will continue to be successful! Project Warm Hug is dedicated to providing warm clothing, dry diapers and cool books to local children in need. The majority of the children we serve either affiliated with Shelter Network or Friends Outside of Santa Clara.

Please take a look at our latest venture to becoming self sufficient at:
bigheartdesigns.blogspot.com

thanks so much.
Megan

Time to sew- uniform pants for kids

It has been near impossible to find basic black pants for the kids at haven family house. So, we are going to make them. The first project time will be on Saturday, March 24th from 2-4pm. Let me know if you would like to sign up!!! We have a $50 donation so far to purchase fabrics.

What has happened to the Polka Dot Shop???

The Polka Dot Shop was started and ran through the holiday season. It was clear to me that the amount of time I was spending at the shop would be much better used by being available for pick ups and deliveries for Project Warm Hug. So, instead of having a shop with regular business hours, Project Warm Hug will schedule quarterly boutiques! I will post the details on this blog!

Past, Present and Future.... we are moving into our 4th year!!!

greetings.

wow, i can't believe so much time has passed since my last update. an amazing amount of progress has been happening with project warm hug. here's a recap of the past, what is happening now and what is about to happen!!!

winter 2006- project warm hug gifted well over 1000 gifts to local children in need. these gifts were a combination of toys from cheeky monkey, wonderful children's books, fleece scarves and hats made by local kids and moms, and a collection of new toys donated by local families. thank you all!!! it was an amazing holiday season!

january 2007- i have to admit it took me awhile to recover from the frenzy of our holiday season. once the fog had lifted... it was time to move forward into our 2007 programs. the wheels started rolling on a collaboration with friends outside of santa clara. friends outside is an organization that my grandmother started over 50 years ago. friends outside serves families that have been affected by incarceration. it is my intention for our next year to become more involved with fewer organizations.

february 2007- valentines! is here and time for our See's Candies Fundraiser. thanks to a couple of great sales gals, project warm hug raised $350.00. this money was used for securing a storage unit for friends outside's donations. yes!!! project warm hug has been adopted as an affiliate program of friends outside! we are going to be able to serve many more families in need.

march 2007- only 2.5 hours left of our third year! at the beginning of this year, i set out a goal of 5000 items donated with a budget of $28.000. as we quickly achieved this goal in just a few months, i raised our goal to 10,000 items with a budget of $50,000. before i knew it we had achieved this goal. i raised our goal just one more time to 12,000 items, then to 15,000... with a final budget of $72,000.

here is the good news!- it looks like we will surpass #20,000 items!!! i will post the final count next friday... i am still counting!

here is the bad news!- of the $72,000, we only raised just over $40,000. basically our budget is based on $5.00 an item donated, so with 20,000 items donated we really should have raised $100,000. our efforts have surpassed our fundraising... we are in dire need of financial assistance to make it through another year.

here is the good news again. Project Warm Hug now has 501c3 status!!! and hopefully the checks will start rolling in!

thank you all for your support, your donations, your encouragement!

... now my thoughts and plans for our fourth year.

beginning march 4th, project warm hug is going to kick off it's spring fundraiser.

Diapers, Dollars and Chocolate Bunnies-

Diapers- Diaper Drive. The number one donation request is diapers. We never have enough. If you have an open pack that you are not using, or you can buy an extra pack the next time you shop... we need all sizes. a number of locations will be taking diaper donations. in the meantime, give me a jingle and i will schedule a pick up. or if you are in downtown menlo park on a weekend, you can drop them off at my office; 1030 curtis street, suite 201.

Dollars- Yes, we need dollars. All financial donations are welcome! This year our budget is based on $6.00 an item. $1.00 will be donated back to one of the organizations we serve, $5.00 will be used for supporting our efforts. Go to Paypal.com, if use my email address- mrosenhart@yahoo.com, your donations will be deposited into our business account.

Chocolate Bunnies- Last year we were able to donate 304 See's Chocolate Bunnies to the local kids that we serve. Our goal this year is to donate 1000 bunnies. For $10.00, you receive a bunny and you give a bunny. This is a great program for schools, social organizations and so on... to get involved with. Please let me know if you are interested in buying and or selling!

How can you help???

Donate a few hours...

Donate your children's outgrown gently worn clothing.

Donate diapers.

Donate a gift card.

Adopt Project Warm Hug as your school's, business's, organization's non-profit to support.

Tell a friend about us!

also on our wish list.

Large plastic bins- at Target for only $3.99.
we need 100! to organize our storage units.

my hopes for our fourth year.

that project warm hug can effortlessly donate 15,000 to each friends outside and to shelter network.

that this goal can be accomplished effortlessly with community support.

that project warm hug can receive the financial support necessary to accomplish this goal.

that project warm hug can begin to become financially self sufficient through sales of a collection of children's clothing and blessing gowns that megan has designed and will be producing with the help of local moms. lots more on this topic in the next blog update.

thanks again.
with many warm hugs.
megan