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