Home

Blanketing Arizona 2009!!

December 16, 2009

Hi all,

I have finally updated the 2009 Event Information tab with logistics for next week! About time - I know! Please shoot me an e-mail (ssalomon@optimaexp.com) if I haven’t already talked to you about your donations and pickup this weekend so I can ensure we include all of the great stuff you’ve gathered in the service next week.

Also just one more Thank You for donations…SOUTHWEST AIRLINES has generously agreed to donate Hot Chocolate and Coffee for up to 1000 people!! Amazing! Thank you so much Southwest Airlines! As a side note, I travel quite frequently and fly Southwest all the time - great staff, great planes and their new boarding procedure is awesome! Go fly somewhere with Southwest!!

Thank you, thank you for all you’ve done!

See you all next week!

December 5, 2009

I hope you all had a fun and festive Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends!

I just had to write and share some FANTASTIC NEWS!! Our good friends, the Fourlis Family, have found a chili sponsor and a cornbread sponsor for Blanketing Arizona for this year!!

Scott Snyder from Scott’s Generations on North 7th Street in Phoenix has generously agreed to donate 40 GALLONS OF CHILI! Please give your thanks to Scott and his family by stopping by their restaurant for a great meal or consider using their catering service for your holiday party!  They can be reached at 602-277-5662.  Check out their website at www.scottsgenerations.com.  Thank you Scott’s Generations!

Karen Worth, the General Manager at Marie Callender’s at 4573 E. Cactus Road in Phoenix has also agreed to donate CORNBREAD (ENOUGH FOR 300 PEOPLE!!) for our Christmas Eve service - amazing!  Don’t forget to reach out to Marie Callender’s at www.mariecallenders.com or 602-996-0622 to say thanks and to order one (or more!) of their fantastic holiday pies!

Last (but certainly not least), our good friends, the Hager Family, have rounded up 10 CASES OF WATER generously donated by Ray Hager’s employer, Republic National Distributing Company. Thank you RNDC!!

For those of you who have been rounding up chili for us, don’t think your efforts have gone to waste!  We will definitely take it and if we don’t use it Christmas Eve morning, we will donate it, along with other leftovers, to one of the shelters close by.

Thank you, thank you to everyone who is making the effort to bring Blanketing AZ to life again this year.  We have had an enormous response so far.  It’s pretty overwhelming how much everyone wants to make a difference!

I will keep you posted on progress and I’ll post logistics soon!

Happy Collecting!

Shaney

November 2009:

Wow! 2009 has gone by so fast and it has been a year we won’t soon forget. The economy has taken a toll on each of us in some way – some have simply been inconvenienced, most have been profoundly affected either personally or by watching their close friends and family deal with the effects – and it has been a big challenge to keep spirits up, hope growing and things chugging along as normal.

We are all paying closer attention to the important things in life – family, friends, health and more simple ways to celebrate and enjoy what we have. It’s a great time to draw closer together and share the good things we do have with those who have nothing….

That’s what Blanketing Arizona is all about!

In the past, we have had the luxury of having a great Chili Sponsor in my good friend, Carol Dawson and her Chef, Jill, from Country Glazed Ham. Sadly, CGH was closed for good this summer and we’re going to need to get creative for what to serve this year. Our favorite blanket organizer, Barb Dickerson, has been contacting places like Chipotle (no go) and Chick-Fil-A (maybe) to see if they are interested in donating pre-wrapped sandwiches or meals to our cause. If we can get enough meals like that, then add to it all the great cookies, pastries and homemade goodies we had last year, I think we will be just fine. If we can’t get donations on that grand of a scale, we’re all going to need to pitch in!

I am open to your suggestions! What I’d like to try to do is head in a direction for food collectively, for instance, if we do chili, then we make enough where that is the main meal, same for sandwiches, etc, instead of having a hodgepodge of main dishes that all need a different serving method. You get the idea…so bring it on! Tell me what you can/want to do and I’ll see what we get the most of and we’ll get it together from there. Also, if you are in the restaurant biz (or have a friend whose arm you can twist who is) and would be interested in taking on the chili donation, please let me know ASAP.

More details are below and in case you are a first timer to our event or communications….

…A LITTLE HISTORY

The Blanketing Arizona idea started in 2006 when our family made its traditional Christmas Eve visit to the homeless shelter to donate bulk groceries for their Christmas service. There are always hundreds of homeless waiting around for the shelter to open and that year, we had many come up to our truck saying they were cold and asking for blankets. We decided the following year we’d do just a little more than usual…and that’s how Blanketing Arizona was born!

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BE INVOLVED?

• Gather blankets and sleeping bags – use groups like schools, dance, PTA, Boy and Girl Scouts, work, sports and church to garner support and hold blanket drives – even a few blankets help!
• Find us (or become) a Chili Sponsor!
• Put on your thinking cap around options for a meal if the chili doesn’t work out this year
• Spread the word – forward this mail to family and friends and ask for their support
• Donate supplies like bottled water, chips, utensils, small Styrofoam cups, and carrying trays (like from McDonald’s – flat or with drink holders), for the food service
• Donate the use of long camp tables for the service line
• Gather blankets from the donation sites and deliver them to us for distribution
• Help transport items to the site on Christmas Eve
• Help serve meals and hand out blankets on Christmas Eve morning

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

Let me know how you’d like to help

Start gathering blankets as soon as possible. It seems early but Christmas is only 7 weeks from now! Let me know as soon as possible where you have collection sites and what your blanket goals are and keep me posted on progress over the next few weeks. We will need to finalize collections and gather blankets from collection sites no later than Friday, December 18th. You may drop them off to me until the 22nd.

Let me know what supplies (and how much) you intend to donate. Even small amounts from each person add up to big things so please don’t think you don’t have enough to give. We’ll take it!

Make arrangements with me to drop off – or have us pick up – whatever supply donations you have the first few weeks of December. The week of 12/18, I’ll take a final tally of donations we have received, and then will shop at Costco to fill in the gaps.

On Christmas Eve, we will plan to set up around 7am (depending on what food we’re serving, this may change, but we’ll keep you posted). Last year we had people waiting impatiently for service so as soon as the food is ready and the line is set up we’ll get moving.

The service location will be posted on the website soon!

ABOUT THE BLANKETS

We can use new or gently used, blankets, comforters and sleeping bags that are washed and ready to go. The thicker the better. Sleeping bags and heavy wool blankets were a prized possession over the years! Keep in mind that something you may consider too old or unattractive may be just perfect for someone else.

KEEPING UP TO DATE

There are only 7 weeks until Christmas Eve! Check back regularly @ our website, www.blanketingarizona.org for updates and information.

As always, you can reach out to me anytime on cell – 602-206-6139 or via e-mail ssalomon@optimaexp.com .

Please let me know how you’d like to get involved and how I can make your efforts easier. I’d also appreciate any feedback or suggestions from those involved in past events to make this year even better.

Together, we will make a big difference at the holidays this year!

Happy collecting -

Shaney

Check back often, we will be updating the site frequently, especially to add new features and to report on our progress as we try to collect as many items as we can! We did locate the video from the 2007 event. Thanks to Jack for finding it for us!