 |
 Letter from the President/CEO
...At the Heart of
Practicing
Kindness
It's hard to believe that we are already seeing back-to-school photos posted online. In addition to making sure our children have their lunchboxes, backpacks and school supplies ready to go, let's remind them (and ourselves) to be kinder to one another!
Science shows that it takes three weeks to form a habit, so consider joining people across the country in the Born This Way Foundation's
"21 Days to Be Kind" Challenge
September 1 - 21. It's a great opportunity to find at least one way to express kindness and compassion to others and to ourselves each day. This challenge coincides with National Suicide Prevention Month and your kind words/actions may make more of an impact than you know. Share your experiences on social media with the hashtag #BeKind21 and encourage others in your network to join you!
Need an easy way to get started? Try one of these ideas (the first three are explained in more detail in articles below):
Purchase items from our Shelf-Stable Shopping List and donate them to Food For Kids
Donate toothbrushes and toothpaste to our Operation Teddy Bear Dental Supply Drive
Make a purchase from our new Amazon Wish List and use our AmazonSmile link when you check out
Decorate a rock with an inspirational message and leave it for someone to find
Pay for the person behind you in line when getting your morning coffee
Make time for yourself - do something you love to do
Pick up and discard a piece of trash on the ground
Give someone - or yourself - a compliment
Write someone a handwritten note
You can find more ideas here!
|
Restocking For the New School Year
...At the Heart of Providing Food For Kids in 18-19
We're preparing for the new school year by restocking our food pantry, so we can continue to distribute bags of food to eligible students and their families each week through Food For Kids. We've recently made some updates to our Shelf-Stable Shopping List, so consider taking it with you next time you go to the store and pick up some items to donate! We've also made it easy to support Food For Kids through Amazon.com by creating a Wish List (see full details below).
We accept food pantry donations at our office in Torrance (1230 Cravens Ave.) Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. There are also a variety Food For Kids donation boxes around town thanks to support from the Torrance Community Credit Union, Alex and Ani at Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance Theatre Company's summer musical at the Armstrong Theatre, and a South Bay Food Drive coordinated by South Bay Mommies and Daddies and Avenue Mama (click here to see a list of participating businesses).
We are so grateful for the support we continue to receive from the local community. In addition to the food drives above, Erika Edwards of E3 Real Estate held one of her regular food drives, donating more than 450 pounds of food in June; the Finance Division of America Honda Motor Co. held their own food drive, donating nearly 450 pounds of food in July; and Margaret Schugt held a donation drive at her birthday party in August, donating nearly 20 pounds of food, as well as dental supplies! If you would like more information on how to hold a food drive of your own or you have a large donation to drop off, please contact Trisha Smith at [email protected] or (310) 212-5009.
|
Dental Supply Drive for Operation Teddy Bear
...At the Heart of Helping Kids with Dental Hygiene
One of the most coveted items in our Operation Teddy Bear schoolbag is the toothbrush. It may seem hard for many of us to believe, but a majority of the students we serve through the program share a toothbrush with family members, if they have one at all. Since we want the students to focus on school, NOT on how they haven't brushed their teeth, we are conducting an Operation Teddy Bear Dental Supply Drive now through September 28! Next time you're at the store, please consider picking up some single, individually-packaged toothbrushes and/or travel-sized
toothpaste
. Donations can be dropped off in the lobby of our office in Torrance (1230 Cravens Ave.) Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
We've made it easy to support the Dental Supply Drive through Amazon.com by adding items to our new Wish List (see full details below). You can also ask your dentist to donate a box of either or both of these items. Email Liz Reinhardt at [email protected] if you would like a printable request letter to take with you when you visit your dentist.
|
| More Ways to Help with Amazon.com
...At the Heart of Community Support Made Easy
So many of us do our shopping online these days... if that sounds like you and you're shopping through Amazon.com, we've made it easy for you to support Food For Kids and the Operation Teddy Bear Dental Supply Drive by creating an Amazon.com Wish List! Skim the list here and consider adding something to your cart. These items will be sent directly to the Volunteer Center, and if you use AmazonSmile during check out, we will also benefit from the total purchase (click here for our AmazonSmile donation page or simply set us as the charity you support through this program).
|
Follow Us On Instagram and Help Fuel Our Posts
...At the Heart of Spreading Awareness Through Social Media
In addition to
our Facebook page, there is another place to connect with us and keep up with what we're doing: Instagram! Follow us
@thevolunteercenter and see what we're up to #AtTheHeartOfHelping, including some of these recent posts shown above.
It's also very easy to help us make a difference on both Facebook and Instagram with just the click of a mouse or the tap of a finger. When you see our posts, click
like and this simple action will help fuel our posts so they are seen by more people!
Did you also know the more you like, comment on or share a post for a specific person or an organization like ours, the more you will see their posts? If you're not seeing our posts regularly, visit our page and interact with them... we post multiple times a week and you don't want to miss out!
|
Featured Volunteer Opportunity
|
|
|
Join Team Torrance
for Coastal Clean Up Day!
Saturday, September 15
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Miramar Park in Torrance
For more information about volunteering, click here or contact Leslie Cortez at the City of Torrance at
(310) 618-5864 or [email protected].
|
|
THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS:
|
|
The Volunteer Center
South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach
|
The Volunteer Center South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach recognizes the valuable role volunteers play in our society and has been "at the heart of helping" for more than 50 years. We recruit and refer volunteers to more than 400 nonprofit organizations in our service area, as well as for our own signature programs, Operation Teddy Bear and Food For Kids. Potential volunteers can contact us to obtain information and connect with just the right service experience, fulfilling our mission of "mobilizing people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community needs." Visit www.volcenter.org to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
