Cornhole is becoming a tradition at Salvation Army events and tomorrow is no exception. Thanks to a generous donation from Indy Custom Cornhole, we’ll have 2 cornhole sets ready for players tomorrow at Apple Fest on Monument Circle.

So, gather up a group of co-workers and head on over to the Circle any time between 10am – 3pm and put those lunch dollars to work for a good cause – homeless women and kids. Enjoy some freshly grilled sandwiches and a bag of chips from Applebee’s, sodas and water from Ricker’s, apple cobbler from GFS Marketplace and make it a la mode courtesy of Kroger.

We’ll even give you a chance to work off some calories when you throw a game of cornhole before heading back to the office.

We’ve got plenty of food and fun in store. So, spread the word, stop by the ATM and meet us there. We’ll be waiting!

Tomorrow is the last day you can help The Salvation Army while you enjoy a little end-of-summer fun with your family. Our friends at Indiana Beach are offering combo tickets to the thrill park and water park at one low price, just $19 – that’s a $17.95 savings per ticket! And the best part is that at $7 from each ticket comes back to Salvation Army programs that help us help our neighbors in need.

Just go here to buy tickets – but don’t just hit the ‘make a purchase’ button, click on the CLICK HERE and enter our promotional code SALVATIONARMY2010. Tickets can be used any time during the 2010 Indiana Beach season. Now THAT’S fun you can feel good about!

Nearly 500 Target stores participated in the one-day Target School Spree event in select regions across the country, including four here in the metro Indy area – 38th Street, Glendale, Nora and Southport. Each $80 Target GiftCard awarded as part of the program provided a child with the necessary supplies to go back to school in the fall, ready to learn.

It was clear that the kids also appreciated the gift from Target.  When third grader Tiara was asked what she thought about the shopping spree she said, “This is pretty cool.  I got everything I needed for school.  It’s been a good day.”

Thanks to all the folks at Target nationally and right here in Indy. They provided a fun environment with snacks and even games for the kids waiting their turn to shop. We especially appreciated the enthusiasm of their associates as they helped the kids check out at the end of the shop. Talk about “doing the MOST good”!

Who says that helping out has to be hard? We’re just asking you to take a day off and spend it at an amusement park! Our friends at Indiana Beach have been working with us to offer a discount day and now we’re ready to start spreading the word.

Now through August 21, you can buy Indiana Beach combo tickets to the thrill park and water park at one low price, just $19 – that’s a $17.95 savings per ticket! And the best part is that at $7 from each ticket comes back to Salvation Army programs that help us help our neighbors in need.

Just go here to buy tickets – but don’t just hit the ‘make a purchase’ button, click on the CLICK HERE and enter our promotional code SALVATIONARMY2010. Tickets can be used any time during the 2010 Indiana Beach season. Now THAT’S fun you can feel good about!

Our state has certainly felt the brunt of the economic downturn. And the trend continues in 2010 as unemployment hovers in the 10 percent range. About 43 percent of homeless schoolchildren in IPS are in kindergarten through third grade! These kids have difficulties concentrating, not knowing where they’ll sleep or where dinner will come from. In fact, these students are suspended from school at a rate of about twice the state average!

But thanks to our supporters, The Salvation Army’s Women’s and Children’s Shelter* can offer these kids some stability. Kids who stay in our shelter can count on healthy meals, warm beds and even homework help from our partners at Indy School on Wheels. The shelter isn’t a permanent solution – our counselors work with moms to get help with life skills, school or job placement and all the other resources they will need to break the cycle of joblessness, domestic violence and homelessness.

You can help us continue to provide these services to our littlest neighbors in need through the Homelessness Bites campaign. Find out how to get and fill a Bite Back box, donate online, sign up for our mobile VIP list or mark your calendar now for Apple Fest this October. For 1,500 kids in Indianapolis, homelessness bites. Bite back!

*nearly 1,100 women & children have been cared for in our shelter in 2010. Of the 204 who came to us in June, 76 were kids.

According to Huntington Bank’s 2010 Backpack Index, the average cost for a family to send a child to elementary school (with all the school recommended supplies and necessary clothing) is about $475. With the first days of school quickly approaching, parents are no doubt feeling the pressure of providing new shoes, back packs and school supplies. Add to that stress that many of the children from this morning’s shop are residents at our shelter or come from single-parent families with that parent working to support the family and also receiving assistance from the Army such as help with groceries and utility expenses.

Mrs. Lewis, who is now 94 years old, has provided shoes for children through The Salvation Army for five years. Mrs. Lewis grew up as an orphan, never having the luxury of new shoes for school. After enjoying a prosperous life together with her husband she wanted to give back to kids who may be less fortunate. Kalvin Henderson, proud recipient of Mrs. Lewis’ gift said, “I think she’s real nice and someone should be doing something nice for her too. I’d have to save my money for a long time to get shoes like this.”

Jo Ann Remender, Planned Giving Director for The Salvation Army says, “It’s not just meeting a physical need for these kids, it’s meeting an emotional need too. It’s preparing them for that first day of school, so they feel like they have all the necessary tools they need to be successful.”

Each of us has the means to make a difference in our community, to ‘Bite Back’ by giving of our time and resources. If you’re interested in helping your neighbors in need through The Salvation Army, give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

We’d like to thank West Coast Tacos for “doing the most good” and giving of their time and tacos to make it a special night for families who’ve been through a lot. And we can’t forget the generosity of the folks at TKO Graphix (they’re the ones who logo’d up the taco guys’ truck) who presented a collection for the cause and will help make it possible for this kind of event to happen again in the future. Thanks, everyone!

We know you believe in our cause – to end homelessness for Indy’s moms and kids - and now you know that West Coast Tacos and TKO Graphix do, too. So, check them both out on facebook. Find out where the guys will be serving up tacos next and sample for yourself. You’ll be glad you did!

The guys from West Coast Tacos are on a mission to bring LA-style tacos to the Hoosier Heartland, and they’re making sure to “do the most good” along the way. Yesterday, we saw an article at indystar.com that featured this start-up company and their growing success using facebook and twitter to grow a fan and customer base here in our city. Well, mouths started to water, so the Homelessness Bites crew decided that we should check them out.

That initial curiosity turned into a great partnership. West Coast Taco was looking for a non-profit to help out and we are that non-profit! Patrick, John and Arnold will be pulling their truck up to our Women and Children’s Shelter next weekend to feed them their afternoon meal. How great is that? These guys are giving of who they are to show these ladies and kids that their community cares about them.

So, check out their facebook page. Even better yet, “like” them and they’ll let you know where their truck will be parking to serve next. And thanks, West Coast Tacos. Way to ‘bite back’!

That’s how our ‘bite back’ box campaign started and how we got Mel McMahon involved. We wanted to give people like you an easy way to gather up those coins (and even dollars, too) and put that forgotten cash to good use. Your nickles, dimes and quarters will mingle with your co-workers’ and neighbors’ change and pretty soon, with enough help from our friends, we’ll turn those coins into a safe place to stay, education and a fresh start for moms and kids in need.

We pass out boxes at all of our events – like last week’s ‘Eat Outside the Box’ picnic at Veteran’s Memorial Plaza (they were in your lunch bags and on the tables). All you have to do is set it on your desk, your dresser or even the kitchen counter and fill it with your generosity. It’s a great way to get the kids involved with ‘doing the most good’, too!

And when it’s filled, you can return it to any central Indiana Salvation Army location, Two Men and a Truck location or any of our events – like Apple Fest on Monument Circle this October. We’ll gladly give it back for a refill, or use it to help someone else bite back. And there’s always a little incentive for returning boxes to events – at Apple Fest, we’re offering a FREE apple cobbler. Wahoo!

So, find that box or give Kristen a call at 224-1019 to get one. It’s an easy way to make a difference in the lives of Indy’s homeless moms and kids. Homelessness Bites. Bite Back!