Throw a game, support our shelter

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!

Tuchman Cleaners – Over 23 Years With Coats For Kids And Now There’s Free Dessert!

Tuchman Cleaners making deliveries for Coats for Kids 2009.

Tuchman Cleaners has been the official cleaner of Coats for Kids for over 23 years. Get this:  they’ve cleaned over 170,000 coats that were donated for children in the central Indiana area! Wow! That’s a lot of love being shown to kids who need it. And it couldn’t have been done without the dedication and hard work from the largest drycleaning company with continuous operations in Indiana.

Every year, Tuchman Cleaners collects and cleans winter coats donated by area residents for distribution to needy children in Indy. This year, from Labor Day until October 25th all central Indiana Tuchman stores will be accepting coats and cleaning them daily.  You can find a location near you by visiting Tuchman’s website.

But wait, there’s more! Bring a gently used coat to Apple Fest on October 7, at Monument Circle, drop it in Tuchman’s Coats for Kids box and we’ll reward you with a FREE warm apple cobbler dessert! We’ll be serving lunch too and all the proceeds go to our Homelessness Bites campaign. It’ll be a day filled with ways to make a difference in the lives of women and children in central Indiana. Together, we can bring warmth and hope to those in our community who need it most! A big Thank You to Tuchman Cleaners for Doing the Most Good in a monumental way!

A True Survivor – Biting Back

What goes around, comes around. And I mean that in the very best way. Here at The Salvation Army, we’re always trying to inspire you to get in the game and do your best at “Doing the Most Good.” If you’ve not been moved thus far, the following testimony of one woman’s gratitude towards the Army will inspire AND convict.  Again, in a good way. You see, this woman didn’t just come to us and find help and hope.  She discovered the joy of giving back – even before she was able to do so.  She discovered the importance of keeping the cycle going between giving and receiving.  Read her story and see how it can apply to your perspective about giving back out of the blessings that you’ve received.

My name is Donna*. My life has been saved! This is a literal statement because the abuse from my husband had progressed to the point where he was going to kill me. And even worse than that he would have done so in front of my three children. He had never abused the children before, but the signs were all present and I knew it was just a matter of time before he started on them too.

People say, “Leave him! Go!” But where do you go? There was nowhere in the area to go, no shelters. How are you supposed to get out safely? And if you have children it becomes even more complicated. You leave on the spur of the moment whenever the opportunity becomes available to you.

Then you find out all of the shelters are full, no rooms available. I left home in the middle of the night with my three children with very few personal belongings. Who was there for us? The Salvation Army was there. They had a room for us. In the middle of the night at 11:00pm they were there. My kids and I were finally safe. They first provided us with food, clothing, personal hygene items. After that they provided us with spiritual encouragement and hope. We stayed at The Salvation Army for several months until I was able to save up money for a safe apartment away from my abusive husband.

Currently I am still not at a place where I can give back, but when I am I will give generously so that The Salvation Army can be there for someone else in need. Thank you and God Bless.

Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.  Donna* is currently enrolled in our Continuing Support Program and she continues contact with her case manager once a week.

Coming up – an opportunity for YOU to give back, or “bite back” as we like to say here!

October 7 at Monument Circle in downtown Indy – 10am – 3pm.   Your lunch purchase will benefit programs for homeless and abused women and children, just like Donna*.

Bringin’ the apples to Apple Fest

We chatted with our friends from Adrian Orchards this week and they’re all fired up to share their amazing apples and cider with everyone at Apple Fest on October 7th. We’re thrilled to invite them back and spread the word about a local business with a heart for giving back to the community.

So, mark your calendar now to join us for Apple Fest on Monument Circle on Thursday, October 7 from 10am-3pm. Applebee’s is donating freshly-grilled sandwiches and chips so all proceeds from lunch will benefit programs for homeless and abused women and children. And bring a few extra bucks for some apples, because they’re seriously good!

Got a business or organization you’re looking to promote – how ’bout a booth at Apple Fest? Just $50 to reach about 1,000 lunchgoers with your message. Call Kristen at 224-1019 to learn more.

Indy homeless students up by 26%, Salvation Army offers help

Today’s Indy Star reports that IPS has seen a 26% increase in the homeless students. The article is pretty sobering – Indiana is tied for 27th in the nation for homeless enrollment – nearly 10,000 students.

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.

Salvation Army teams up with Applebee’s as food sponsor for Apple Fest

Since Applebee’s will generously provide the freshly grilled entrees for Apple Fest on 10/7, more of your lunch dollars will help us help Indy’s homeless kids. We’re thrilled to have the opporunity to work with their team to again this Fall to bring you quality food that’s donated for a great cause – our campaign to end homelessness for Indy’s kids.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be working out the details and planning an event that will be worth spending your lunch hour with us. We’re asking you to mark your calendar now for Thursday, October 7 on Monument Circle. All the proceeds from this event will provide shelter, mentoring, tutoring and other programs for kids and their moms who come to our shelter in need of a safe place to stay and fresh start.

Stay tuned for updates…

Emmis signs on for Apple Fest

We’re thrilled to be working with Emmis Communications as our promotional partner for this year’s Apple Fest on Monument Circle. It’s a perfect fit since we’re planning to “Eat in the Street for homeless kids” right in their front yard! All four Emmis stations – WIBC 93.1fm, B105.7fm, Hank 97.1fm and ESPN 1070 The Fan will be teaming up with us to spread the word about this lunchtime event on Thursday, October 7.

Mark your calendar to join us for freshly grilled food and warm apple cobbler. There’s lots to see and do at this event, so stay tuned for the details. And go here to find out how you can get involved this summer even before the first lunch-goer is served.

Interested in participating in the event as a booth sponsor? Call Kristen at 224-1019.

Give those pennies a purpose

A recent study found that there is about $99 in spare change in each household in America. You know, the coins you leave in your jeans that ends up on the laundry room floor or in the couch cushions. Oh, and don’t forget the cup holders in the car or that dish on the dresser that you toss pennies into. Why not gather the spare change in your home for someone who has no home?

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!

Apple Fest – the event that keeps on giving

I had a wonderful revelation this morning, so I thought I’d share with you, our loyal followers. Remember that travel cup that the Dunkin’ Donuts mascot handed you at Apple Fest? Did you look inside? If not, you should. There was a coupon in side for a FREE item with a purchase.

Now, I knew about this coupon. In fact, I worked with Dunkin’ to get the lovelies in there. I even went to the effort to add the coupon to the coupon clip on my fridge! So, when my husband noticed the coupon this morning and asked to stop by on the way in to work, I was happy to oblige with a swing through their convenient drive thru.

Friends, let me tell you, their new pumpkin muffin is AMAZING! It’s like Fall in a wee cupcake wrapper! Couple that with a hot cocoa and you’re set for a great Friday morning. Trust me on this one.

So, I encourage you to find that coupon and use it. Let Dunkin’ know how much you appreciate their support of The Salvation Army and our Homelessness Bites campaign. Your tummy will thank you!

Apple Fest raises over $9,200 – way to Bite Back!

Thanks to the hundreds of you who made it down to Apple Fest yesterday. The numbers are in and Apple Fest brought in over $9,200 this year! It takes every last person who came out to volunteer or put your lunch dollars to work, so thanks for caring about our mission…and then doing something about it.

We want to be sure to thank our event sponsors. Without the generosity of partners like ours, we wouldn’t have the ability to host an event for you to be a part of. So, thanks to our campaign sponsor – Two Men and a Truck, lunch sponsor – Applebee’s, apple cobbler sponsor – GFS Marketplace, apple sponsor – Adrian Orchards, media partners – WIBC 93/ESPN The Fan 1070/B105.7/HANK 97.1, campaign spokesperson, Mel McMahon, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The American Legion, Dunkin’ Donuts, Comedysportz, Squish Designs, Indy Moms Like Me, the Indiana Pacers and their Fan Van, the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders, and folks from each of our Salvation Army’s nearby locations. And thanks to Bandwagon for setting the mood with some great tunes that certainly called people from blocks away!

So, thanks for supporting Homelessness Bites and for donating coats to Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids. Stay tuned to find out how much we raised for programs at our women’s and children’s shelter.