Every year I buy or get a ton of stuff over the holidays I don’t really need. I like a fancy new electronic gadget as much as the next tech-obsessed person. But this year we can all do something very, very cool instead. It’s my inaugural Child Abuse & Homeless Prevention Food (and Drink) Challenge. You have to do almost nothing and in addition can win a $200 dinner, six months worth of Carnitas, very nice bottles of wine, brunch for a month, or a craft beer night out (UPDATE 12-10-10: Living Coast Discovery Center Just Added a family 4-pack AND VIP animal encounter – $100 value)! There’s more information below AND on this donation site (click here)
When I decided not to spend as much money on myself this year, it seemed like a good idea to help a couple of local worthy causes. I really care about the work that Promises-2-Kids does to protect abused children and support foster children. They protect children from abuse through foster care and help the kids throughout their college/trade school options after high school.
Promises-2-Kids protects foster children from abuse and helps them throughout college/trade school
Rachel’s Women’s Center is a place where homeless women can go and feel safe and try to get back on their feet. For the many strides professional women have made, there are so many who are stuck in abusive, destructive patterns and have trouble getting that leg up.
Photo of women participating in Rachel’s Annual Christmas Party
Neither of these programs is a magic bullet, but both matter in a cycle of trying to help people lead lives that are safe and fulfilling. While I’d love to just ask folks to donate, I cooked up a giveaway to pull in my friends, Twitter community, business contacts, foodie folks and craft beer lovers all in the name of supporting two great causes. Plus, I love highlighting San Diego’s great local food, like this
Carnitas from Carnitas Snack Shack
and this
One of the great brunch options at Alchemy in South Park
And craft beer like this
Sampling of the delicious locally brewed craft beer available in San Diego
or this delicious looking pairing example by Local Habit
Sample of Local Habit pairing from its annual Mardi Gras dinner
and this is a way to talk about them both.
The Details
You can help in two ways:
- You post the Challenge link page on your Facebook timeline, email it to your friends, tweet about it, or talk to your friends at work, bars, Yoga, etc.
- Just donate on your own.
Every person who donates $50 is automatically entered to win. Every $50 is worth one opportunity to win (e.g. if you donate $250 you’ll have five opportunities to win). Of course, you can donate whatever amount you are comfortable with.
Winners of the random contest drawing will receive one of the following prizes:
- $200 dinner for 4 at Urban Solace
- A six-month “hall pass” for Carnitas (two tacos or one torta per week) at Carnitas Snack Shack
- Brunch each weekend for a month at Alchemy Restaurant in South Park
- Post-Holiday craft beer night out bar tab at Tiger!Tiger!
- New! 2 Tickets to Local Habit Restaurant’s Mardi Gras Craft Beer Pairing Dinner in February ($110 value!)
- New! $100 gift for use at The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge in Mission Hills
- One of a few bottles of wine (2006 Mer Soleil Chardonnay and 2006 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon)
Family Prizes
- New! $160 in Yoga at La Jolla Yoga Center
- Family 4-pack to USS Midway Museum
- Living Coast Discovery Center Family 4-pack of passes plus VIP Animal Encounter
I’m not some professional fundraiser, just a San Diegan who wants to help out a bit. The prizes are not part of an elaborate corporate push, they are a bunch of independent small business owners giving me a break on pricing so as a community we can do something that matters this holiday season. If you want to volunteer with either of these organizations, they are always looking for new leadership on their Advisory Boards, people to help out at events or just to give a little time when you’ve got it. Leave a message in the comments section or email me at opassons@gmail.com and I’ll happily put you in touch.
IMPORTANT: Your donation will be SPLIT EVENLY to help the children of Promises-2-Kids and the women of Rachel’s Women’s Center. The receipt will indicate both.
To donate, just click HERE.
(Note: it’s through Crowdrise, a third-party source that makes it easy to give to a cause.) Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and for helping out. The winners will be selected in a drawing at a local, independent bar or restaurant (which you can certainly come to). I will send the date, time and location information to all donors.
Thanks again. Follow me on Twitter (here), where I’ll be tweeting about this Challenge and sharing nuggets of information about homelessness, foster care and child abuse in San Diego (and continuing to talk about local politics, good food and drink, of course). Thanks for stopping by.
