Friday, December 21, 2012

iPads 4 autism

I don't often post about my own projects on this blog because I don't want to be all one-sided and frankly, I'm always working on a lot of stuff.

But this one is special.

This is iPads 4 autism.

FoodLove is raising money through indiegogo to buy iPads for 6 kids in Waterloo Region affected by autism. They're wonderful, special kids and with their iPads, they'll be able to make their voice a little more clear and they'll be able to share their unique personalities with more of the people around them.

So check out our video and if you're so inclined, help us give these kids the gift of communication this Christmas.


You can visit the indiegogo campaign here  and as always, find FoodLove right over here.

Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy 
Holiday season to you and yours!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Festival of Hope

We all have a little music lover in us and if you read this blog, chances are you are home to a heart that loves helping people.

This weekend, Breakdown Magazine presents the Festival of Hope, a 3 day charity music festival supporting CHYM FM's Tree of Hope at the Little Bean Coffee Bar in Kitchener.


Friday Dec. 14, 7 pm.
Metal 

While it may not be my fave genre, metal has a huge following in the Region and local bands The Intake of Glass, Abide, Unlimited, Great Lakes are happy to oblige their fans with emphatic beats and experimental distortion.


Saturday Dec. 15, 5 pm.
Rock/Indie  

All Systems Go, Terrified and Alive, Keep The Change and of course, my favourite Guelph rockers, Delhi will be shaking the walls of the Little Bean with colossal talent and some hard-edge music guaranteed to please your ears.


Sunday Dec. 16, 7 pm.
Acoustic 

A solid night of relaxing and listening to the sounds of pure music, featuring Toronto's Dane Hartsell, Marty Oblak, The Dean Project, Quite Articulate, Nick Mower, Katy Warren, Sarah Bernardo, Adam Evers and The Smile Case.

Sunday's acoustic night will also feature an art gala with presentations by artists from across Southern Ontario.



Entrance is $5/day with a donation of a new, unwrapped toy for the Tree of Hope. Tell me, where else can you go for a night of music with as many as 9 performers for only $5? 

So get yourself to the Little Bean, treat yourself and support a great cause this Christmas.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Beacon(s) of Light: R&R Street Ministry

Every Tuesday night, a group of people meet in a parking lot in downtown Kitchener. The parking lot becomes a staging area, as 8-15 people descend upon a couple of large plastic bins, filling them with basic hygiene items such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap and shampoo.


As soon as the bins are ready to go, the people split up into groups and head out for their destinations. The first group starts walking down Duke St. toward Frederick. They'll stop to chat with a few rough sleepers as they travel to Mary's Place, a shelter for women and their families. Once they arrive, the team splits up with precision and immediately starts serving the guests of the shelter. A few serve hot dogs to a line of women and their children. Another person mixes and serves hot chocolate and hands out granola bars. More still, start handing out the hygiene items and small toys and treats for the kids.

This group is about fellowship. Though their job of service finishes as quickly as it starts, the rest of their time is spent talking, listening and offering words of hope.

At the same time, the other group heads to Kitchener's City Hall and meets up with clients who are eagerly waiting. Hot dogs distributed, brand new socks, some chat with clients new and old. Someone will stop by with news of a new job and others will lament on the tough housing market.


The team will move on, walking down King St. stopping every hundred metres or so, opening up the bins and handing out supplies to the mostly forgotten citizens of downtown Kitchener. An hour and a half later, the team arrives at the Charles Street Men's Hostel, their last stop for the night. On busy nights in the summer, the team will be out of hot dogs and can only offer the men granola bars and bottles of water. On cold winter nights, they try to convince everyone to have just one more.

The night can be sad, showing sleeping conditions that none of my blog readers would ever choose.


 But regardless of where they sleep or how tough life is, the friends they serve are always friendly and thankful and always, always, always offer a smile.

And when they're lucky, the team gets treated to a rousing song from one of their musically talented friends, whether it is polka or waltz from the accordion or a little bit of blues with the help of an acoustic guitar.


This R&R Street Ministry is one of the gems of Waterloo Region, a group of folks coming together to serve in the most basic way. Every Tuesday, desperately hot or bone-achingly freezing, holiday or not, these folks are out there showing a little love to the folks who need it most in Waterloo Region.






Saturday, December 8, 2012

Run for Shelter 2012



Not only does this guy have nicer legs in high heels than me 
but he's doing it for a pretty great cause too....




Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The New HopeMob

If you've never heard of HopeMob, it's time to do a little googling.



It's like a flash mob, of the giving kind. It's crowd sourcing for community funds, but it's free. It's making a difference, right from your computer.

So HopeMob is re-launching on Friday with an entirely new platform, easier and better ways to give and more peace of mind for donors, knowing that their donation is going to a verified cause.  Basically... if the new Hope Mob was running a few days ago, FoodLove would be raising our funds for iPads for autism through there instead of through indiegogo.

But I digress.

HopeMob needs you. 1000 volunteers are needed to write and photograph stories, be fact checkers and follow up on stories after the funding stops. So go here, like right now, and take 2 minutes to sign up as a volunteer. You'll be making a difference and most times, you won't even need to leave your house.

HopeMob. It's all kinds of awesome.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Thanks again, KW!

Seems like I'm always saying a big THANK YOU to you guys...

THAT'S BECAUSE YOU ROCK!!

I'll let the pictures tell the story...

DUMB DOG RUNS AWAY.


NEPHEW CRIES.




I TWEET, BLOG AND POST TO FACEBOOK.


FRIENDS RT AND SHARE.
PERSON FINDS DOG. CALLS PHONE NUMBER.

WAHOO!!!!!!
But that's not all.....

YOU ARE GOOD PEOPLE! THAT DOG NEEDED A BATH!!
AND A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE FOR HIS SOCIALLY ADDICTED
SISTER-IN-LAW.
End of story. Once again, #kwawesome WINS!

THANK YOU!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Please Help Find Chewie

This is Chewie. He barks all the time, isn't quite trained properly and is a general pain in the....


BUT....


My nephew loves him. So if you find this SHORKIE, mostly white with some black patches on his ears and tail please call the numbers on the photo and help him get home.



Ran away from the Blockline/Westmount area of Kitchener, December 2, 6pm.