Since our last update, I have been helping with Audrey and Sarah. Unfortunately, Chick-fil-a and Qdoba never got back to us, so that means that's a wrap on Riley Lunch Bunch. We wish that it would've been a little bit more successful, but it's nice to know that we were able to contribute a little money towards New Pal being a supportive Riley school.
The previous weeks we gathered materials to place in the bags. We went to the schools and pick up all of the bins. Luckily we had just enough to fill fifty-one bags. Since then it has just been us filling them! We have both boy girl bags, but also only a few with blankets, so they had to be done strategically. We match boy and girl bags with the stuffed animals and toys, hoping it makes it just as personal as possible for people we've never met. We used balls, some toys, stuffed animals, t-shirts, and a snack for each one. We ended up making a few blankets one day out of the material left over from the snacks and snuggles project. This week we will go to deliver them, and I will just be there to give a spare hand. They have made something HUGE of this project and it is so comforting to know that kids will go home with a blanket, a couple of toys, and a smile. It is nice to know that we can do something minor if it means allowing them to just be kids one day. We also began picking up Mr. Larges work room one day. There have been so many projects in there, it hasn't been the easiest to keep nice and tidy! For someone who likes to stay organized, we appreciate the leniency Mr. Large ;-)
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This week we had a very successful lunch bunch! Last Friday, we called O'Charlies to confirm that they had our information still on hand, and they were very, very prepared. Monday came, and we went and picked up the lunch. They had prepared so much food for us, we had a lot left over. It was one big pan of cajun pasta, another one of regular pasta, and a pan of rolls. There was a massive platter of salad, and two pies. Luckily, we had around thirteen people that came, and even food left over. The rest of the week, I have been helping Sarah and Audrey create bags for inner city kids. We have collected a LOT of stuffed animals for the school, and have some other materials that have been given to us for the bags. Now that we have collected the donation bins, the real task is to find blankets to put in them. This last two weeks our Riley Lunch Bunch project has begun slowing down. Unfortunately, Chick-fil-a and Qdoba have yet to contact us back. Our next big move is on April 22nd, so we have been waiting to begin advertising the week before.
In the meantime, I have been helping Sarah and Audrey with their new project. They are collecting blankets and stuffed animals in the bins in elementary school. They plan on filling the bags with a stuffed animal, a blanket, a book, and a water bottle. Last week, we ran to deliver bins to each elementary school to collect the blankets and stuffed animals. When we got there we decorated the bins. This week, we collected all that were at the elementary schools. Sugar creek had collected a lot, and a few spare at the other ones. We came back, and began filling the bags! We had just enough to fill about thirty bags. Between the three of us, we think we can fill the rest of the bags with stuff we have at home. Now, we begin thinking about collecting blankets and water bottles next. I've really enjoyed working with my friends, they're doing such a good project! Since our last update we have been doing a lot of following up and advertising.
We visited the following restaurants and they said yes, but have yet to follow up with us regarding a day: Wings etc., Qdoba, and Chickfila. Olive Garden has taken the spot of March 13th, and we have to follow up with them to make sure that they are on the same page as us. We have the following dates available: March 13th, April 10th, April 22nd, May 2nd, and May 15th. We have sent in the information for Riley Lunch Bunch to Chick-fil-a and Qdoba, but because the information was through letter form, being sent to corporate offices, they told us it could take up to a month to process our request, so we saved the days of May 2nd and May 15th for those two groups. Wings etc. said they would get back to us, and O'Charlie's coincidently scheduled for Monday April 22nd, which just happened to be a week that we happen to have an even day on that Monday. We also have created a video to put in NP120, and are essentially waiting for the other restaurants to get back to us, so we can have confirmation to begin advertising those days. This week we had our first lunch bunch! We had a lot of planning to do, but it ended up being a good first run. On Monday, we thought through things like tickets, advertising, and the small details. We decided to have Ms. Robinson send out an email to the senior class, and eventually to the junior class, sophomore class, and offered it to teachers. On Tuesday there was a bit of a panic that no one knew that Riley Lunch Bunch was even happening, so we had to step our advertising game up! We ended up walking around to classes who would have A lunch on the following even day, and got a few people on the spot with their money. We also did flyers, and answered emails for those who had questions. That night, I went and got cups, plates, napkins, and soda for the next day.
On the day of Riley Lunch Bunch, we found out that Mama Nita's was providing three large pizzas. We actually had done some serious work to getting the word out, and were afraid three would not be enough. We decided we would take some of our donation money from the week, and buy an additional pizza. In order to make sure we got it on time, we left and got to Mama Nita's at 10:30. We purchased the additional pizza and they were ready in perfect timing. Olivia, Katie, and I were afraid we would be cutting it close on time, so they drove back with the three pizzas while I waited for the forth. We ended up having ten minutes to spare, a successful lunch, and raising $70 dollars on the first day (including supplies and the cost of the extra pizza). This week, we plan on making an ad for NP120 to put in the announcements this week and next. Were hoping that will expand our advertising. We are currently hoping to book one for next week, but are focusing on our deal with Olive Garden for the 13th. So a lot has happened since our last update! Essentially, we set out to see if restaurants would be willing to donate to our cause. We called City Barbecue and Chik-fil-a, who told us to email their head managers. We visited Olive Garden, Cakehole, and O'Charlies and all of them said yes! For Olive Garden and O'Charlies we basically have to get in touch with their managers, but that is happening at the moment.
We also scheduled our first lunch day. On February 13th, we are hosting Momma Nita's and Cakehole. Both of them are having us contact them the week before just to make sure they have the plans right. But until then, our main focus are the smaller things like advertising, ticketing, and some of the in between details. We started composing an advertisement for Ms. Robinson to send out in the announcements, and we are letting Mr. Burke know so he can put it in NP120. We are going to do some social media advertising and flyers and see what it gets us. We also are thinking about how to ticket people. Initially, we were thinking we would just let people show up and we would admit in the amount of people who can be served, but Mr. Large thinks essentially doing "pre-ordered" tickets would be safer to do, so that is our main goal! We also are thinking about things like making sure we have drinks, plates, napkins, ect. We think that we will be okay for the first week, but would hate to count on it and then not be prepared for our first meal. It's all a process, but we're making it there! Haley and I began wrapping up cards last week. It's nice knowing we were able to finish for many kids. Initially, Grace, Dane, Megan, and I began thinking about doing the Riley Dance Marathon, but we realized it was way too much protocol to be able to orchestrate and began looking for smaller ways to raise money for Riley- so we came to the Riley Lunch Bunch idea!
We highlighted all the days that we could bring in lunch for different long days and set out! Yesterday we checked with Momma Nita's, where we were given a yes and told to find a day and let them know. Last year they said they got Qdoba, so we traveled there where their manager wasn't present, so we have to shoot them a call. Outside of that, we are looking forward to what were going to be able to do for Riley. More to come soon! |