Doughnut Girls Receive Dunkin’ Donation

We had the priviledge of spending the morning in Kokomo celebrating the grand opening of another of Dennis Gramm’s Dunkin’ Donuts locations. The air was chilly, but the welcome was warm! The line was out the door and the parking lot was overflowing as old and young alike waited to sample the wares.

And in keeping with his promise, in the presence of local dignitaries and media, Gramm presented the grand opening money ribbon to The Salvation Army’s Kokomo corps. That donation will be put to good work providing resources and services for those in need right there in Kokomo.

And we had an extra bit of fun as our very own Doughnut Girls mingled with the crowd and shared their story of how the original Doughnut Girls served soldiers starting in 1917 and throughout the war by offering home-cooked doughnuts to boost morale. Many of the veterans tell stories even today of how those “lassies” took limited supplies and used their own metal helmets to fry doughnuts right there in the trenches, offering homesick and worn soldiers a bit of America so far away.

Thanks again to Dunkin’ Donuts for inviting us to share in their expansion here in Indiana and for their continued partnership.

1,300 coats – nothing to be blue about

We were a little concerned – the weather was in the 80s and we were asking for winter coats. But Indy never lets us down – we collected nearly 1,300 coats yesterday at Lucas Oil Stadium!

Our long-time friend, Bob Gregory brought his WTHR family out to meet, greet and collect coats for our city’s families in need. I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Bob, Chuck and Mary Lofton and Angela Cain as fans dropped off coats and posed for camera phone pictures with a news team that seems like family.

We were touched by how many Colts fans pushed through the crowds to drop off a brand new coat or throw a few bucks in the kettle. It was shoulder to shoulder right at 4pm, so fans passed bags through the crowd. Angela and I would just yell “thank you” into the sea of blue, and fans would shout back “no, thank you!” Not too easy to remember to grab a parka when you’re wearing a t-shirt, so thanks to all of you Colts fans who donated coats or cash to make a difference in your city.

And since we couldn’t do this without our business community - we’ld like to take a moment to thank our partners. 

 - Thanks to Bob Gregory for being the face of Coats for Kids year after year. And thanks to the team at WTHR for giving us a few hours on your day off.

 - Thanks to Mike and the crew from Tuchman Cleaners who came out with carts and signs and for cleaning all these coats in time for distribution.

 - Thanks to the guys from Two Men and a Truck for loading nearly 1,300 coats into their truck on the street outside the stadium (and for taking them all to Tuchman’s for cleaning).

 - Thanks to the event staff at Lucas Oil Stadium for allowing us to collect before the game and for being such gracious hosts.

 - And, thanks to all of our volunteers who stood in the blazing sun to accept donations.

And to those of you who have not had the opportunity to donate, there’s still time to help.

 - Drop off a new or gently used coat at area Tuchman Cleaners through October 6th.

 - Want to take up a collection at your office? Let us know and we’ll arrange for a pick-up. 

 - Don’t have a coat/the time to buy one? You can donate online - your $25 donation will purchase a brand new coat for a little boy or girl this winter.

 

 

Eat in the Street for homeless kids

If you’ve known us for long, you know that homelessness is both a challenge for our city and a cause near and dear to The Salvation Army’s heart.

For the 1,300 kids in Indianapolis who eat their meals and spend their nights in the streets, homelessness is a bitter reality. So, on Thursday, October 2, The Salvation Army will take another bite out of homelessness by inviting those who live and do business downtown to Eat in the Street for homeless kids.

For this event, the northwest quadrant of Monument Circle is partitioned off so lunch-goers can come by to Eat in the Street from 10:30am – 1:30pm. Applebee’s restaurants graciously donates their time and food to this event so all proceeds from lunch sales go to our Homelessness Bites campaign to end homelessness in Indy. We’re also thrilled that Classic Hits 104.5FM WJJK is our exclusive radio partner for Apple Fest this year.

We’d like you to join us!

1. Use your lunch dollars to make a difference in Indy - Since Applebee’s is footin’ the bill for the food, your lunch dollars will provide shelter, housing assistance, resources and support for the moms and their 1,300 kids who find themselves homeless due to financial struggles and domestic violence.

2. Showcase your business to potential customers – Booth space is only $150. You can get out there in the community and keep all the sales from the day. And, we’ll give you some promotion. Since Classic Hits 104.5FM WJJK will be promoting the event on their station and an event link on their website, their listeners will have a chance to see you on our website. We’ll feature your logo and business info.

Apple Fest is a great opportunity to use your lunch dollars to make a difference in Indy AND to reach potential customers for your business while giving back to the community. Want to know more? Send me an e-mail here or give me a call at 224-1019.

Our Labor, Our Gratitude

Although I can’t share how much we collected to help Indy’s homeless just yet, I can share our gratitude to all of you who made this year’s Sky Concert a success.

To Advantage Health, WISH TV-8 and Hank FM  – thanks for including us in the event this year. Not only did we have the opportunity to collect dollars and change to help our neighbors in need, but we got a chance to be in front of our community and tell them a little about how we’re partnering with them to make a difference right here in Indy. It was a great experience and we hope to have an opportunity to partner with you again in the future.

To the folks at Quality Connection – thanks for the booth space and for dinner. Our volunteers really appreciated having a place to grab a bite and a bottle of water. It was a long day and the hospitality was appreciated by all.

To our volunteers – thanks for giving up your day, on a holiday weekend, to come out and give your time and energy to helping others. We couldn’t have done it without you. 

Donations are being counted, so I hope to have an update for you soon.