Sponsors make Apple Fest success

The Salvation Army’s 7th annual Apple Fest was easily our best to date. And we couldn’t have done it without our most successful partnerships yet. Applebee’s, GFS Marketplace, Ricker’s and Kroger provided all the food and beverages so lunch dollars really could do the most good for the women and kids at our shelter.

Thanks to all of our community parnters who supported us with booth, table and promotional sponsorships as well – the Emmis family of stations (93WIBC, 1070 The Fan, B105 and Hank FM), WTHR-13, Complete Office Supply, Adrian Orchards, Two Men and a Truck, Huntington Bank, ComedySportz, Cartridge Specialists INK, Graphicon, Unique Home Solutions, the American Legion, Avon, HVAF and Indy Custom Cornhole. Bandwagon put on a great show, too!

And thanks to our community for coming out and putting those lunch dollars to work for a good cause! If you’d like to learn more (or buy one of those great t-shirts) about our programs that support our neighbors struggling with homelessness and abuse, go to HomelessnessBites.org

Kroger scoops up chance to support Apple Fest

With just a few weeks to go until Apple Fest, we were still missing a key ingredient – ice cream for our GFS Marketplace apple cobbler. Thanks to our friends at Kroger, we’ll be serving it up a la mode!

Just yesterday, we reached out to Kroger, and like their slogan, we could count on them to come through for us. This isn’t a small act of kindness. We’re anticipating a great crowd this year, so we’re talking about 1,000 or so scoops of ice cream. So, a big thanks to Kroger for stepping up to help us raise funds for our Homelessness Bites campaign that supports our Women’s and Children’s Shelter here in Indianapolis.

And don’t forget to grab lunch with your dessert….Applebee’s will be serving up roast beef or freshly grilled chicken sandwiches and chips on the side for just $5! Stop by the Ricker’s pop trailer and grab a soft drink for just $1. Thanks to our generous partners, all the proceeds from this event will help us provide shelter, life skills classes and support for women and kids who are homeless due to financial hardships or abuse. What a great motivation to ‘Eat in the Street’ on Thursday, October 7!

We’ll have plenty of booths to stop by including Adrian Orchards, Two Men and a Truck, Indiana Pacers Fan Van and more. Live music will be provided by Band Wagon. And don’t forget that coat for Coats for Kids – we’ll give you a FREE apple cobbler as your sweet reward!

We still have booth space available for just $50 or join us as a participating sponsor at our table displays for just $75. Call Kristen at 224-1019 to join us! And to learn more about how you can help us Bite Back, go to HomelessnessBites.org.

Ricker’s signs on for Apple Fest

We’ll be pulling the Ricker Pop trailer onto Monument Circle and offering your choice of soft drinks to accompany your lunch. In case you’re not familiar, Ricker’s Stores are the convenience stores at BP gas stations across Central Indiana. Here in Marion County, those convenience stores are branded “am/pm”. Ah, now there’s the connection you were looking for!

Anyway, the Ricker family is a faithful supporter of The Salvation Army, most recently providing the soft drinks for our Eat Outside the Box event back in May. Ricker’s is a community-focused, family-owned business that’s stepping up and helping us spread the word about our programs that help homeless and abused women and kids make a fresh start.

Apple Fest is just one month away! So, mark your calendar now to join us on Monument Circle on Thursday, October 7 from 10am-3pm. Applebee’s is donating freshly-grilled sandwiches, GFS Marketplace is donating warm apple cobbler, Adrian Orchards is bringing fresh-picked apples and we’re thrilled to share that  and soft drinks will be provided by Ricker’s Stores.

If you’d like to join us as a presenting or a booth sponsor, just give Kristen a call at 224-1019. Sponsorships start at just $50 and we’re expecting over 1,000 people to attend this year’s Apple Fest. Look for our Apple Fest ad in the next Reach Magazine and listen for our promotions starting soon on the Emmis family of stations – WIBC 93, B105, Hank 97 and ESPN 1070.

Bringin’ the apples to Apple Fest

Adrian Orchards is 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.

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