twitter for food

What Gives!? It's All About You....

I recently had coffee with @KerrieBrynn from WhatGives!?.  The purpose was to tell her about #twitterforfood, but in the process, I found out about the really cool organization she works for and how they help non-profits.  So here's my big chance to let you know about a company that could really help you and your cause!

Under the the umbrella of the Cause Media Group you'll find three amazing companies that can help you get your word out:

WhatGives!? is all about the good stuff.

WhatGives!? is all about giving you and your organization what you need to do good – offering  suggestions, resources, connections, tools, and most of all, a place to share your stories of doing good. WhatGives spotlights everything from corporate philanthropy to social media to volunteerism to virtual fundraising. If you have a good tip you’d like to send, email good_ideas@whatgives.com

Kompolt- The leader in online charity auctions. 

 Since 2001, Kompolt has been the leader in online charity auctions. We've run more than 500 campaigns, raising over $20 Million for good causes, and garnering great PR for MasterCard, eBay, Tanqueray, Kraft, and hundreds of other brands.  We also help celebrities like Jay Leno, Warren Buffett, Gwen Stefani and Ellen Degeneres raise money and awareness for non-profits they care about.

StudioGood - Social Media For Good Causes 

The newest addition to the Causemedia Group family, the Studiogood team has spent the last 3 years developing and managing social media campaigns for Frigidaire, Electrolux, Best Buy, Comedy Central, and dozens of other brands. Though not all of our campaigns contain a cause-marketing element, our central focus is to do well for our clients by encouraging consumers to do some good.

Those of you who know me well, know that I'm a huge fan of simplicity. Well, here's a shout out to this group of companies that have figured out how to simplify the path for non-profits and ngo's to get better at raising awareness and raising money. Beautifully simple.

Thanks again @KerrieBrynn for letting me know about @whatgives and your group of amazing people doing good for those who do good!

simply,

Tim

You Raise Me Up - Thank You To Food Bank Workers From #twitterforfood

Thank you to all those who tirelessly work to feed the hungry in food banks across the country every day. Celtic Woman sings "You Raise Me Up":

Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

simply,

Tim

Welcome The Greater Chicago Food Depository to #twitterforfood

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 500,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 58 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 119,000 meals every day.

Innovative training programs and initiatives—such as Pantry University and Chicago’s Community Kitchens—developed by the Food Depository also work to provide men, women and children with the tools necessary to break their individual cycles of poverty.

For ways to get involved, check out our events calendar or Volunteer Services page.

Stay up to date with our e-newsletter or on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

Remember, Tuesday, December 1st is #twitterforfood.  Skip a meal and use the savings to fund great hunger relief organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository!

Simply,

Tim

Every Time You Blink A Child Dies From Hunger

Blink - a child is gone.  Blink again, another child dies from a hunger related cause.

The average adult blinks on average every 6 seconds or so. Every 6 seconds or so on average, a child in the world dies from a hunger related cause. You blink and another young life is gone. 16,000 a day, 667 an hour, 11 a minute, one every 6 seconds. Blink.

December 1st is the next #twitterforfood. It's my passion to make this one a global awareness campaign that spreads the word that we can do something about this unacceptable tragedy.

Let your friends know and tell them to tell their friends that on Tuesday, December 1st we are all going to skip a meal and let our world know we care about global hunger.  Each of us will use the savings from skipping lunch to fund local food banks and global hunger relief organizations and commit to do our part every month in 2010.  Volunteer, give, fundraise, do something every month to eliminate global hunger. Blink.

Today, commit with me to join in December 1st and make awareness happen.  One person can make a difference. A million can solve global hunger. Follow the tweets @HungerNoMore for updates.

simply,

Tim

get your #twitterforfood "i skipped a meal" badge for 11/1

Thanks to everyone that joined in #twitterforfood and skipped a meal to use the savings to fund local and global hunger relief on 11/1.  Since it was a Sunday, if you missed out because you weren't on-line over the weekend - feel free to skip a meal today and join in.

This month there are two versions of the twitterforfood badge:

The regular version:

Widget Code 
<a href="http://www.twitterforfood.com"><img src="http://enklings.typepad.com/iskippedameal1109.png"/></a>

 And the Go Orange version for folks connected to the Food Bank for NYC:

 
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<a href="http://www.twitterforfood.com"><img src="http://enklings.typepad.com/iskippedameal1109goorange.png"/></a>

Twitterforfood.com has been orange all month to support the Food Bank for New York City and their "Go Orange" campaign.  Thanks to our new #HungerHero, Daniel Buckley, from the Food Bank for NYC for connecting and doing some really great work in NYC.

twitterforfood.com is available for similar promotions if you're interested to highlight something great you're doing in your area or globally.  Email me at twitterforfood@gmail.com if you're interested. It's free for any non-profit focused on hunger - something you don't see very often!

Thanks again all who joined in this month.  December is a huge time for Food Bank needs as the weather turns cold and the holidays are upon us.  Let make December 1st a huge day for Food Banks and Hunger Relief on twitter.  Let me know if you have any great ideas!

simply,

Tim 

Welcome Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to #twitterforfood

Established in 1980, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a non-profit organization that provides food to people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. In 2008-09, the Food Bank distributed over 36.8 million pounds of food through 800 partner agencies including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and after school programs for children.

Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. Over 480,000 people in the Food Bank's 34-county service area struggle each day. Nearly 34 percent of the people served by the Food Bank’s network are children, and another 11 percent are elderly. Thirty-eight percent of the families served are the “working poor” – people who work hard and still have to choose between eating and other basic necessities such as medicine and housing.

 
The Food Bank operates 5 branch warehouses: a primary facility in Raleigh and warehouses in Durham, Greenville, Wilmington and Southern Pines. Click here for locations, hours and contact phone numbers. (from the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina Site)

Remember, Sunday 11/1 is #twitterforfood. Skip a meal and use the savings to fund local and global huber relief!

simply,

tim

What does survival mean to you? #twitterforfood

This Sunday, 11/1 is #twitterforfood day.  Will you join me in skipping a meal to fight hunger?

One sixth of the world lives in poverty and without food security.  Simply put, this means they're not sure they will eat today.  Most of the people in the U.S. are feeling the pinch of the recession.  Our family has cut way back on what we spend and how we live in order to survive.  But that word "survive" in America means something very different to the one sixth of the world without food security. 

When I say we are struggling to "survive" here in my idyllic little town, I mean that my income has dropped by 30% and we don't buy luxuries, we eat out less, we don't take vacations, we cut back to the necessities as we see them.  I know I can walk downstairs any time of day and open up a can of soup for lunch.  "Survival" is skewed to mean "thinking before buying."

To the one sixth of the worlds population that struggles to feed themselves and their family, "survival" means "live or die."  Death is a constant reality around them.  The focus of every day is to find food to survive one more day.

You can help this.  We can help this, by giving a little bit more, by thinking before we buy, by being aware and volunteering.  As Bono says: "We can be the generation to end extreme poverty." 

So join me on the 1st and get involved in even this small way.  Skip a meal on Sunday 11/1 and use the savings to fund local and global hunger relief.  Feeling the small hunger pains will connect you with over one billion others feeling hungry, but without the hope of a meal.

It's a start, but don't make it all you do.  Educate yourself and find out how you can join others in the fight.  Look through the websites listed on this site - all of them have information about hunger. Give your time, give your money and most of all give your heart to the cause of ending hunger in our world.  The survival of one sixth of your world neighbors depends on you.

simply,

Tim

Welcome Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to #twitterforfood

 
  
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 500 partner agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.

Every dollar donated to Second Harvest Food Bank can provide up to $9 in food value. How is that possible?  Because most of the products we distribute are DONATED. The value of the products we distributed last year alone had a retail value of approximately $36 million. Our operating costs to provide those products totaled just over $4 million.  $4 million in expense to provide $36 million in value… That’s simple but powerful math!
(from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida website)

Remember, November 1st is the next #twitterforfood event!  Skip a meal and fund great hunger relief organizations like the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

simply,

Tim

Bono's Speech at the NAACP Awards - Inspiring

"True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom." - Bono

Meet Ng’andwe, a Camfed leadership student in Zambia

Support CamFed here: http://us.camfed.org/