All Faiths Food Bank 2012

As I do every year, I’m donating all income I receive for talks I give and any columns of mine that are published during the month of November straight to All Faiths Food Bank.

If you’d like to participate in the MC “Reality” All Faiths Food Bank fundraising drive this year — there are two easy ways to do so:

Online: Visit www.allfaithsfoodbank.org (just write “MC’s Reality drive” in the special instructions box).

Mail: Send a check, with the same notation — MC’s reality drive”, to All Faiths Food Bank, 8171 Blaikie Court, Sarasota, Florida 34240-8321.

If you’d like to learn more about past years’ drives and read stories about giving and receiving … just click here.

All Faiths Food Bank MC Readers Drive Update — $2,565 Raised!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to donate to the MC/Ticket All Faiths Food fundraising drive in November. At the end of the Thanksgiving drive, All Faiths had received $2,565 from “Sense and the City” readers. That’s the equivalent of 4,071 meals provided to hungry men, women and children in our community. I can’t thank you enough for participating.

Total raised over the past several years by readers of this blog, my former “Reality Chick” column, and my current Sense and the City column? — $13,879! That’s something over 22,000 — TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND! — meals for people in need.

Bravo, brava and merci mille fois!!!

All Faiths Fundraising Update … 148 Thanksgiving dinners so far!

All Faiths Food Bank MC Coolidge Sense and the City fundraising drive update:

All Faiths told me on Thursday that we’ve already raised $1,780 through donations from readers! That’s 148 Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmins’ — for families of four or so …Thank you so much! The drive continues through Thanksgiving. Click on this link below if you’d like to know how to participate.

http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/11/03/mc-reality-ticket-readers-annual-all-faiths-food-drive/

MC Reality & Ticket Readers … Annual All Faiths Food Drive!

My Sense and the City column in today’s TICKET section of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune kicks off my annual November fundraising drive to help feed the hungry in our community through the All Faiths Food Bank. You can read the column online by clicking on this text: The Tradition of Giving Thanks By Giving to Others

Once again, I’m donating my entire earnings during November from my freelance newspaper gig — which this year will be more than prior years I’m happy to say!

If you’d like to join in with MC’s drive for All Faiths Food Bank, there are two easy ways to do so:

Online: Visit www.allfaithsfoodbank.org (just write “MC’s TICKET column drive” in the special instructions box).

Mail: Send a check, with the same notation — MC’s TICKET column drive”, to All Faiths Food Bank, 8171 Blaikie Court, Sarasota, Florida 34240-8321.

I’ll be reporting results in an upcoming TICKET column and on this blog as well.

If you’re able to participate and donate money — that’s wonderful, but, as I point out in my column, there are lots of ways to “give thanks” without specifically giving cash … one of the best ways is just by being kinder. The next time someone pulls a bone-headed move in traffic, the next time you’re waiting in a long line, the next time the older person in front of you is moving slower than a tortoise, the next time some kid is screaming his head off … just take a deep breath and be patient! If you’re in a car, waiting in line to buy something, in a hurry to get somewhere and able to hear … hey, you’ve got a lot to be thankful for!

Healing hunger for the holidays — MC Reality Readers annual fundraising for All Faiths Food Bank

Since 2006, readers of my “reality” columns, op/ed essays in papers, and of this blog, have been kindly and generously donating to my annual fundraising drive to benefit All Faiths Food Bank.

Every year, I add to the drive myself, by personally donating any money I receive from print publications during the month of November — most years, it hasn’t been that much, but this year, I’ll be able to donate all my earnings from my new Sarasota Herald Tribune column called “After Hours” which appears in the TICKET section of the paper. I’m proud and happy to know that because my hometown local newspaper has helped me by hiring me as a weekly freelance contributor … I, in turn, can turn around and help others. (more…)

All Faiths & The Postman — two of my favorite “things”

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 8, is the Letter Carriers Food Drive for All Faiths Food Bank. (more…)

More $$$ for All Faiths!

All Faiths Food Bank let me know today that even more MC Reality Reader donations have arrived at the food bank — an additional $120 has come in!

That brings this year’s drive total to $1,731! Thanks so much!

All Faiths “Thank you for contributing” drawing winners

As reported a few days ago, MC Reality readers — on this blog and in the Creative Loafing and Pelican Press newspapers — dug deep and donated $1,611 to All Faiths Food Bank in my third annual “MC Reality/All Faiths” fundraising drive.

Late yesterday I received a list of names of those contributors who wanted to be entered into the drawings — which were held today! Four names were selected and I’ve sent emails and a snail letter to those folks to offer them their choice of “thank you for contributing” give-aways — including a guest blog on MC Reality Online, copies of my book Sideways in Sarasota, or having me emcee an event, conduct a writing workshop, a free ad on my blog, or give a talk to a group or organization, within the Sarasota area.

Whether you wanted your name entered into the drawing or not — HUGE, BIG, GINORMOUS thank you for everyone’s contributions to this year’s drive!

All Faiths donations up to $571 as of last night!

Whoo hoo! So far, we’ve raised nearly six hundred dollars for All Faiths Food Bank in the MC Reality drive 2009! On the All Faiths website it says that $500 will provide 794 meals — so that means we’re easily helping to give at least that many meals to the hungry men, women, and children of our community. Or, if you think of it in terms of Thanksgiving dinners (including turkey, stuffing and all the usual trimmings!) for entire families — well, our collective $571 will provide nearly 50 Thanksgiving dinners!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! (more…)

Sarasota (and beyond) feeding the hungry — All Faiths Update!

All Faiths Food Bank let me know today that three REALITY readers have already donated $160 in the MC Reality Readers annual All Faiths fundraising drive to feed the hungry. Donations have come from as far away as Phoenix, Arizona! Big thanks to both local and far-flung readers!

That $160 will provide 93 meals, according to All Faiths — can you believe that!?

At the request of one reader, I’ve decided to also offer another thank you gift to the mix — I’m adding a Guest Blog. So that’s another option for a thank you gift And I’m going to add one more drawing — so instead of the previous three names being drawn, there are now four chances to “win” a thank you of your choosing. As with the other thank yous, the guest blog will be subject to editing by me and I won’t run anything that’s off the charts (and yes, it’s solely up to my discretion). (more…)