The theme of this year’s Harvest Party & Music Fest is “Cultivating Community”. If you click on the above poster you can view a slide show of last years event.

Good Cheer believes in stressing the importance of understanding and strengthening our connection with food. We encourage healthy food choices and earth friendly cultivating techniques and the word is getting out! Organic farming is growing in response to the demand and that is a good thing for the community and the world.

Hunger in America touches more people than you can possibly imagine; hunger can be so close to home. It’s not easy to admit that you are in need. I did a post awhile back that had a short video on Hunger in America. Perhaps this is a good time to bring it forward once again. I can imagine that many of our clients at the food bank would like to convey their appreciation for helping them in their time of need.

Without your support we would find it difficult to be your steward in the fight against hunger in the community.

Thank you for being there. Just click on the thank you below to view the video.

Before I talk about the Harvest Festival it is important to give thanks to the community support that we recently received through Whidbey Island Bank’s Community Challenge in August.  The total funds received, when added to the $5,000 matching grant from Whidbey Island Bank, plus an additional $5,000 match from an anonymous donor, will allow us to keep the Food Bank shelves stocked for the next three months!

Food is an ongoing need, though, so we are mindful that our upcoming holiday appeal is what will keep us going through the lean winter months of January through March. Let’s hope that the economy improves to the point that our record-number of clients begins to decline.

The Harvest Party and Music Fest is a time to celebrate the harvest; a time for the people in the community to gather and celebrate life! You’ll find garden workshops, local music, great food, a cook-off competition, raffles for the garden shed from Bob Bowling Rustics and the garden quilt created by the Trinity Lutheran Church Quilters. You can click on the links to find out more if you haven’t had a chance to read the past posts.

The Harvest Party and Music Fest is having a scarecrow contest and you’ll all have a chance to vote for the winner. Bunny was voted the top scarecrow in the staff scarecrow contest!

These types of events are special for the kids. Children can take part in Garden Bingo and win gift certificates, try their skill at a penny toss for glassware and crystal, and enjoy a crafts and reading tent with a garden story-time at 1 p.m. sponsored by the Sno-Isle Libraries.

Free Community Gardening Workshops:

9:00 a.m to 10:30 a.m.:  Top Tips for Fall Planting (by Cary Peterson)

1:00 to 2:00 p.m.:  Composting How-To Class

2:00 to 3 p.m.:  How to Build & Maintain a Worm Bin (by JaNoah Spratt)

Local musicians (organized by Julie Pigott and emceed by South Whidbey’s “conductor of fun” Jim Freeman) will play sets between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Drawings will be held at 3 p.m. for the greenhouse/garden shed built and donated by Bob Bowling, and the garden quilt donated by the Trinity Lutheran Quilters. (Raffle tickets are available at all Good Cheer Thrift Stores and the Bayview site, with proceeds to benefit the garden).

Cooking teams from three local nonprofits will choose ingredients from the garden and the food bank (plus a surprise ingredient), then in a competition resembling “Iron Chef” and “Chopped!” create two out of three choices of an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert to be judged by the public for a dollar a vote. Cooking starts at 11 a.m. with judging beginning at noon.

This year’s festival artwork, created by local artist Kathy Marshall, will be auctioned off at noon.

You can view a complete schedule of events and musicians by clicking here.

Thank you to our Festival Sponsors!

Major Sponsors: Island Athletic Club • Nichols Bros. Boat Builders • Porter-Whidbey Insurance • The Star Store • Whidbey Marketplace and News •

Additional Sponsors: Music for the Eyes

Have a Happy Harvest Festival!

Good Cheer!

Whidbey Island Bank is truly a community bank and it happens to be the only bank that still has a headquarters on the island. The bank was started by a group of Whidbey Island business people in Coupeville back in the early 1960s.

Today, the bank is one of the largest employers on Whidbey Island. This is a bank that cares about the community and how it does the business of banking.

Last year the bank earned a 5-Star rating from Bauer Financial for financial strength and stability. Nice to know that we have one of the strongest banks in the nation right here on the Island.

Whidbey Island Bank has a challenge for you!

Whidbey Island Bank is sponsoring a Community Challenge Matching Fund Drive from now through August 31st to help raise needed funds for the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview. The bank will match donations from the community up to a total amount of $5,000. The matched fund potential of $10,000 will help Good Cheer keep food shelves stocked through what continues to be a time of increased needs owing to the continued recession.

We are all at our best when we are helping others!

According to Pam Bickel the manager of the Langley Branch, “The idea of a fundraiser began with an article in the South Whidbey Record in June about the increased use of and decline of monetary donations for the Food Bank.  Whidbey Island Bank feels very much in partnership with the communities it serves and wanted to help in some way.  The bank felt it could maximize a donation by matching contributions made by our community members during a month-long campaign up to a total amount of $5000.00. Part of being a good neighbor means stepping up when the community meets challenging times.”

We are very grateful to Whidbey Island Bank for their leadership in this matching fund drive. They continue to be strong supporters of Good Cheer in terms of both donations and employees who volunteer at Good Cheer.

Donations are being accepted at all Whidbey Island Bank locations on South Whidbey:

Clinton Branch -  Branch Manager Candy Anderson at 360-341-5238

Freeland Branch – Branch Manager Anne Bobinac at 360-331-5868

Langley Branch – Branch Manager Pam Bickel at 360-221-0203

Donations can also be made at all Good Cheer Thrift Stores and the Food Bank office in Bayview. You can mail donations to Good Cheer Community Challenge / PO Box 144, Langley WA 98260 or click here to contribute online.

Donations should be identified as “Community Challenge” in the memo area on checks and online.

Good Cheer!

Painting for the Good Cheer Food Bank was an idea that Tina Beard initiated. This is The Paint Escapes’s 4th Annual Good Cheer Fundraiser. The fundraiser will run through the summer until Memorial Day.

Paint an Animal Mug for $10 or a selected plain mug at full price and the Paint Express will donate $5 to the food bank. Since this is a fundraiser; coupons can’t be redeemed on coffee cups.

Tina Beard’s, The Paint Escape, has raised $1360 over the last three years.

Tina Beard purchased the store from Stephanie Zea who is the bookkeeper at the Good Cheer Food Bank. She purchased the store 4 years ago and moved into the current location in Freeland two and a half years ago.

Paint for Good Cheer began in 2007 with piggy banks, 2008 was soup bowls and last year night lights.

Tina’s goal has been 100 pieces each year and she has been very close to meeting that goal every year.

This is a great experience for all ages. You can enjoy a fun and relaxing pottery or glass fusing experience at The Paint Escape studio in Freeland on lovely Whidbey Island. A great bonding experience for you and your children; maybe there is an artist hidden within one of you?

You will find a large selection of unfinished bisque (unglazed porcelain white ceramic ware) and over 70 beautiful paint colors to choose from. You may choose from over 40 colors of glass and idea books are available.  Their friendly staff is always available to guide you through the process.

Tina tells me that she has had wedding parties where the couple picks out the dishes and the family members come in and paint them. That’s a personal touch that will create many memories.

There are a thousand ways to design a piece of pottery. They offer stamps, stencils, and examples for inspiration. A wonderful way to make hand made gifts and have a great time. No experience required. Everyone can do this!

Great fun for a birthday party!

Just an opportunity to explore your inner artist?

Tina was showing me how they do fused glass. The flower piece above; shows how you use a base glass and then stack glass pieces on top. The flower on the right has been fused in a kiln. The bowl at the top is an example of a fused glass piece. Slumping the glass allows the artist to change the shape of the piece.

Kiln used for fusing the glass.

The Paint Escape is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 pm.

Friday Family Night 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday Ladies Night 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Special Events By Appointment

1664 E. Main St

Freeland, Wa

360-331-3166

Good Cheer!

JaNoah Spratt and The Good Cheer Food Bank; sound familiar? Wow, what an example for all of us to follow!

Here is the story of the fundraiser through the eyes of his father Todd Spratt:

“Good Cheer volunteer JaNoah Spratt  has coordinated  another Fundraiser with his fellow Black Belt Club students from Tiger Martial Arts. They just completed another very successful fundraiser to benefit Good Cheer Food Bank.

The fundraiser was held Saturday July 3rd from 9:00 am and 4:00 pm and was stationed in front of Ivar’s Restaurant. Ivar’s graciously agreed to let JaNoah  setup their table with brochures, Pamphlets and a collection box. The bulk of the collections where donated by the fine folks that were parked waiting for the ferry.

It was a long day and we were beat but we managed to bring in around $1000.00 for the Good Cheer Food Bank. Ivar’s staff was awesome. They said we were their guests and boy did they make us feel special. They treated us all to lunch, whatever we wanted and an ice cream of our choice. That was a life saver. Thanks so much for all you did Ivar’s.

The Washington State Mukilteo Ferry staff was wonderful too. They set us up with reflective vests, explained a few rules and let us do our thing. Our thanks goes out to the Mukilteo Ferry staff as well.

The kids hit the pavement asking for donations. Only two kids 10 years or older could be in the parking lot at one time and had to be accompanied by an adult at all times. We also had to leave the parking lot area when cars were being loaded, so you had about 10 minutes between rounds. The initial response was encouraging and we knew it would be a productive day.

Sensei Wendi Barker of Tiger Martial Arts took turns escorting kids through the parking lot and her son Good Cheer volunteer  R. J. helped man the table doing a fine job collecting donations. The next wave of helpers were not far behind Liz, Leah and Rebecca Merrow showed up and gave some much needed relief to Todd and JaNoah Spratt and Jesse Barker. It was a lot of walking and talking but we were all having fun and consistent success.

We had planned the event so that the volunteers would come at predetermined intervals during the day so that there would always be fresh help. Gabe Sherlock  and Jonathan Deritis had the 1:00 to 2:30 slot and did a great job. Paula and Dustin Scharwat were the last crew scheduled for the day. They both worked the parking lot with JaNoah and helped carry everything back when it was over.

JaNoah got his second wind sometime after lunch and started working the area in front of Ivar’s hard in between parking lot rounds. He’s really good face to face and it’s hard to turn him down when he’s standing in front of you.

JaNoah’s next project is to add the Mukilteo Fundraising chapter to his book ” How I Helped My Community and You Can Too” get it published and use part of the proceeds to generate more money for Good Cheer Food Bank. Leslie Kelly has offered her expertise and is assisting with the process.”

Quite a story; don’t you think:)

Are you looking for a back yard recycler?  You have to check out the BugaBay Worm Box by, you guessed it, JaNoah Spratt. There is a a video and other good information about composting that could be very useful to you.

JaNoah, his family and friends understand that volunteering is a form of giving. It is sharing what we value with others without counting on the reciprocal expectation of recognition or gratitude.

“The value of man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”

–Albert Einstein

Good Cheer!