I continue to be amazed and very proud to be living in this community of ours. We as a community are making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. Another example of this caring can be seen in the Gleeful Gleaners. In June of this year they formed a  partnership with Good Cheer to help reduce food insecurity. The group is looking to connect with people who are willing to share their extra non-sprayed fruit and bring it to  people in need.

Gleaning is the term for collecting food that would otherwise go to waste.

“I don’t like to waste our natural resources,” said Margaret Moore of Clinton. “When I drive around every fall, I see lots of fruit falling to the ground.”

“At a time when food is getting more expensive and Good Cheer’s donations are down, we wanted to find a way to capture that precious asset and have fun doing it.”

Good Cheer has tried in the past to respond to offers of donated fruit, but has had difficulty mustering the manpower to do the picking. We’re always grateful when community members have a good idea, and then do all the legwork, too! That’s exactly what they’ve done.

Healthy eating is our main focus and now we’ll have more fresh fruit to give to our clients. This is a wonderful complement to the Good Cheer Garden and another blessing from the people of this community.

On South Whidbey, Moore was joined by Nancy Snow and A.T. Birmingham-Young of Langley, and Kathy Deveau of Freeland, and the four set about developing their concept.

People all over the world are creating projects to harvest and share extra fruit from backyard trees. The Gleeful Gleaners envision  a future in which all fruit trees are cared for and harvested and where fruit withering on the tree or rotting on the ground is a thing of the past. You can click here to read an article on gleaning in the New York Times.

The group is looking for worm-free fruit from non-sprayed trees, and will gladly accept donated harvested fruit to go along with what the volunteers pick. They actually scout the neighborhoods and knock on doors in support of their program.

I’m sure that the community will be willing to support their efforts and warm hearts!

Why Bother?

We’ll help get local, healthy food to the members of our community in need of it.

We’ll enjoy the pleasure of a convivial outing with a team of like-minded people.

We’ll reduce the sanitation and pest problems unharvested fruit can lead to.

We’ll use, rather than waste, a valuable resource. It just makes sense.

We’ll have some fun while doing some good!

What Can You Do?

Share fruit! If you have a tree with more fruit than you can use, let us know, and we’ll see if we can help you harvest it.

Volunteer as a tree donor.

Help harvest! They are also looking for people to harvest, transport, or process food for distribution or to give or lend fruit-picking equipment (ladders, fruit pickers, and bags).

Volunteer to help with the harvest.

You can learn more by visiting their site by clicking here.

Good Cheer!

The Good Cheer Rack is having a grand re-opening this weekend starting on September 4th.  A grand celebration; with barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers!

We wanted to have a larger site to display our goods and it was a necessity to have a  “REAL” dressing room. Yes, it has a door:)

We’ve been moving into the world of social networking over the past year. The Good Cheer Blog and Good Cheer Garden Blog have been well received and is a great way to keep you informed of the happenings at the food bank.

We now have a Facebook site for the Rack in Clinton. This gives us the ability to show new arrivals and is just another way of having a conversation with the community on South Whidbey Island.

Play our Rack Bingo game, the more you shop, the more you save.  You can turn in your receipt for our special hourly drawing and you could win a gift certificate good for half the total on your sales receipt.

Good Cheer!

Chef Carly the Good Cheer Garden Scarecrow

I hope you all have September 11th marked on your calendars!  This is the day of our 3rd annual Harvest Party and Music Fest at the Bayview site.  Harvest Festivals celebrate the time of harvest and this year our theme is Cultivating Community. The seeds of community support are as unique and healthful as the harvest that we will be celebrating.

This year we are we are having a Chef Cook-Off Contest; yes very much like the TV Show “Iron Chefs”.

The competitors will be preparing two dishes (an appetizer, entree or a dessert) to be judged by the public for a dollar a vote.  Cooking starts at 11 am. and judging will begin at noon. Winners will be determined by which team sells the most tastes and the judging should end between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 pm.

The teams will use produce from the Good Cheer garden and food available in the food bank (plus a surprise ingredient)  to create their dishes.

The Competitors:

The CMA Soup Kitchen

Whidbey Island Nourishes

Good Cheer Team

And the winner is?

We would like the cooking teams to have the same equipment so that competition is  fair. We could use your help by providing certain items that we need. Of course, all will be returned to owners the following Monday:)

The items that we need for the competition are the following:

Outdoor camp stoves (like Coleman propane ones).
The burners from turkey deep fry sets.
Propane powered portable cooking equipment of all kinds (i.e., grills, outdoor ovens).

If you have any questions about what you may have to loan you can call the Good Cheer Food bank at 360-221-6454.

Good Cheer!

Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz – If he only had a brain.

Have you ever thought about making a scarecrow? Well, your time has arrived! We are having a scarecrow contest for the Good Cheer Harvest Festival on September 11th.

This is a change of pace from Harvest Festival Garden Quilt Raffle and  Garden Shed/Greenhouse Raffle.

The Scarecrow Contest is a chance to show your creativity and to win a $50 gift certificate at the Good Cheer Thrift Stores and bragging rights on South Whidbey Island. You can click here to print out an entry form.

A scarecrow is a device, traditionally a human figure or mannequin  dressed in old clothes (think thrift store), placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.

Below you’ll find four scarecrows made by the staff at Good Cheer. You may have seen Chef Carly at the Good Cheer Garden and she will  be used to promote the Chef Cook Off at the Harvest Festival. We will talk to that in a later post; she is not part of the voting contest!

You’ll find contributions from the Clinton Good Cheer Two Thrift Store, the Langley Thrift Store, the Good Cheer Garden and the Good Cheer Distribution Center.

The winning group will have a pizza party prepared by the other three groups!

Jim and Larry

Our names are Jim and Larry, we are the cutest scarecrows as we were modeled after two of Good Cheer’s cutest most faithful volunteers Jim and Larry.  We wanted to be just like Jim and Larry because they bring GOOD CHEER to wherever they volunteer.  They work at  Good Cheer Two in Clinton, the Food Bank and the Distribution Center.  They are best buddies so you can NOT vote for them separately as they are a team.  When you vote for Jim & Larry you are showing your support for ALL of the Good Cheer volunteers which is the heart of the Good Cheer organization.

The real Jim and Larry!

Hi! I’m Lucky Louey.  I used to be scattered in bits and pieces all over the Langley Good Cheer Thrift Store.  When one day the good folks there decided to put me all together.  They worked very hard and put in many hours to make me just right and made me the Scarecrow I am today!!!   I get to meet and greet everyone as they come through the door of the store!!! I can really be a part of Good Cheer now!!! That’s why I feel like I am a VERY Lucky Louey!!!

Hi my name is Bunny, and you can visit me at the entrance way at Good Cheer Food Bank.  I work in the Good Cheer garden keeping their food bank cooler and shelves full of fresh vegetable.  Inch by inch, row by row, I help make the garden grow.  All it takes is a rake, a hoe and piece of fertile ground. I  was created in two afternoons by families of the staff and volunteers.  So a vote for me is voting for family fun. I’ll see you at the Good Cheer Harvest Party and Music Fest on September 11^th.

My name is Donation Dave ~ I came from all over the island I am completely made of donated items from Good Cheer’s distribution center;  right down to the safety pins that hold me together.   I feel like a clown most of the time showing my sad face because we all wish we could do more for the people using the food bank. Wanting to make Good Cheer the best food bank we can, NO money was spent in putting me together.  Please vote for the “Best Scarecrow” ~ Donation Dave!!!  Those who contributed to my creation were; Dave, Sean, R.J., Reva (the shoe lady), Gail (the linen lady) and Terri to name a few oops John too.

To vote for a particular Scarecrow all you need to do is click on response in the top right hand corner of the post. This will take you to a comment page; just indicate the name of the Scarecrow that you most appreciated. You can leave a comment if you’d like;  just be kind. If the comments section says No Responses it means that yours is the first!

Thanks for participating!

Good Cheer!

It seems as though we have another angel supporting our cause at Good Cheer! We know that there are many of you and you bring happiness and peace of mind to many on this island of ours.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Buddha

“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It all started with Whidbey Island Bank and now other candles are being lit!

We have until August 31st to do good and we thank you in advance for your kindness and support.

You help us to keep the candles burning!

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!

The Island County Fair is sponsoring a Half-Price Thursday event to benefit the Good Cheer Food Bank. Anyone bringing in two items for the food bank will be able to purchase their admission tickets at half price.   This offer is valid from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on August 19th.

If the timing on Thursday doesn’t work for you remember that the Good Cheer Food Bank is inviting children and their parents or guardians to dress as a healthy food item and march with them in the Island County Fair Parade, Saturday morning, August 21st. Every costumed adult, teen, and child (along with parent/guardian) in the Good Cheer parade group will receive a free admission pass to the Fair that day, plus a gift certificate for $10 good at Good Cheer Thrift Stores.

Bring some food with you and drop it off at the Good Cheer Food Barrel at the Langley Thrift Store.

Since 1920, the Island County Fair has been held on the south end of Whidbey Island, mostly in Langley. At that time, the County Extension Agent asked all the communities to host a Fair. Only residents of Bayview were willing. A year later it was moved to Langley and a year after that to the schoolgrounds next door to the present Fairgrounds. The first parcel of the Fairgrounds was acquired in 1934 for $300 and consisted of a five-acre chicken ranch.

Over the years they have acquired more land and built more buildings, but the intent of those first fairs still inspires the fairs of today.

It’s all about being an old fashioned county fair!

You can get all the information that you will ever need by following this link to the Island County Fair Website.

Horses, cows pigs are typical of a county fair.

The entertainment promises to be very good

Thursday 6:45 p.m. the Islanders Steel Drums followed by Carrie Cunningham & the Six Shooters at 8:30 p.m.

Friday at 6:30 p.m. Knut Bell & the Blue Collars followed at 8:00 by the Timebenders.

Saturday 6:45 p.m. starts off with Cee Cee James followed by the DooWah Riders at 8:30.

We wrote a nice piece on Cee Cee James; you can click here to view it.

The shows on Sunday end with a little magic from Sterling at 5:15 p.m.

Entertainment starts everyday at 9:30 a.m.  I’ve just highlighted a few of the great groups that will be entertaining you this coming week.

Thanks for your continued support and enjoy the fair!

Good Cheer!

The Good Cheer Food Bank invites children and their parents or guardians to dress as a healthy food item and march with them in the Island County Fair Parade, Saturday morning, August 21st. Every costumed adult, teen, and child (along with parent/guardian) in the Good Cheer parade group will receive a free admission pass to the Fair that day, plus a gift certificate for $10 good at Good Cheer Thrift Stores.

The 2009 Good Cheer Parade Group

There were a wide variety of costumes at last years parade. Here again is an opportunity to show your creativity and support a good cause.  Many people look for our group in the parade, and the kids love being cheered on as they show support for our community food bank.

The Grape theme

Musical farmers and carrot people

Strange creatures lurking around the parade grounds

Pretty girls

Hot dogs, not sure how healthy they are, but it looks like good fun!

You can find childrens registration forms by clicking here.  Adult forms are here. They will also be available at the Good Cheer Thrift Stores in Langley and Clinton, plus the Food Bank in Bayview.

Participants should meet in costume for the parade at 9 a.m. in front of Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley.

Come and march with us!

Good Cheer!

As you drive by the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview you will notice a splash of color on the lawn. Debra Calkins has created a month-long exhibit titled “ Hidden Among Us.” This a visual representation of the statistical information for last year’s use of the Good Cheer Food Bank. The markers are color-coded to represent the number of children, adults and seniors who used the food bank as well as the general population. Each marker represents 5 Whidbey Island residents who accessed the food bank at least once in 2009. For South Whidbey, this came to 28.4% of the population with a breakdown of 1,665 children, 2,985 adults, and 396 seniors out of a population of 17,741.

Calkins is passionate about using her art publicly as a social commentary to generate awareness and discussion. “I tried to tie the tape to the bamboo stakes in public as much as possible to spark discussion on what I was doing” Debra says. “Every person I spoke with was surprised at the amount of hidden hunger and homelessness that we have here on Whidbey Island. People sometimes have a hard time visualizing statistics and numbers, so this is a good way to drive home how many people are at risk for going hungry without the aid of local food banks.”

This is Calkins’ second art installation following last year’s “Memorial” installation depicting the deaths of military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq. She is a mixed media and installation artist who earned a certificate in Fiber Arts from the University of Washington last year.

“My approach to my public art work is to work with the participants to build consensus, with the goal of creating a site-responsive piece of art. I was born and raised on a small farm in Snohomish County. I became a teenager during the 1960’s. The movements that started in that decade – women’s, peace, and civil rights – influenced my view of how the world could be. These movements continue to influence me today. Despite those movements, I was told you couldn’t make a living making art and to choose something else. It was fourteen years before I returned to art making. In 2000 I took the next step in my career as an artist. 2003 saw the first of my exhibiting my work to the outside world. I have been consistently exhibiting since. I completed the Fiber Arts Certificate program at the University of Washington in 2009 and took the Edge program at Edmonds Community College in 2010.”

“Many things catch my attention as an artist. I have things I want to say. I have discovered a passion for social commentary. I cannot think of a better to live my life.”

“Making art is not an option, it is critical to a rich, full life. My work starts a conversation, between the work and the viewer and between viewers. I use layers of materials to provide complex layers of meaning; meant to continue a dialogue and to invite and compel the viewer to examine the work again and again.

It is a discovery process – of thought, of meaning, of self.”

Isn’t there a certain beauty to caring?

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!

The Good Cheer Garden Quilt Raffle gives you another opportunity to help the community and the Good Cheer Food Bank Garden. The Quilt Raffle and Garden Shed/Greenhouse Raffle drawings will will take place at the Harvest Festival in September.

Nothing better than a cozy quilt for our chilly winter evenings!

The Good Cheer Garden Quilt Raffle will benefit the Garden at Good Cheer.

Tickets Are $1 Apiece

The Trinity Lutheran Church Quilters have done it again; creating a lovely quilt to be raffled off at this year’s Harvest Party.

This year’s queen-size quilt is a cheery strawberry motif.

The quilt is on display at the Langley Thrift Store.

Raffle tickets are available at all Good Cheer sites: The Thrift Stores in Langley and Clinton and the Food Bank and distribution Center in Bayview.

The quilting group from Trinity Lutheran Church have been very active in the community. They recently donated a beautiful rose-print quilt to help support the efforts of a local community group with the desire to establish a youth shelter on Whidbey Island. Ryan’s House is a proposed youth shelter that will be designed to house middle and high school aged students in need of a safe place to stay on an emergency or temporary basis.

Lori Cavender of Langley with a photo of her late god-brother, Ryan Busche, namesake of Ryan’s House: “Ryan would have wrapped his arms around this project.” Photo Courtesy of Roy Jacobson – The Record.

The focus of the shelter is to provide support for the families.  It is hoped that this support along with, encouragement, education and mediation will help the students and their parents regain their home environment.

“Homelessness effects not only families and single adults, but also young students on their own who are trying to stay in school and sometimes hold down a job at the same time,” said Lori Cavender, who’s spearheading the group to create Ryan’s House.

We at Good Cheer applaud the help that the Trinity Lutheran Quilters provide and we wanted to highlight some of the other organizations that they are involved in.

Good Cheer!