Kids These Days!!!

...are Awesome!

I know. I know. You thought I was going to say something about kids these days not giving or helping or working or something grandpa might say. Nope! What I saw yesterday was a group of high school students that pulled together and spent a day in pouring rain to collect food and deliver it to those in need.

Garrett W., Nocole M., and Chadd A Were Part of Our Crew That Gathered More then 500 Pounds of Food

High School students from Novato High School and Marin Catholic High School participated in a food drive to collect turkeys, hams, pies, pasta, rice, potatoes, bread and other goodies in Marin County, California and bring an estimated 500-600 pounds of food to a soup kitchen in the Tenderloin. In partnership with San Francisco-based Food Runners, we did our best to adopt Fraternite Notre Dame and help them feed their neighborhood on Turk Street.

Fraternite Notre Dame is run by two Sisters who have a true dedication to service. They feed the neighborhood out of a small facility, clean up and then sleep there to rest up and do it all over again.

Some of Our High School Volunteers and Sister Marie Benedict with Part of the Food Donated to Fraternite Notre Dame.

With the help of some social media promotion from college student Lauren W. and some great Novato mothers (!!), our volunteers promoted the food drive, collected the food and then delivered it where it was needed the week of Christmas. Sure, there's an ice skating rink in Union Square and beautiful decorations in the shopping district, but in my humble opinion, going to the Tenderloin District and doing a little something to make Christmas better for others is a side of Christmas that should also be seen and experienced.

Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! We wish you the best in this coming new year!

Thanks to You Marin Catholic High School

We'd just like to take a moment to thank Marin Catholic High School for its support of our Tenderloin Turkey Drive for Fraternite Notre Dame. They are allowing us to distribute flyers and even use their parking lot as a donation pick up spot. (Details are on the flyer below.)

We are also receiving support from parents at Novato High School and are very appreciative of that. Our hope is that a Marin-based corporation will also take this on and we have reached out, but we don't want to put anyone in the spotlight until they feel it is a good fit for them.

Our crew of truck drivers, Sharon Miravalle, Nina McIsacc, Cassie Alciati, Lisa Winkler, Susan White are ready to come and pick up your donations on the 21st of December. 

Last week, we were at Fraternite Notre Dame on Turk Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin District and accidentally ran into our partners, Food Runners, who were also there to help. The facility is modest, full of heart and needs our support. This is a soup kitchen where those that serve hundreds of meals literally sleep in the kitchen to rest up and do it all over the next day. It is a privilege to help them with their mission this holiday season.

December 21st is the day. Buy a second turkey, fill a bag with canned cranberries and other goodies and bring it to one of our donation stations. Or, if you happen to be with a generous corporation or neighborhood that can pull together a donation in the bay area, we will send a truck to you.

Here's our homespun flyer:

Let's Bring a Ton of Turkeys to the Tenderloin This Holiday Season!

No, really. We aren't kidding. Take a 20lb bird and multiply it by 100 and we'll have a ton of turkeys to make the holidays a little better for the Tenderloin. It's a goal we can make happen, but we need your help in the form of donated frozen turkeys, pies, canned cranberries and anything else that might make a holiday table more festive!

Though our current drop off spots are in Marin County, we will come to you and pick up a group donation if you work for a generous company in the San Francisco Bay Area. We're very pleased to partner with Food Runners of San Francisco and the Sisters at Fraternite Notre Dame to make this happen.

It's Time to Help. Be the difference!

Here are the details:

Tenderloin Turkey Drive

We're taking turkeys to the the Tenderloin. Actually, our goal is to take a ton of turkeys to the tenderloin (and canned cranberries, pies, candy and anything else that would add to a holiday table.) 

More info coming tomorrow. But, here's a preview. We've partnered with Food Runners of San Francisco and the Fraternite Notre Dame, which operates a soup kitchen in San Francisco's Tenderloin district that feeds 300 people a day and a lot more during the holidays. We are going to gather frozen turkeys and other holiday fixings and bring them into the Tenderloin so they can help feed those in need. 

High schoolers and Boy Scouts have offered to help get donations and load our truck/s so we are making this our holiday effort. 

Please stay tuned for more information on this. If you work for a generous corporation in the San Francisco Bay area and want to put together a donation, we'll send a truck to you and pick it up. Otherwise, we will have drop off places where you can bring a turkey or anything else that might be helpful and we'll make sure your items get where they are needed. Or, if you'd rather write a check and not lug around a frozen bird, you can send it to:

It's Time to Help

19 Aaron Drive

Novato, California  94949

and we'll purchase the turkey for you and send you a letter so you can let the IRS know just how nice you are. 

Remember, though I know we say this too often, but this time of year more than ever...

You Are The Difference.

Just a Quick Note of Support to the French

We aren't equipped for international response at this time and are not a political organization in any stretch of the imagination. Just want to share a thought.

"France, our hearts are yours."

Sometimes Just Being There is Enough

You know, sometimes just treating someone down on their luck like you'd want to be treated is enough. Have you ever been at a stop light where there's a homeless person on the center divider and just rolled down your window and said "Good Luck and God Bless?" Have you shaken his hand?

These are things I try to do at least a few times a week. If you don't, that's okay. This blog isn't meant to be preachy or intended to make anyone feel guilty. We all have different comfort zones. And let's be real. Sometimes when you roll down your window to chat with a homeless person it doesn't go so well. While our ambitions as a disaster relief group are pretty grand in terms of scale (We just added two semi truck trailers to our five year operating plan), it's the little things on a local level that can make a big difference. It's five minutes of your life you could be using to make someone else's day just a little better.

From what I see on YouTube, Facebook and through the experiences of my children, it seems like the younger generation gets this. Where my parents would avoid someone who looks "dirty" camped out on the street, the younger folks seem to be more comfortable actually engaging them in conversation and making them feel acknowledged and relevant.

Here's a video I ran across that made me feel hopeful. What if we all did something like this just once during the holiday season?

Click here to play the video: https://www.facebook.com/keeptheheat/videos/10153661676802069/

You Will Surprise What Happen When The Homeless Man Ask Him Wa...

More Videos by KeeptheHeat

2:14/3:39

KeeptheHeat You Will Surprise What Happen When The Homeless Man Ask Him Wait For 1 Minute...

San Francisco Charity Group Snapshot: Food Runners

What happens to all those muffins left over after that coffee break at the industry conference you were at? Where did all the extra bagels and fruit go after that charity fundraising run that ended on Crissy Field? What happens to hundreds of boxed lunches that don't get consumed during lunch meetings at Moscone Center trade shows? What do restaurants do with the food you don't eat?

Well, it turns out there's an app for that. Or, more accurately, a group of people that manage to get food from where it's no longer needed to where it is desperately needed. The group is called Food Runners.

While I've been ramping up It's Time to Help (sales plug: have you seen our new website?), I've been volunteering at local charities that are providing relief on a local level. Yesterday, I worked with Food Runners and will be rejoining their efforts later this week. This is a group that are masters at short-term logistics and manage to get volunteers with vehicles to charity events, restaurants, stores, conferences, tradeshows and other venues in San Francisco where more food is available than there are folks to eat it or buy it. If you've ever done event planning, then you know it's standard practice to have food left over at an event so you don't run short.

Food Runners takes this extra food and gets it to shelters and other organizations, such as Glide Memorial, that use their expertise and compassion to hand out the food to those in need. Food Runners relays more than 5,000 meals a day to those in need...food that would otherwise be thrown out.

If you are looking to spend some of your spare time to help others and you live in the San Francisco Bay area, this is a great way to get your feet wet in the volunteer scene. Not ready to build a house for Habitat for Humanity? That's okay. All you need is a vehicle and about an hour of your time and you can make a difference.

If you'd like to get involved, here's the contact information for their operations manager. The paperwork to get going is minimal and you can be out there as often as you'd like to be. There's pretty much something to do any day of the week. I've found this organization is good about letting you know what opportunities are out there to help without being high pressure about it. 

To learn more please contact

Nancy Haan
Operations Manager

Email: nancy@foodrunners.org
Food Donations: (415) 929-1866
Direct Line: (415) 292-4197

I'll keep exploring the local volunteer scene to let you know ways you can help while we ramp up ItsTimeToHelp.org. If you haven't already registered as a Time to Help volunteer, I definitely encourage you to do so, but the important thing is to get out there and do what you can with the time you can contribute.

Helping Middletown, CA After the Fire

...and then it got real.

Building a disaster response organization and actually responding to a disaster are two entirely different things. But, you can't ask volunteers to do what you won't do yourself, so I went to Middletown this week to help with disaster relief and talk to as many people as I could about on site needs.

Arriving was the hardest part. You just don't understand the impact on people's lives until you are there in person.

 The fire burned so fast and so hot that not even toilets survived. There is just nothing left of neighborhoods that were hit.

I slept in the back of a semi truck in bunk beds provided to volunteers, fed volunteers thanks to the generosity of the Lions Club and helped residents do what they called "sifting," which is going through debris looking for anything that might be salvageable or a keepsake. (I didn't find a single thing.)

 In order to understand where volunteers fit in, I talked with people from The Red Cross (thanks for the chili), Army/National Guard, the police, firemen, the Southern Baptist Church (thanks for the shower) and many residents.

As you might have guessed, the first responders do an excellent job. The Red Cross was passing out food and even some companies showed up in a big way to lend a hand (Verizon set up a mobile network and offered use of computers and phone chargers for example.

 The people I encountered were amazingly positive. Yesterday morning I was in the town center chatting with residents and several pulled out their cell phones to show me pictures like you see here...except the pictures were of their houses. Still, they would say things like "At least I saved my dog" or "I got my 70-year-old neighbors out 5 minutes before the fire hit." Talk about a glass half full approach!

 You Can Help! Here's How.
The residents of Middletown need pretty much everything to rebuild their lives. They have food and water thanks to first responders, but they've lost everything else. They need plates, pots, clothes, hay for their horses...everything. Fill a box and send it to:
Middletown Senior Center
21256 Washington Street
Middletown, CA  95461

(There are also hay drop stations in town.)

The Southern Baptist Church is providing showers via a big semi truck and laundry with another big semi truck. You know that basket of hotel mini soaps and shampoos that you've collected, they need that. They also need towels. Send those to:
Middletown Baptist Church
1818 W. Main
Middletown, CA  95461


Or, if a cash donation is more of a fit in terms of helping out and not filling boxes, based on what I saw when I was there, I would recommend The American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.

You are the difference. You can pay it forward.

Let's Get Started

I'm headed to Anderson Springs and Middletown to see what is left and what is needed after the fires. We aren't yet ready to respond as an organization, but I at least want to learn what the volunteer needs are. What could second responders be doing right now to help now that the fire is 80% contained? Would I like to have 500 volunteers with me? Yes, but we aren't there yet. So, I've packed my car with tools and I have a lot of questions to ask people and hopefully I'll learn a lot and help a few people along the way.

Inspiration

(a personal note from the founder)

Hi, this blog is meant as a behind the scenes look at the formation and continuation of www.itstimetohelp.org. For better or worse, you get to hear about the sausage making of an organization devoted to helping communities in need.

Hey, that's Steve Harvey!

I had an inspirational experience this past weekend. I went to Parents Weekend at my daughter's university (Have I mentioned my daughter is awesome, by the way?) and among other activities we saw a speech given by Steve Harvey.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Based on the applause given by the audience during his introduction, I think the whole audience was thinking it. "It's the Family Feud guy!!!" ...and that would be wrong.

Steve Harvey is a passionate, motivated and spiritual guy. Though he was there to speak to the students, there were times when I felt he was speaking to me about starting www.itstimetohelp.org. He's gone through some adversity and come out better and stronger for it. His main points were:

1. If you have a dream, pursue it and know that maybe there's a greater influence in creating that dream. (I try not to impose any religious beliefs on the organization, so just fill in the blanks.)

2. Others that don't quite have their minds around your dream will tell you it can't be done. It's just too big. (Yup). But, do it anyway.

3. The only way you make your dream happen is to jump off the cliff and see if you soar or fall. (Check. I've officially jumped.)

4. People will understand your dream when it becomes reality.

What I've learned lately is that you don't know when or where you are going to find inspiration. It may be that person sitting next to you on that Southwest Airlines flight. It may be friends and neighbors. And...well...it may be sitting in a basketball gym listening to Steve Harvey.

Steve...if you ever read this, thanks!

The Uniform

Hi again.

We realize we just can't have people showing up at the doorstep of households in need wearing t-shirts that say "Is it 4:20 Yet?" or "Duran Duran Forever," so I've been putting my very limited fashion skills to designing a shirt that lets people identify us when we are in the field.

You'll see there is a lot of space leftover and that's so we can feature the logos of corporate sponsors and partners that will help us make this happen.

Our fashion model budget consists of all-you-can-eat carnitas so we were able to pay for my son Garrett to model the very first concept of the shirts our volunteers will wear. Please tell us what you think. If someone came to your door wearing this and offering help, would you feel comfortable letting him or her in?

Okay, admittedly, Tim Gunn has not been calling us for fashion advice, but it's a start.

Reflecting on 9/11, there are never words that seem adequate. I prefer to look at the first and second responders. With buildings literally burning down, firemen and police chose to run into the buildings to help people. A volunteer boat lift took place evacuating people from New York on everything from ferries to fishing boats. https://www.youtube.com/embed/MDOrzF7B2Kg?rel=0 . People came from all walks of life to help. (Okay, yes, I am trying to make a point here.)

Volunteers came together to look for survivors and ultimately rebuild.

I have nothing to say about the perpetrators. But, to those who responded and continue to respond, you make us proud.

An Introduction to itstimetohelp.org

Welcome to our blog at itstimetohelp.org.

Your first question might be, and this is completely natural, who are you and what are you doing? Well, to quote Burt Bacharach, I'm just a guy. This organization isn't about me. It's about you. This is a vehicle to allow more than 1,000 people to help communities in need with the support of corporations that care about more than profits.

That's me and my daughter.I'd put up a picture of my son, but he's much better looking than me (okay, set the bar low there.) and a little camera shy. He'll be coming in a future blog post along with my wife and others helping ramp up our not-for-profit foundation.

I have spent my career making profits and revenue and market share for some great corporations and some that weren't so great. At 49, I now want to devote my next chapter to creating an organization that helps communities in need. And, as I've traveled around and talked to other folks with salt and pepper hair that has turned completely to salt, I've realized I'm not alone. A lot of people want to help others, but it's the logistics that get in the way. People can't take the time to do all the planning it takes to go help a community in need. So, itstimetohelp.org is going to take care of the logistics so, if you can spare a week or two a year, you can do the most satisfying job of your career. You can help others during their time of need.

Our main focus is construction as second responders to disasters to help people get their houses back in order. Flooded house? School needs repair? We will show up at your door and offer help. But, if you have the time and desire, we'll find something for you to do, even if you've never lifted up a hammer. Ultimately, we hope to be able to provide those affected with a tent and a camping stove so, while we fix up their homes, they have a place to sleep on their property and a way of heating up some food to provide just a little slice of home.

If you work for a great corporation or one aspiring to be great, tell them about us. We can help you do more to help people and, by the way, we understand corporate branding and community relations. Our volunteers will have your corporation's logo on their shirts and our truck full of tools and building materials will have your corporation's logo on the side. If you are helping communities in need, we believe you should get credit for it.

Be part of an army of people paying it forward. If you are spending too much time sitting on the couch or behind a desk like I was, then this is your call to action. Get up, volunteer, make a difference. We'll take care of the rest.

Best to you,
        Eric Winkler, founder, itstimetohelp.org
        ewinkler@itstimetohelp.org
        www.itstimetohelp.org

P.S. You are the difference.