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- Meals provided by weight: 118 lbs = 98 meals
We provided anywhere from 98 to 500 meals; the number of meals must really depend on the food type! That’s it! Second Harvest will take it from here. We leave you with this picture of a cute tree that was in the lobby. Stay tuned for when we add our next Global Tier Update!
- Second Harvest Food Bank is a leader in the cause to end local hunger. One of the largest food banks in the nation, they mobilize individuals, companies, and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need. More than half of the food distributed is fresh produce. Second Harvest also helps with education; they play a leading role in promoting federal nutrition programs and educating families on how to make healthier food choices.
Who They Serve
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- First Donation Blog:
Thank you Gaians! You're all so generous! Since we surpassed our first global tier let’s take a look together at our first charity and the donations made!
Second Harvest Food Bank
The Mission
- Our grand total was 118 pounds!
The calculation they gave us is that 1 meal is equal to $.50 in price, or about 1.2lbs of food.
Meals provided by dollar amount: $250.00 = 500 meals
- Here's the thread you'll want to follow as we share all the new and incoming information about the Gaia Charity Kickstarter, where we are exchanging your gold contributions with real donations to local charity organizations!
We'll be adding photos of the goods as we send real life Gaia Staff members out to pick them up. You can see where your donations are going, and follow along with what we donated next as we hit each Global Donation Tier! If you want to join in and help, donate to the Charity Kickstarter!
Thread Updates:
:Tier 1 has been reached with a donation of 15 Trillion Gold!
:Tier 2 has been reached with a donation of 30 Trillion Gold!
:Tier 3 has been reached with a donation of 45 Trillion Gold!
:Tier 4, the final tier, has been reached with a donation of 60 Trillion Gold!
- Second Donation Blog:
We wanted to get involved with a local charity that was family oriented. In our announcement we mentioned that the charity’s name was San Jose Family Services, but as it turns out, the actual name of this wonderful organization is Sacred Heart Community Service! Please forgive the miscommunication.
Sacred Heart Community Service
The Mission
- Sacred Heart Community Service is dedicated to bringing the community together to address poverty in Silicon Valley. Providing essential services to individuals and families in need remains one of Sacred Heart’s core strategies. The organization has also evolved into a respected and innovative provider of programs that assist families with achieving lifelong economic self-sufficiency. Today it meets basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing assistance, while at the same time offering the tools for self-sufficiency, including employment assistance, family mentoring, and adult and youth education programs.
Interesting Facts
:• Louise Benson founded Sacred Heart Community Service in 1964 to feed hungry families in her neighborhood.
:• In 2008, Sacred Heart was selected by the State of California to be the Community Action Agency for Santa Clara County.
Staff Involvement
We contacted Sacred Heart Community Service via phone to find out what toys they could use for Christmas and the Holiday season. The representative on the phone gave us some ideas and guidelines. The only hard rule was that the toys must be new, for safety reasons.
Click the "Show Spoiler" button below to tag along on our Donation Adventure: Round 2!
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First item up: puzzles! They are a great brain exercise for kids!
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The representative we spoke to at Sacred Heart said they could use toys and games of all shapes and sizes so we wanted to get a variety of items. We found Monopoly for some group fun, and we also threw some cute dolls in the cart!
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We continued to grab an assortment of items as we maneuvered through the packed store.
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Look at all the Play-doh Who better to send to buy toys than kids at heart? Plus, we all have a soft spot for My Little Pony. Friendship really is magic, you know.
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Time to check out! The items took up the entire checkout lane, and it was only at this point that we remembered that the car we were using for transport is the size of a golf cart...
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To be honest, at this point we were wondering if this is all going to fit into the trunk... We did not think this through...
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Success! One VERY full trunk later we're off to Sacred Heart to drop off all the goodies!
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We told the lady we had a trunk full of stuff, and she couldn't hide her surprise when she realized we weren't kidding. She had to call over a few more helpers, and with 4 of us, we quickly unloaded the trunk. Mission accomplished and we went on our way =)
- First we called Second Harvest to coordinate with the donation and find the best way to help out. They gave us a list of items they needed most, which is also on their website. The person we spoke with was very kind and even offered to pick up the food from Gaia HQ via barrel, but we decided we can get the food out faster to them if we drove the food to one of their drop off locations. This would also save them transportation costs!
Now the list!
- The Food Bank needs nutritious, non-perishable foods:
:• Meals in a can
:• Tuna and canned meat
:• Peanut butter
:• Canned foods with pop-top lids
:• Low-sugar cereals
:• 100% fruit juices in single serving boxes
:• Canned vegetables
:• Canned fruit packed in juice
Click "Show Spoiler" to see what we donated and follow along with Gaia Staff's Charity Adventure!
Second Harvest communicated that they need a lot of canned meal items, especially soup with pop off lids! We were informed that these ready to eat items are often used for people who need a meal right away and who may not have access to kitchen facilities. Second Harvest makes ready-to-eat Care Kits complete with utensil, which is why the easy to remove lid is important.
Look at all the canned foods that are available with pop-top lids! We grabbed local organic medium chili, a variety of soups, and more! Unfortunately, the tuna didn’t have a pop off lid, but Second Harvest requested canned meat as well, so we decided to get ten of them. We had the foresight to shop for the canned goods first since they are more bulky and easier to stack.
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Found some more canned meat, the healthiest SPAM on the shelf. Next we added some creamy peanut butter and some apple sauce-- in plastic, as there is no glass allowed. Now we're getting there! Let’s see what else is left on the list.
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How about some cereal? Cheerios are the best! Perfect, it's low in sugar as requested! Then we added 100% fruit juices in single serving boxes to the cart. Pretty full… and heavy! I wonder how many pounds we have? Let’s head to the checkout.
Don’t worry we didn't forget about the veggies or last item on our list. We also made sure to get plenty of vegetables like sweet peas and corn as well as fruit packed in juice!
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We managed to find some decent deals: some of the soup was on sale and so was the cereal. We mainly focused on what the charity needed and making sure the food was nutritious. For example, some of the soup with regular lids was cheaper, but the charity had requested pop-off lids. There were a lot cheaper meals in a can and cereals as well, but the ingredients didn't look as healthy as the ones we picked out.
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This shopping trip is complete! Now to transport to the Second Harvest distribution site:
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We were provided a cart once we arrived.
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Let’s weigh in!
- Congratulations, Gaians! You overflowing generosity and enthusiasm led to a grand total of just over 93,000,000,000,000 gold donated to our amazing Charity Kickstarter! To see how your donations funded some amazing real life help for people in need, check out the Gaia Charity Kickstarter Update Thread by clicking that big yellow button below!
Everyone who reached the top personal donation tier was entered into a raffle to win a Project Golden Ticket, which can be exchanged for the chance to design your very own Gaia item!
The winner has been chosen. Drumroll please! Our next fantastic Project Golden Ticket recipient is...
Cpt_waffl3s!
Congratulations! And a special thank you to everyone who participated! Be sure to visit the Charity Kickstarter Thread and see the difference Gaia Online made this year thanks to all of you amazing Gaians!
Visit the Thread!
- During the fiscal year, they served nearly a quarter of a million people per month. The majority of people they serve are seniors and low-income families with children.
Interesting Facts
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Yes, Gaians! You read that completely right. It's the season of giving, and to help families in need, we're hosting an extra special Charity Kickstarter! All of the Gaia Gold proceeds raised during this Kickstarter by generous Gaians will be converted into real life currency and used for toys, food, and household necessities to be donated to some of the hardworking local charities around Gaia HQ! Check out some of the rewards you can earn for participating:
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As you all work together to hit the Global Tiers, actual Gaia Staff members will be out spending your donations on goods to be given to the local charities! In fact, as we hit every tier, we'll be making a thread full of fun photos so you can see the shopping shenanigans that unfold and help give tips on what to buy next!
Not only will you be donating to help people who really need it this season, but for every Personal Tier you manage to hit, you will receive a fabulous new item like the festive Astra: Green and Red Angelic Headwings, Green and Red Striped Devil Tail, Spirited Majoko Mariko Eyes, or even the Project Golden Ticket, which can be exchanged for the chance to create your own custom outfit for your avatar! Check out the details here.
We'll be using 100% of the virtual funds collected from this Kickstarter to give real life support to these local charity organizations:
:• Second Harvest Food Bank - of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
:• San Jose Family Services
:• Toys for Tots
So without further ado, let's get started, Gaians! Have fun working hard to donate as much as you can, and look forward to our updates as the Kickstarter event continues! Let's work hard to hit all our Global Tiers!
Donate Now!
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