December 2011 Charity of the Month: Sulzbacher Center

The Sulzbacher Center seeks to “empower homeless and at-risk men, women and children to achieve a better life through a full range of services, both direct and in collaboration with community partners,” that allow them to successfully reintegrate into the community (1). As Northeast Florida’s “only provider of comprehensive services for homeless men, women, and children,” the Sulzbacher Center provides food and shelter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (1). Through job placement assistance and life skills programs, Sulzbacher provides those in need with the resources necessary to transform their lives.

The Sulzbacher Center relies on the strength and generosity of businesses, religious groups, civic organizations, and individual volunteers throughout the community for support in feeding and sheltering some of Jacksonville’s most needy residents. Want to get involved? Information regarding volunteer opportunities can be found on the Sulzbacher website.

Donations to support the Sulzbacher Center will be accepted at our registers throughout the month of December.

Reference:

“About Us.” Sulzbacher Center – The Way Home. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sulzbachercenter.org/index.html&gt;.

Photos courtesy of Sulzbacher Center

City Rescue Mission Holiday Donation Drive at Native Sun

Our Native Sun GreenApples Charity of the Month for November 2011 is City Rescue Mission, a faith-based, non-profit organization that offers food, clothing, shelter and emergency services and residential recovery programs to homeless men and women in Jacksonville. This is our third year working with CRM and we are excited to support their important services!

In addition to donation boxes at each of our registers, we’re hosting a food drive all month long! Look for donation bins in both stores.

CRM is in need of the following items. Large or commercial sizes are preferred:

• Canned fruit, vegetables & beans
• Canned tuna, chicken & ham
• Ketchup, mustard & mayonnaise
• Canned pudding
• Oatmeal
• Quick cooking grits – 5lb
• Pasta
• Corn Meal – Self Rising
• Pancake syrup
• Coffee creamer (non-dairy)
• Salad dressings
• Distilled white vinegar
• Salt
• Rice
• Pancake mix
• Powdered drinks
• Cooking oil
• Spices
• Jelly/jam
• Bottled water 

City Rescue Mission also needs used or new white twin sheets, towels, and wash clothes.

Donations accepted at the Customer Service desk of each store. Thank you in advance for your support!

 

October 2011 Charity of the Month: City Rescue Mission

Established in 1946, City Rescue Mission serves the homeless and needy in Jacksonville, providing them with the food, clothing, shelter, emergency services, and the counseling needed to begin rebuilding their lives. With the success of the LifeBuilders Recovery Program and the New Day Workforce, City Rescue Mission provides the structured support necessary to help those who are homeless get off the street and transition into the workforce.

City Rescue Mission does not receive any government funding. The Mission relies on contributions from volunteer programs, corporate sponsorships, monetary donations, and planned giving. With generous donations from concerned individuals, churches, businesses, and civic organizations, City Rescue Mission continues to support Jacksonville’s homeless population.

Donations will be accepted at our registers throughout the month of October. In November, we will introduce collection bins for a canned and dry-food drive to benefit the Mission.

Click here for additional information on how you can help contribute to City Rescue Mission.

Photos courtesy of the City Rescue Mission website.

 

August GreenApples Charity of the Month: Cornerstone Community Tutoring

Started in 2010, Cornerstone Community Tutoring caters to “at-risk students” in grades K-12 who live in the Eastside/Springfield neighborhood. The result of a UNF project focused on community collaboration, Cornerstone provides students with a safe place to build meaningful relationships and hone their academic skill. Students meet every Tuesday from 5:00-7:00pm and receive healthy snacks before beginning work in various centers that concentrate on reading, Black History trivia, U.S. trivia, math facts, spelling, writing, grade-level multi-disciplinary enrichment, homework help, and fun crafts.

Volunteer opportunities at Cornerstone Community Tutoring include:

• Student check-in/check-out facilitation
• Snack assistance
• One-on-one tutoring
• Individualized curriculum development
• Art center leaders/helpers
• Music center leaders/helpers
• Readers’ theater center helpers
• Brain Quest center leaders/helpers
• Reading skills center leaders/helpers
• Life skills math center leaders/helpers
• Bible verse center helpers

If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact:

Rebekah Kelemen- ctlcs.tutoring@gmail.com

Donations will be accepted at our registers throughout the month of August!

Information and photos courtesy of Cornerstone Community Tutoring website

July GreenApples Charity of the Month: Angelwood

Angelwood works to “improve the quality of life for children and adults with developmental disabilities,” assisting families “in caring for the special needs of their loved ones” throughout the course of their lives. With programs tailored to individual needs and goals, Angelwood takes pride in providing unparalleled assistance for those dealing with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disabilities, Prader-Willi and Spina Bifida.

As a non-profit organization, Angelwood runs a yearly, fun-filled summer day camp, maintains residential group homes to help individuals improve skills associated with daily living, respite programs designed to re-energize families and behavioral services focused on correcting behavioral issues and teaching appropriate behavior.

Click here for more information on how you can further support Angelwood!

Donations will be accepted at our registers throughout the month of July.

June GreenApples Charity of Month: The HEAL Foundation (Healing Every Autistic Life)

Founded in 2004 by Bobby and Leslie Weed in collaboration with noted local pediatrician Julie Buckley, MD, The HEAL Foundation works to assist individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the greater Jacksonville Area. As parents of daughters with autism, Bobby and Leslie Weed and Dr. Buckley understand the difficulties facing those affected by Autism, and through The HEAL Foundation, they have raised more than $1 million to provide “grants that help support camps, educational programs, community projects and financial aid for families in the Jacksonville Florida area” dealing with Autism (The HEAL Foundation 2010). As mentioned on their homepage, HEAL’s “ultimate goal is to generate enough funding to build HEAL House, a refuge where therapeutic programs and services can be offered under one roof” (The HEAL Foundation 2010).

Below are some services and programs that HEAL facilitates:

• HEALing Families – Support groups for families
• HEALing Hands – financial aid for medical care
• Educational seminars for parents, teachers and therapists
• Recreational and social events for families
• Awards grants to support camps, education, community programs and financial aid
• HEAL monthly e-newsletter
• HEAL Web site – links and calendar of community of events
• HEAL TOGETHER!  Informative monthly meetings for parents, therapists and teachers

Click here to learn how you can further support The HEAL Foundation! Donations will also be accepted at our registers throughout the entire month of June!

Photos from HEAL Foundation Website

The HEAL Foundation. “Our Mission.” The HEAL Foundation — Healing Every Autistic Life. 2010. Web. 01 June 2011. <http://www.healautismnow.org/&gt;.

Coming Up @ Native Sun Mandarin: Third Annual Charity Dog Wash to benefit Local Homeless Pets!

To benefit our charity of the month, First Coast No More Homeless Pets, we will host our third annual Charity Dog Wash, May 21st from 10AM to 2PM in the “barking lot” of our Mandarin store. As noted by Native Sun Owner, Aaron Gottlieb, “This is our third year working with FCNMHP as Native Sun GreenApples Charity of Month. It is a cause our customers feel very passionate about and we’re happy to help. Over the past two years we’ve collected over $2000 in donations for FCNMHP and we hope this year’s event can be just as successful!”

FCNMHP is a local, non-profit dedicated to eliminating the killing of dogs and cats in the Jacksonville community through low-cost spay and neuter programs, vaccinations, micro-chipping, flea and heart worm preventatives and a variety of tests.

All dogs are welcome. Donations can be made in cash or check. Native Sun asks that owners please stay with their pets while they are being groomed.

May GreenApples Charity of the Month: First Coast No More Homeless Pets

A local non-profit determined to eliminate the killing of dogs and cats in our community through free and low-cost spay and neuter programs, First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP) works diligently to control pet overpopulation and reach those in need of assistance and care. As spay/neuter surgeries increase, the shelter and euthanasia rates decrease dramatically, helping to stabilize pet overpopulation problems. Since 2002, FCNMHP has “facilitated over 90,000 pet sterilizations in the First Coast area,” reporting an “overall reduction in pet intake of approximately 34% and a 58% decrease in the number of animals” euthanized (“About Us” 2009).

Click here to learn how you can further support First Coast No More Homeless Pets! Donations will also be accepted at our registers throughout the entire month of May.

“About Us.” First Coast No More Homeless Pets. iDrive, 2009. Web. 03 May 2011. <http://www.fcnmhp.org/index.html&gt;.

Photos taken from FCNMHP

April GreenApples Charity: Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief via American Red Cross

On March 11, the largest earthquake on record struck Japan and generated a thirty-foot tsunami that inundated the country’s northeast coast. The death toll is estimated at over ten thousand and thousands more are missing, and the country is grappling with power shortages, search and rescue efforts, and the need to provide shelter and other services for victims. The disaster also caused a set of catastrophic events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Thousands of people have been evacuated in the area surrounding the plant; some are already suffering from radiation exposure. And officials have yet to bring the nuclear situation under control. The triple-fold crisis has ignited debate over the prospects for the Japanese economy and has significant implications for the future of nuclear power in Japan and around the world.

Donation boxes will be available at our registers through April 30. All donations will go to the American Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami throughout the Pacific.

Source cfr.org

St. Johns Riverkeeper Rain Barrel Project

We are excited to be part of the St. Johns Riverkeeper’s Rain Barrel project! We picked two of our most artistic employees to paint a “river” themed barrel for their store location to be on display through the end of April. At that time the barrels will be auctioned off to support the Riverkeeper & their efforts to protect our river.

So, what is a rain barrel?
Rain barrels are a simple way to harvest natural, precious rainwater by collecting water runoff from your roof. Most rain barrels hold approximately 55 gallons that can be used in your yard and garden without raising your water bill! Rain barrels also help prevent stormwater runoff that can quickly carry harmful nutrients into storm drains which lead directly to the River and tributaries.

Painted by Brenden Manning, Back Room Manager at our Mandarin store.

Painted by Jim Ward, Designer at our Baymeadows store.

Watch the video below & learn more about rain barrels on the Riverkeeper website.