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Help Rachael Ray End Hunger For Older Americans @Drive2EndHunger

theplus — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:52:03 +0000

Entertainment Industry Foundation Ambassador, author and television personality Rachael Ray is lending her support to a new public service campaign aimed at ending hunger for the more than six million Americans over the age of 50 who struggle to put food on the table every day. The new campaign supports Drive to End Hunger, AARP and AARP Foundation’s nationwide effort to end hunger among older Americans by calling on people of all ages to donate time, money or food to local hunger relief organizations.

“Many older Americans are trying to make ends meet by eating cheaper, less healthy foods or skipping meals altogether,” Rachael said. “The issue of hunger in America is very important to me. This is a problem we can solve if we all work together. But we have to start now.”

The PSA campaign will run in print and on broadcast outlets, as well as in out-of-home placements, for the next 12 months. Ray is a longtime anti-hunger advocate, who, through her foundation The Yum-O! organization, empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.

“We are so pleased to collaborate with Rachael, who has worked tirelessly in recent years to raise awareness of the problem of hunger in this country and how we can all be part of the solution,” said AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins, who spearheads the Drive to End Hunger initiative. “She is helping us shine a spotlight on older Americans, who often struggle silently with hunger and are forced to make the devastating choice between food and other basic needs, like housing or medications.”

For more information on the PSA campaign, visit www.DriveToEndHunger.org.

About EIF
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), as a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues. Visit www.eifoundation.org.

SHARED BY : The Plus Size Mommy

RedRover RedRover Give This App A Look Over #RedRover

theplus — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:50:12 +0000

I really like to find out about new App’s that are useful to me for my iPhone. A recent one I was introduced to is RedRover.

RedRover is an app that was recently updated and can be used on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad and Droid. It is a planning app. Which I totally need to keep myself on track. You can plan lunches with friends, play dates, date nights with your significant other, holiday parties, and so much more. You can add friends to make it an easy way to invite them to your plans and they can even RSVP back to you right away through the app.

RedRover also has Extremely useful Emergency information included on it. You can create an emergency contact list and use the default message, or create a message of your own. Then if your having an emergency, with a touch on the screen, you can alert everyone on your list that you need help. It also has 911 and Poison Control built in it. For instance, if you need to cal 911, you would touch that button and then it will confirm with you if you are sure you want to call 911 or not, you can chose yes or no and if you chose yes, it will connect you to the Emergency services.

It has many helpful features, and I am so glad I learned about this app. Here is a slideshow I created on Flickr of what the app looks like and some plans I created with it, and I will also show you how the emergency feature works : http://flic.kr/ps/wV3EX

For more details right from RedRover, you can watch their Vimeo video HERE.

From Now – July 28th, I am so proud to share with you that RedRover will be donating up to $20K to Christy Turlington’s Charity for every app downloaded. This is in celebration of their social good movement. I think this is just wonderful and I am proud to have helped in this movement.

You can also follow RedRover on Twitter - HERE and also on their Facebook page – HERE

The top 5 places where I will use RedRover at is :

Setting up playdates
Setting up my open houses for my work at home business.
Making plans for Holiday’s using my Family Group I created.
Making plans with my girlfriends for lunch and a shopping adventure
My plans with family for our yearly family vacations

Tip : During the summer I love to take my kids around to the many parks around Pittsburgh. And I LOVE to meet up with friends there with their children. RedRover makes it so much easier to set up these days with friends so we can all meet up for a day of fun and picnicking at the parks all summer long

For all Roving Parents you will want to get this app today to make all your planning so much easier!

The Plus Size Mommy

Disclosure – I have been compensated to support my blog and my efforts for reviewing this app. All idea’s, thought’s, and opinions are my own.

Hanes to Donate Up to 500,000 Pairs of Socks to The Salvation Army

theplus — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:46:03 +0000

Just in time for the holiday season, today Hanes is launching a Sock Drive benefitting The Salvation Army. Beginning December 1, for every Hanes Facebookfan who clicks “Help Hanes Donate,” Hanes will donate an actual pair of socks towards its goal of 500,000 pairs (or 1 million individual socks).

Hanes held its first sock drive last year after learning that socks are the number one more requested items in homeless shelters.

This year, Hanes has increased its goal from 100,000 pairs of socks to 500,000!

The Sock Drive application is live at www.Facebook.com/Hanes and users can monitor the progress of the drive via the sock-o-meter also on the Facebook page.

This is so easy to do (and only takes like 2 seconds), please help the kids keep their piggy toes warm this winter. It means so much to them, more than you would think. I know how I love to put on a new pair of socks, these children need to know that warm and cozy feeling too

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure- Shared from Hanes. All opinions are my own. I received no compensation for this post.

Help Me Help Elmer’s To Raise $10K For Adopt-A-Classroom #BagItForward

theplus — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:28:37 +0000

As you all may have read, or can read if you scroll further down in my blog. I have been asked to be an Ambassador of a very special project. One that is near and dear to my heart. I am an Elmer’s Ambassador. Elmer’s is helping me with my #BagItForward Pittsburgh Project. This project hits so close to home for me because when I was growing up there were times when money was very tight and it was very hard for my parents to buy me and my sister anything for back to school.

There are many MANY children whose parent’s just don’t have the money. Especially with so many people out of work.

Well, as part of my Ambassadorship, I am helping spread the word to others that Elmer’s is helping with Adopt-A-Classroom as well as the Elmer’s Bag It Forward program, that I am also part of (with my #BagItForward Pittsburgh project I am working on).

Here is how you can help us with the project as well.

1. Write a post on your blog about this charity and Elmer’s raising the money, to help spread the word.

2. Send a virtual bag of school supplies to another blogger and challenge them to join the #bagitforward movement.

3. Link your post to www.bagitforward.org

4. DONE! For doing the above 3 steps, Elmer’s will donate $10 for each post to Adopt-A-Classroom !!!

So Please join in and help me help Elmer’s to donate to Adopt-A-Classroom!

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post and donating a virtual bag of school supplies . Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written to Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN? It’s easy.

Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section below for your participation to be counted.
In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

****I’m sending my Virtual Bag to Adrienne of Adrienne’s House and challenging her to #bagitforward with Elmer’s****

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure – I am being compensated for this shop. Part of the Money I will be donating back for supplies for the children I am helping in this project.

Hey Pittsburgh, Your Invited!!! – Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic #HebrewNational

theplus — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:53:21 +0000

I will be joined by These 3 other wonderful bloggers to host the picnic :

Kim of Crafty Mama Of 4 http://www.craftymamaof4.com
Kim D. of Clumber Kim http://clumberkim.com/
Alaina of Life… {as felt through my heart} http://alainafrederick.com/life

Here is Your Official Invitation :

WHO ? You are invited Along with your family & friends
When? Saturday June 5th, 2010 (Mark Your Calendar NOW!)
Time ? 11:30 am – 3:30 PM
Where? Highland Park – We will be near the Reservoir, off of Farmhouse Drive
What ? Hebrew National’s Better-Than-a-Picnic Picnic

Bring your own blankets, for a picnic in the grass. We will have lots of fun activities for the kids such as a giant puzzle, music, and what I am most excited about is the mechanical bull!!!
The Food will be Hebrew National hot dogs (of course), fruit, and drinks.
So gather your friends, neighbors, and family and come for a fun picnic in Highland Park!

We will also be doing a service project, more info. to come on this SOON!

You can learn more by visiting The Motherhood.com ‘s Hebrew National Picnic Circle here : http://www.themotherhood.com/circle/show/id/61991

Here are some pictures from the kick off picnic in NYC last weekend! Doesn’t that big AirStream bus/kitchen look awesome?!

You can see more and also see if the Better-Than-A-Picnic – Picnic is coming to your city by staying in touch with Hebrew National’s Facebook page HERE : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hebrew-National/16552638255

If you have any questions or need any more info. PLEASE contact me through my email at plussizemommy@gmail.com or leave me a comment and I will answer you.

I am hoping to see you at Highland Park !!! It will be a great time

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure – As a host for this picnic I am being sent a stipend for my time and for pitching in for service project supplies that may be needed.

Chipin- To Help A Family Who Has Lost Their Home In A Fire

theplus — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:05:48 +0000

This is their home, and you can read more and see more by visiting : http://www.uvfr.org/fullstory.php?106324

Imagine, being a mother with a family and your home catches fire and burns down, and you lose everything! Physically, You are all okay, but mentally, your hurting inside. Where will you get clothing, food, toys, appliances, furniture, and all of the things you had before the fire.

A local family (local to me) in East McKeesport, PA last week suffered such a loss. The 2 children, who are the same ages as my sons arrived home from school to see the fire men putting their house fire out. How devastating this must have been.

When I was a baby, My family suffered such a loss. My sister was 7, and she remembers it well. Thank God none of us were home either. I was at day care, my sister was at school, and my parents were both at work. It is in my mom and sisters minds still to this day 30+ years later.

I am trying to raise as much money as possible to help this family. By using my blog and any other outlets I can use.

Every Single Dollar donated will go to this family. We are holding a spaghetti dinner for them to raise some more money as well on May 7th. This is where I will present to them all of the money I can raise as well.

For those of you who know me, You know I have raised money via my blog before for a dear friend and her family when the loss of Baby Annie happened. I have also tried to help raise money for Baby Maddie as well. I understand how many might be hesitant due to not knowing me. That is understandable. But if you do trust me that I will get this money to the family, and you have even a dollar to spare. Anything/any amount helps. If you cannot afford to donate or if you do not trust where the money will go to, than PRAYERS are Free and so I ask that you Pray for this family.

And this family will be ever so thankful!

Thank you in advance.

Beth AKA The Plus Size Mommy

UPDATE : We are also looking for any clothing/shoe donations :

Daughter (5th grade) pants – 16 (kids); shirts – adult large; shoe – 7 1/2
Son (7th grade) pants 38; shirt – XL; shoe 9 1/2 mens
Father – pants 40; shirt XXL; shoe 9 wide
Mother – pants womens 12; shirt large; shoe 9

If you are a clothing company or shoe company, PLEASE contact me at plussizemommy@gmail.com
Or if you have gently used clothing that can help, please email me at plussizemommy@gmail.com
I will send you my address of where the clothing/shoes can be shipped to. THANKS

Clorox Gift Pack Winner #ChfClorox

theplus — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:19:57 +0000

Congrats to @plb8156 You are my Clorox gift pack winner !!! Just from Tweeting about #chfclorox ’s wonderful program you won!

Please email me within 48 hours at plussizemommy@gmail.com to claim your prize. I will need your name, address, and phone # for shipping.

Thank you for everyone for helping spread the news on this GREAT program!

The Plus Size Mommy

*Clorox is sending out this gift pack at no charge to me.

Philanthropy Realtor’s Consumer Tips

theplus — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:49:24 +0000

10 Tips for Donating to Charity without Spending a Dime

Most people think that the only way to contribute to your community is by giving money to a charity but most people are not aware that your contribution can go beyond a direct donation. Philanthropy Realtors is one of many organizations that will donate money in your name. Listed below are some friendly tips that help consumers give to charity.

Give an old cell phone back
Americans replace their cell phone once every 2 years. By giving your phone back to Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T you are giving to a charity (all vendors listed donate proceeds of used phones). Sprint states that since 2001 the company has donated $4 million to charity through the sale of used phones.

Lend your knowledge to a charity.

Sometimes your expertise can make a huge difference. If you are a plumber who can fix a pipe or you are a student who can make phone calls on the weekends.

Donate junk from the garage for a fundraising drive.

Don’t feel bad about throwing away that old bicycle or television; raffle it off at a fundraiser.

Join your neighborhood council.
Most major cities are too large to know the needs of the local community. By volunteering your time or opinions you can help issues like traffic, land usage, building regulations, and more.

Take a pet home for a week

Many no kill shelters have so many animals that they need volunteers to take a cat or dog home for as little as a couple of days to free up room and resources.

Donate your organs and plasma

Most people don’t realize the importance of telling DMV that you would like to be an organ donor in case of an emergency. Or if you don’t feel squeamish you can always give blood and make money!

Donate books and other media to your local library Your local library is a government agency and is most likely in need. Take that old collection of paperback books and bring it to the library. The library has been known to take equipment, real estate, stocks, artifacts, works of art and collections.

Allowing a charity to use your name or company name
Most would be surprised how far you can go by lending your name. If you own a small business or just want to be put on a list of people that support a 501C3

Go for a walk.

Many charities will donate money on your behave by participating
in walkathons, marathons, or other events

Have your realtor donate his fees to charity

Philanthropy Realtors recruits from all agencies both commercial and residential letting the seller donate to his or her favorite charity by using part of the realtor’s commission as a donation. Some of the charities working with Philanthropy include, Homes for Our Troops, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Getavision, LAPD,American Cinematheque, Learning Rights, and many more. The licensed realtors who are joining Philanthropy have been literally nation wide. Philanthropy Realtors works with all agencies; ask your realtor.

Licensed realtor Miguel Gonzalez started Philanthropy Realtors, in association with Keller Williams Los Feliz, after seeing his father die from cancer and battling the deadly disease himself. He uses a simple formula taught by his father of giving back to the community by giving a piece of the real estate profits to select charities. Miguel hopes other real estate companies will follow his example. Philanthropy Realtors is located in Los Angeles California. http://philanthropyrealtors.com/

Shared by: The Plus Size Mommy

Members Project® from American Express & Take Part.com*

theplus — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:37:38 +0000

TakePart.com is an independent online community that connects its members directly to the issues that inspire them to engage, contribute and take action.

Through Members Project, American Express is providing funding to charities, focusing on five different areas of expertise - Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment & Wildlife and Health & Wellness.

Every three months, five new charities will receive funding from American Express, but they need your help deciding who to give it to. They are asking for people to rally behind the charities of their choice and vote. You can find out more at http://takepart.com/membersproject .

Everyone can help change the world for the better, one step at a time. American Express has joined with TakePart.com to bring you opportunities to make a difference and provide a platform to express your passion – in small manageable steps.

Whether it’s voting for a favorite charity to receive funding from American Express, volunteering time, donating, or telling friends, everyone can take a small step with Members Project and start making a difference.

Volunteer at charities that American Express helps you find and get Membership Rewards® points for doing so.

Vote once per week for the causes American Express should fund. Members Project is donating $200K to five causes every three months. This quarter’s voting ends May 24, 2010.

Donate money or Membership Rewards® points to one of each voting period’s 50 selected charities, or choose from over 1 million other charities.

Share your involvement with the program to inspire and encourage others to participate.

Shared by: The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure – This post is shared to support Members Project from American Express, by posting about it I am eligible to win a gift card provided by One2One Network.

Oceana’s Second Annual Ocean Hero Contest

theplus — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:41:16 +0000

Announcing Oceana’s second annual Ocean Hero contest. The contest was so popular in its inaugural year, we brought it back to highlight and honor individuals who have gone above and beyond to help the ocean. This year,for the first time, Oceana has added a “Junior Ocean Heroes Award” for nominees under 18 years of age.

Some quick facts about this year’s program:

Nominations can be made at Oceana.org/heroes

Nominees of all age are welcome and a Junior category has been added those under 18 years of age.

Finalists selected by Oceana will be voted upon by the public (Starting in late April)

Winners will be announced in conjunction with Oceana’s celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8.

All finalists will receive a Nautica gift certificate and their stories will be featured on Oceana’s website.

Winners will receive a $500 gift card from Nautica and a trip to Los Angeles the “Oceana World Oceans Day with Nautica and GQ” event on June 8.

The great part about last year was learning about the nominees and getting to highlight their unique stories, from last year’s winner John Halas, who developed a reef buoy mooring system in the early 1980s and has installed it in nearly 40 countries around the world, to 12-year-old Casey Sokolovic who has baked cookies and sold organic coffee to raise money for a sea turtle rescue.

“This is our chance to honor those –- young and old — who do great things for the ocean, but otherwise might not get the recognition they deserve,” Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless said. “Not only will we honor the winning ocean heroes, but we will also highlight the wonderful stories of all of our finalists.”

Last year’s winner was marine biologist John Halas, who designed an environmentally friendly anchor and mooring buoy system that prevents damage to coral reefs. He has worked to expand this anchorage system in 38 countries.

“I enjoyed the recognition I received and was humbled by it,” Halas said. “People from all over had heard about the Ocean Heroes honor and congratulated me.”

“Nautica is proud to help Oceana recognize the everyday Ocean Heroes who contribute to the cause of protecting our oceans,” said Karen Murray, president of leading global lifestyle brand Nautica, which is the lead sponsor of the Ocean Heroes Award contest. “We want to do our part to recognize and share these thoughtful and inspiring stories with the rest of the world.”

Oceana will welcome the submission of nominees of all ages, although individuals nominating an Ocean Hero must be 13 years of age or older. After the nomination period, a group of finalists in both the adult and junior categories will be selected by a panel of experts from Oceana.

The public will be invited to vote and to choose the 2010 Ocean Heroes. The announcement of the winners will occur in conjunction with Oceana’s celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8.

To nominate an Ocean Hero and learn more about last year’s heroes, including winner John Halas, please visit the contest page at http://Oceana.org/heroes.

Shared by : The Plus Size Mommy

Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America, Europe and South and Central America. More than 300,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.Oceana.org.