project680.org

Can we get a drum roll? We are so pleased to announce that 1757 pairs of socks & 1038 pairs of underwear were collected during the Socks & Undies drive. This number will only go up in coming days too as stragglers come in. VERY well done!! Here is a 30-second thank-you clip from the Liaison for Homeless Services.

No matter what role you played in this drive, we sincerely thank you for all you did. This is a grassroots volunteer effort, so it’s all about getting the word out there and being intentional about supporting homeless students in such practical ways. A huge thank you also to our drop-off locations. We could not have done this without you. You were truly the backbone of this drive.

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We just had a photo emailed to us that we wanted to share. This sweet 4-year old Folsom girl is donating new Disney Princess and Star Wars undies to homeless students to the Socks & Undies drive. This is just great. Major thanks to this young Project 680 team member AND her parents who are intentionally helping her hone an outward focus.

Thank you everyone for your generosity. Every bit helps. When individuals, families, churches and businesses step up to the plate to own the vision to care for homeless students in practical ways, good things happen. Clearly.

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We’ve added a finale event next Tuesday on April 30th from 5-7pm at the Starbucks on Zinfandel in Rancho Cordova. This will be perfect for anyone to come by for a few minutes, drop off any donations or simply hang out for a bit. We’d love to see you there. Can you drop in?

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Everyone, we are excited to announce the Socks & Undies Drive that’s going to kick off in the month of April. Our goal is to collect 1000 pairs of new undies and 1000 pairs of new socks (see below for sizes). Do you think we can do it?

Together we can make a difference in the lives of homeless students in our community. Not only will new underwear and socks meet a very relevant and practical need, but it will also speak volumes to students about how the community is looking out for them. Please consider getting involved. Thank you so much for your support. DOWNLOAD a flyer here (pdf).

Click here for more details.

We’ll be posting more detail soon!!

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It was so good to be with everyone tonight at City Hall for the Head to Toe finale. We are humbled at the way people stepped forward during this drive, and so thankful to see how the community chooses to advocate for students in our school district. Thank you for doing your part - whether big or small. Thank you also to Rancho Cordova City Hall staff and workers for being so hospitable for our meeting tonight. There are many people and groups to thank in coming days and weeks. We’ll be getting to that. For the time being, please watch a one-minute video to hear the tremendous results (watch below or here).

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Two great things:

1. The Soroptimists of Rancho Cordova will be involved in the “Head to Toe” drive. These ladies are so focused on the needs of the community. The Soroptimists have been supporting the Liaison for Homeless Services for years and probably well before Project 680 was formed too. In fact, no surprise, but the Liaison for Homeless Services in the FCUSD is actually a Soroptimist. They’ve donated hundreds of dollars to get new bras for girls too. Last year they gave $300 during the shoe drive in December so a group of girls were able to get bras at a store next door to the shoe drive. They do this every year really. Amazing!!
2. Gold River Floors – Carpet One will be a “drop-off” location again during this drive. Meridith Krekelberg is the owner and has been so gracious to Project 680 through the years (she’s also a Soroptimist). Thank you Gold River Floors – Carpet One. During business hours only. They’re located at 11367 Pyrites Way Suite A Rancho Cordova CA 95670.

Thank you everyone for your support. Let’s keep moving forward as we prepare for the launch of the “Head to Toe” drive. Project 680 is an all-volunteer grassroots movement. Let’s keep flexing our community muscles to advocate for homeless students.

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Do you have a blog or website? Are you on Facebook or Twitter? How do you think we can use social media to reach out to spread the news about the “Head to Toe” drive? We’d love to hear your ideas and see some creative things happen.

Check out Appraiser Ryan Lundquist’s blog today. He’s donating $1 to Project 680 for every comment, Facebook share and tweet his blog post receives (up to $100). It’s a creative way to spread the news for sure. Check out the post entitled, “I support homeless students from ‘Head to Toe’.” Moreover, as a result of this post being shared on Facebook, Susan Wright, a local blogger and pastor, has pledged up to $50 for people who comment and share this post. This is $150 in one day. Check out Susan’s blog here.

ACTION STEP: Go spread the love online, whether you share Ryan’s post, your own or anything on the Project 680 website. If you do something similar or launch your own campaign, we’d love to hear about it and promote it here and on our Facebook page.

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Thank you Jen Tartaglia for putting together the “Head to Toe” drive flyer. It’s now online and ready for distribution. Who can you reach out to? Where can you share it? Please send this flyer out to your contacts, hang it up in the office, take it to school, email it to friends, pass it around church, tell your neighbors, etc… Let’s spread the word and meet some sincerely relevant needs among homeless students in the FCUSD.

DOWNLOAD the “Head to Toe” flyer HERE (PDF)

Thank you everyone for your support. Let’s do this!!

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Hey everyone. Here is the “Head to Toe” promo video. Watch below (or here) and feel free to share anywhere online and even on your blog or website. Let’s spread the word since this drive is coming soon (Oct 7 to Nov 7). Remember you can use any of these images when promoting the drive too. Let’s do this!!

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Thank you to Joe, a Project 680 supporter, for sharing a support letter he plans to share with friends. We’re not sure if he’s going to do that via email or on paper, but Joe thought it might be helpful to share with others – and we agree. Use it and feel free to edit according to your needs. Thanks for your support. The “Head to Toe” drive is coming soon, so let’s plan and prepare.

Potential Letter to Share with Your Contacts

Hello my friends. I recently learned that student homelessness is an issue in our school district, so I’ve decided to team up with Project 680 to do something about it. Project 680 is an all-volunteer local organization to support homeless students in practical ways.

I just wanted to let you know I’m participating in a clothing drive with Project 680 to provide hoodies and shoes to homeless students in the FCUSD. Why hoodies and shoes? Because the Liaison for Homeless Services (a paid position in the school district) has informed Project 680 that kids in her caseload needs these items. It’s therefore our goal to collect 680 hoodies and $680 in donations (or Payless Shoe Source gift cards) to take care of homeless students from “head to toe.” We’ll officially collect between October 7 and November 7, and we’ll have a finale get-together at Rancho Cordova City Hall on November 7th too.

Kids like zipper-front hoodies, so that is what we will be collecting. We are asking for NEW (not used) zip-front hoodies in any color or size for kids in grades K-12 (graphics are okay, but must be appropriate). We are NOT collecting shoes, but instead accepting donations or Payless Shoe Source gift cards so we can better fit the actual shoe sizes needed. Checks can be made payable to “Cordova Community Council” with “Project 680? in the memo section for anyone wanting to make a tax-deductible financial donation. The Cordova Community Council is Project 680’s 501c3 sponsor and they are located at2729 Prospect Park Dr. Suite 117 Rancho Cordova CA 95670 (916) 273-5704.

I’d love for you to consider getting involved in this community effort. Not only will new hoodies and shoes help keep kids warm during the colder months, but they’ll speak volumes to students about how our community is looking out for them. Moreover, having adequate clothing helps keep these kids in school.

Check out Project 680 at www.project680.org or www.facebook.com/project680 and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you so much for your support.

<YOUR NAME HERE>

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These are actual shoes homeless students were wearing to school. Watch a brief video of Charlene & Trish, who work with homeless students in the FCUSD. Project 680 partners with their office. This is exactly why we focusing on shoes (and hoodies) for our next drive (it’s called the “Head to Toe” drive). Watch below (or here). What do you think?

Details coming soon about the “Head to Toe” (Hoodie & Shoe) Drive coming soon. For now, know we’ll officially collect between October 7 and November 7. We’ll have a finale get-together at Rancho Cordova City Hall on November 7th too.

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Thank you so much to the 35 riders for taking part in the Project 680 bike ride yesterday. We hope you enjoyed yourself, especially if it was your first time on the trails. Thank you for your generous donations of underwear and financial contributions too. Thank you for caring for homeless students in such a practical (and fun) way. A special thanks to Project 680 committee member Jennifer Tartaglia for planning the short ride yesterday. Big kudos to Councilmember Ken Cooley for stopping by as well as FCUSD Board Member Zak Ford and CRPD Board Member Rick Sloan.

We don’t yet have a tally of all that was collected during the underwear drive, but that should come soon this week on our website and Facebook page. All it takes to tackle community issues is for residents to get intentional and focused. Many times it’s just a matter of deciding to be a part of the solution, and then taking small steps in the direction of a solution. Thank you for doing that yesterday in a very practical way.

Let’s keep moving forward. We’ll be announcing good news about the underwear drive soon. And we’ll be gearing up for an emphasis in the Fall too.

Photo Credit: May is Bike Month Facebook Page

Thank you!!!

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We mentioned a few days ago that we’d have “Undies Ride” t-shirts for those interested. Well, a handful of riders ordered them and here is what they look like. You can still get one if you’d like, but it’ll have to wait until after the bike ride since our shirt contact cannot make any more on such last-minute notice. If we do a community ride again, we’ll see if we can have more advance notice for a shirt since it’s a nice touch. Whatever the case, check it out below. Cool, huh? See you Saturday at 9am at Hagan Park. For details on the Underwear Bike Ride, see this video and click HERE.

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