News from Help 4 Kids/Back Pack Buddies

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Thanks so much for all of you who made Christmas happy for the kids and their families. It is the only day of the year that they receive new clothes and toys, one of our drivers had food chickens and bikes in his trailer. He noticed the kids picked the rice and chickens first and then the bikes. That shows that they needed food.

We did all of the kids in our program and also toys 4 tots. We took the applications and distributed the toys. That was a new experience. It made me appreciate the families that we deal with on a regular basis. They are poor and appreciate the work we do to help them. Some people want something because it is free not because they need it. We learned a lot.

The Giadella family were really Christmas heroes. They packed and wrapped took kids to parties and to get haircuts and made sure they got bikes for Christmas. They delivered food on Christmas day as a family. Kate really went the extra mile-bless her.

Hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Christmas: They Love To Open Presents

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Christmas is almost here. The Help 4 Kids elves are working as fast as they can. They are in great need of wrapping paper to make sure the kids  have presents to open  on Christmas morning. They love to open presents. It is the only time of year they receive new gifts so it is an experience. Some actually save the paper and use it for wall paper in their rooms. If you have any leftover paper you are not going to use please drop it by to Kathy and her elves.
We thank each one of you for your great volunteer work , generosity and caring through out the year. You make a big difference in the lives of children in need. Whether you feed them , clothe them or just make them happy you are changing their outlook on life that maybe there is more out there than the poverty they live in. They can believe that with study , hard work and a lot of luck they will overcome and realize their potential that God gave them and have a better life.
God Bless you all.

Summer Saugage (Sun News Editorial Tues June 5)

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Help 4 Kids seeking to collect 75,000 cans

Little cans of Vienna Sausages are a favorite of the children who receive weekend meals in the Back Pack Buddies program, but the high-protein finger food was missing the last three weeks of the school year because Help 4 Kids lost some critical funding.

Barb Mains, who started Help 4 Kids nearly 23 years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, says a lack of money forced Help 4 Kids to no longer include the sausages in the weekend food packages. However, the Vienna Sausage Campaign may return the kids’ favorite when Back Pack Buddies resumes in the fall. It so happened that Diane DeVaughn Stokes was recently taping the cable television show she hosts at Help 4 Kids headquarters. Stokes, hearing volunteers talking about the lack of sausages, told Mains the community surely could raise enough cans of Vienna sausages and thus was a unique summer campaign launched.

The goal is to collect 75,000 cans in June, July and August. That number of cans “pretty much will take care of the school year,” volunteer Cindy Taylor says. The campaign kicked off May 23 at Metglas Inc. in Conway. Metglas gave $1,000 which will purchase approximately 2,000 cans. The First United Methodist Church in Conway collected 2,400 cans. Drop-off points are established at locations of Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union, A-Plus Auto on Highway 9, and Keller Williams Realty in Murrells Inlet, where Maxine Dawes is a volunteer for Help 4 Kids. Beach Church in Myrtle Beach is another drop-off point and Taylor is recruiting other churches tIn addition, Help 4 Kids will be the designated charity for the annual Home Improvement & Outdoor Living Show of the Horry-Georgetown Homebuilders Association. Taylor says Help 4 Kids has a big fundraising opportunity in getting sponsors for  10 booths at the September show. Help 4 Kids will receive the money and the business will have a booth at the show. Stokes says the home improvement show also will feature a talent show and an opportunity to win a prize for people bringing 10 cans of Vienna sausages.

Stages Video Productions, Myrtle Beach, made public service announcements for area television and radio outlets and Stokes says the spots should begin airing soon. The campaign also is featured on Stokes’ (HTC) cable show, “Inside Out.” She and her husband Chuck own the production company.

During the school year, Help 4 Kids distributed 2,300 meals a week at 24 area schools. Volunteers pack the meals, which are placed in backpacks on Fridays. Without the food, the children receiving the backpacks might not have a decent meal over the weekend. That astounding and terrible prospect is a troubling reality we face in a district where a huge percentage of Horry County Schools children are from families below the poverty line.

This week, Mains started the group’s annual summer program, which predates Back Pack Buddies, at three locations in Horry County. By next week, Mains expects to be providing sandwiches, bananas and so forth to How to help

For its summer program, Help 4 Kids needs donations of hot dog buns, peanut butter, jelly and Kool Aid. Deliver to: 12053 U.S. 17 South Bypass, Garden City, SC 29576 or for pickup call 651-4310.

The Vienna Sausage Campaign is seeking additional collection points and organizations (civic groups, churches) to collect cans throughout the summer. Phone Cindy Taylor at 424-1615.

Successful Spaghetti Luncheon Fundraiser

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The Spaghetti luncheon was a huge success thanks to all of you ,Mary Basilico and
Renaldo the owner of Villa Romano. Mary worked so hard to put things together.All
the money collected stayed with Help 4 Kids. He donated everything.
Whether you worked or came to have lunch you made it possible for us
to feed our children 4000 meals. I can;t thank all of you personally
but please know how grateful I am.
The Rotary club from Little River surprised me with a $3000 check
and a beautiful pot of flowers.
They have long been supporters of our work and are so appreciated.
That check will provide 2500 food packs .
Metglas who is  so good to us with grants and volunteers ordered 67 meals to go.
They always join in in helping feed the kids whatever our project is.
I hope they enjoyed the meals.
Enterprise Car brought a crew and did a wonderful job.
All of the workers were fabulous. Seemed like we had professionals serving
busing, hosting, and doing tickets.
The kitchen crew of Daryl, Trisha , Lucille, Cindy and Maria  did a wonderful job under pressure.
Every food pack you make possible is a food pack I don’t have to worry about buying.
The staff of Villa Romana said Help 4 Kids has the best volunteers of
any they have  ever seen. I of course already knew that.
When we assigned jobs I volunteered to do the dishes. How hard can it be to turn
on the machine I said.
I was totally out of my element. The dishes and pots and pans came faster than
I could turn on the machine.
My hero of Friday is Mr. Ray DeSilva who saw me in distress
and came to my aid.He was joined by Elizabeth from Metglas
and helped me get caught up and stayed until the finish.
Covered in red saucefrom head to toe I decided
I have a lot of respect for dishwashers everywhere.
They have the hardest job in the restaurant.
If I missed thanking anyone it was because I was in the kitchen and did not know you were there so let me know.
We are covered for February and March for food. We still need to get through April , May and 1 week in June.
That will be 18,000 food packs. Please still encourage people to donate a box of Ramen , Applesauce, Pudding,
Juice, Pop Tarts or Peanut Butter. We can’t have a fundraiser often but with  donations
of food we can meet our goals. Children will eat and we can know we did the best we could to help them.
Again Thank You and congratulations on being named the best VOLUNTEERS of all.
Barb