I am so pleased to announce that the Thanksgiving Potholder Project is expanding to serve 3 locations in 2022. Two new locations in MD are joining the program! We hope you will help us reach this year’s goal of serving 500 families! Send your donation of hand-woven potholders today! (scroll to bottom for addresses)
This is the second year for Burke UMC’s Food Co-op in Burke, Virginia. Burke UMC serves approximately 200 – 250 families and receives donations directly. This is where the project began. And where I was honored to volunteer in the Co-op turned pandemic pantry for nearly 3 years.
During May, 2022 Burke UMC Invited me to teach potholder weaving to about 20 creative kids at the Wedgwood Community Center Annandale, VA. Later in the month, I had the pleasure of demonstrating potholder weaving, giving out free kits, and talking up the project with the public and the vibrant volunteer community at Burke UMC.
New this year are 2 Maryland locations. First is the HWR Emergency Food Pantry in Baltimore, MD. HWR will serve approximately 100 families at Thanksgiving. HWR partners with an outside organization who prepares boxes for them. Here, we’ll tag and package potholders for adding to the pre-made boxes. HWR is not set up to accept and store donations. The work around is to send donations to either Burke UMC or to my attention at the Baltimore address below. HWR will send donors a receipt but, their ability to receive and store donations is limited. No problem, we can work with that.
The next location in Towson, MD is finalizing Board approval to move forward. We met for the first time just last week. When the approval comes through, I’ll share details including the name of the pantry. They are very excited about adding potholders to their Thanksgiving boxes and anticipate a warm approval when the Board meets in two weeks to finalize their Thanksgiving needs. In the meantime, we can begin collecting potholders for tagging and bagging. We anticipate another 200+ families to be served at this location. Donations can be sent to Burke UMC in VA or to my attention at the address below.
WHERE TO SEND DONATIONS
The Thanksgiving Potholder Project, c/o Burke UMC, 6200 Burke Centre Parkway, Burke, VA 22015
Elizabeth Myers, ThxGPP, 2007 Clipper Park Rd. Unit 216, Baltimore, MD 21211
About tax deductibility
Each food pantry is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Each will send receipts for donations. Donors need to check with their tax advisor on the deductibility of their contributions. I am an individual coordinating the receipt and distribution of donations in connection with volunteers from each organization. I volunteer my time and supplies to this effort. I accept supplies for packaging and tagging from any of the organizations that offer to help with that. For example, Burke UMC generously helped with supplies for 2021. They also received cash donations for the project.
Tell me where you want your donation to go!
Your contribution will go where you tell me to send it and a receipt will come from that pantry.
If you don’t specify a location, donations will first go to Burke UMC, next to the Baltimore location, and finally to the Towson location. The order of donation coincides with the order in which I came to know them.
To assure your donation goes where you want it to, include a note with your wishes. Be sure to include an address for the receipt!
THANK YOU!
Your art and heart make a difference. Namaste.