At the Heart of Helping - October 2019 Update
In This Issue:
letterLetter from the President/CEO
...At the Heart of Smiling Faces and Helping Hands

World Mental Health Day Reminders from Beth Evans
Click on the image to view it larger
This is one of my favorite times of year, because there is so much activity and positive energy swirling through the Volunteer Center!

Food For Kids is in full-swing, so there are always smiling faces in the pantry, from volunteers sorting, packing and delivering the bags of food each week to generous community members dropping off non-perishable food to keep our shelves filled. Companies and organizations are also starting to reach out to host holiday food drives, so we've been coordinating details for those as well.

We are also getting ready for Operation Teddy Bear, so in addition to organizing everything, we've been working on preparing some of the items with the help of our program sponsors and other volunteer groups. You can read more about that activity below.

We also shared some helpful resources leading up to and on World Mental Health Day (October 10), including the graphic above (click the image for a larger version). Here are a few others we shared:
  • 7 steps to help us take care of our own mental health and promote better mental health as a community (Facebook | Instagram)
  • A checklist for families with tips on discussing and prioritizing things like self-care, time management, expressing emotions, dealing with emotional stress and connecting with each other (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter)

May we all continue to prioritize mental health on a regular basis just as much as we do on occasions like World Mental Health Day!


Sara Myers
President/CEO
newspapersNew Focus Featured in Local Newspapers
...At the Heart of Community Input and Involvement

Daily Breeze - Mental health focus of new youth program in Torrance and Long Beach
Our new focus and the programs we're developing to help with the youth mental health crisis were recently featured in the Daily Breeze and Long Beach Press-Telegram!

In addition to our President/CEO Sara Myers, the article includes interviews with local parent and Torrance Council of PTAs Board Member Nanette Nolan; California State University, Dominguez Hills Professor Nancy Cheever; Mental Health America of Los Angeles' President and CEO Christina Miller; and local student Luke Antaky who participated in our teen focus group and spoke at our recent Heart to Heart Gala. The article also shares details and insights about the great work Torrance Unified School District is doing at the school level, including the recent screening of the documentary "LIKE."
affinitygroupThe Affinity Group's Jewelry & Accessories Sale
...At the Heart of Shopping for a Cause and the Holidays

The Affinity Group_s Jewelry _ Accessories Sale
Click on the image to view a larger, printable version
The members of our Affinity Group invite you to start your holiday shopping early while supporting a good cause at their
Jewelry & Accessories Sale on
Thursday, November 14, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., at the Volunteer Center (1230 Cravens Ave., Torrance).

Enjoy refreshments while you shop an assortment of new or previously-worn necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, handbags, scarves and more - all generously donated by members of the community! Proceeds benefit Operation Teddy Bear and the Volunteer Center's other programs supporting youth and families.
otbGetting Ready for Operation Teddy Bear
...At the Heart of Helping First Graders Count and Build

Operation Teddy Bear Assembly Volunteers

Operation Teddy Bear has been one of our most popular programs for years... 25 years to be exact! Our sponsors love supporting the program, because it means their employees and members get to participate in our heart-warming volunteer opportunities.

We added two new items to the schoolbag last year based on teacher feedback: a Rekenrek Counter to assist the first graders with counting and a STEAM Engineering Kit to help them learn to build two- and three-dimensional shapes. Our friends at Keenan & Associates assembled these items last year as their Impact Day project, and after we saw how popular they were, we knew we had to find a way to include them again this year.

Over the past few weeks, these items were assembled by hard-working volunteers from our Affinity Group, Bank of America, Beacon House, California Water Service, John Deere, Kinecta, Moog, Rotary Club of Manhattan Beach, Sandpipers, Sun Chlorella, Torrance Refining Company and Valero. An extra special shout out to our friends at Saatchi & Saatchi and Colorgraphics for helping us cut the many sheets of craft foam for the Rekenreks!
ffkSorting Food, Stocking Shelves, Filling Bags
...At the Heart of Helping Us Help Local Families

Food For Kids Kick-off Party

Food For Kids wouldn't be possible without generous donations from our community or our dedicated weekly volunteers who keep the program running so smoothly.

We recently hosted a kick-off party to acknowledge the hard work of our Food For Kids volunteers and celebrate a new year of helping local families in need! Volunteers and staff enjoyed breakfast and conversation together before deliveries were loaded and taken to our partner schools.

Journey of Faith Pop-up Pantry Fall 2019
Our friends at Journey of Faith always go above-and-beyond to keep our shelves stocked by hosting a Pop-Up Pantry multiple times a year. Their recent donation contained 449 already-packed bags, plus an additional 366 pounds of food. Click here to see a video of the amazing volunteers hard at work alongside our staff member Jon as they move more than 4,450 pounds of food into the pantry!

We are currently in greatest need of veggiespasta sauce and jelly (preferably not in glass containers). You can bring donations by our Torrance Office (1230 Cravens Ave.) Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and leave them in the box in the lobby. Please contact us in advance to make arrangements to drop off donations from a food drive or other large collection. You can also purchase items from our Amazon Wish List and choose to have them shipped directly to us during check out! 

Click here to learn more about Food For Kids, including a downloadable copy of our Shelf-Stable Shopping List, and learn about the latest Food For Kids donations by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
featuredFeatured Kindness Opportunity
Operation Teddy Bear Volunteer Opportunities

We may need additional volunteers a s we continue to prepare for Operation Teddy Bear in November and/or December (dates and times will vary). We have created an email interest list that we will use to advertise these opportunities, if they become available.

If you would like us to contact you in the event that we do have opportunities to help, click here and submit  your contact information.
THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS:
The Affinity Group
ActivePDF_ Inc.
Battle Creek Community Foundation
California Water Service
Chevron
Crail-Johnson Foundation
Griswold _ Griswold Insurance Agency
Herbalife Nutrition Foundation
John Deere Foundation
Keenan _ Associates
Kinecta
Los Angeles Trial Lawyers_ Charities
The Molina Foundation
The Rudolph J. and Daphne A. Munzer Foundation
The Port of Long Beach
The Port of Los Angeles
Valero
Watson Land Company
Carl E. Wynn Foundation
Whitney Young Children_s Foundation
The Volunteer Center  South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach
Phone: (310) 212-5009 | Fax: (310) 212-7201 |  www.volcenter.org



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Recognizing the value of empathy and service to others, the Volunteer Center has been "at the heart of helping" for more than 50 years. The heart of our mission lies in knowing the most urgent, local needs. We learn these needs by regularly listening to the members of our community. When we discover a critical need is going unmet, we lead the response by assembling a team of caring, talented volunteers to create signature programs, such as Operation Teddy Bear and Food For Kids, offering members of our community the opportunity to contribute to the solution. Click here to learn more about our new Youth Mental Health focus and how we're helping youth, families and the community gradually reduce screen time, while increasing face-to-face connections and self-care.