Rustic Love's quarterly update - Springtime at the Capitol

A note from our Executive Director...

Happy Spring! Winter is normally our down time, as the weather doesn't allow for sign builds, so we are excited for our 2024 to get into full swing! We have a special build coming up with an Eagle Scout and a sale of his signs in the Mosaic District at the Art Blooms Festival on Sunday April 7.

A couple of exciting things happened this winter - a magazine cover and a trip down to Richmond for a special Commendation at the Capitol. See details on those below! We are so grateful for the recognition of all our hard work, the amazing community support and the exposure for our mission to help the food-insecure.

Thank you for your continuing support!

Michelle Connors

Founder & Executive Director

Upcoming Pop-up Sale!

Art Blooms at Mosaic Festival

As the DMV's cherry blossoms burst into bloom, Mosaic District welcomes Spring with a weekend festival: Art Blooms at Mosaic. We willl be there on Sunday April 7 11am-6pm, where the Mosaic District will transform into an outdoor festival with a host of 90+ handmade and vintage vendors, special performances, and a variety of activities for the whole family.

Hope to see you there!

1st Quarter 2024 Recipient Spotlight:

Poe Middle School

Poe Middle School in Annandale is a Title 1 school, with 76% of their students qualifying for the county’s Free and Reduced Lunch Program and it’s one of the few county schools whose entire student body receives free lunch via the Community Eligibility Provision. Poe’s Raven’s Nest program supplements students’ needs with food, clothing, school supplies and feminine hygiene products. We are honored to help the Raven’s Nest wonderful administrators, Marissel and Melinda, with this impactful grant.

Commendation from Delegate Seibold

This week a few members of our Board traveled to the House of Delegates in Richmond to be recognized on the House floor with a Commendation for our achievements in improving Vienna and the Commonwealth. Delegates and attendees from all across Virginia got a chance to hear about our mission and impact, and it was a truly memorable day for our organization. A heartfelt thank you to Delegate Seibold for this special recognition!

Adult Volunteer Spotlight:

Rose Sirianni

Rose joined Rustic Love in early 2021 as a volunteer on the numbers side - she is our Bookkeeper and Treasurer of the Board. Rose participates in all aspects of our organization - from builds and sales to check presentations for grant recipients. In addition to her philanthropic work with us, she was also the Treasurer of the Vienna Little League for many years.

Thank you, Rose, for the dedication and expertise you bring to Rustic Love!

Student Volunteer Spotlight:

Megan Chang

Megan's volunteer story is a unique one - she created her own volunteer opportunity with Rustic Love by offering her skills doing something she loves - graphic design. Megan has helped design ads for our newsletter and a one-sheet for our pop-up events, which highlights how your donations are used at pantries to buy food for those in need.

Thank you to Megan for her ingenuity and philanthropic spirit!

Media Feature:

Vienna Living Magazine

Rustic Love's Founder & Executive Director Michelle Connors was recently featured on the cover of a new local magazine! Vienna Living Magazine showcases families, neighbors and community leaders in Vienna and the February issue (the month of love!) highlighted Michelle’s work with Rustic Love, her life here in our wonderful small town and how the Rustic Love team has helped unite our amazing community to support the food-insecure. Thank you to Carmella and Cathy at Vienna Living for this feature!

Seasonal Spotlight: The Shamrock Sign

For a limited time only, we are selling our popular shamrock sign in time for St. Patrick's Day festivities! Four Rustic Love hearts make up the lucky four leaf clover design.

Order one for some 'Luck o' the Irish' this month!

Partner Spotlight: Caboose Brewing Company

Our newest collab with Caboose Brewing Company is on tap now! The Rustic Love Double Hazy IPA is dry hopped with flavors of peach, orange and watermelon! A refreshingly hazy way to welcome this beautful spring weather outside at both Caboose Brewing Company locations! Cheers!

How can you help support our mission?

Each quarter, our Board of Directors reviews our grants schedule and determines the donations we make in our community. In 2023, our main focus was to support chronically underfunded local school food pantries and assist them with grants to help their students and families. Please consider making a financial donation to us via PayPal or credit card and shop our site any time to purchase your own items with our trademarked open heart. Your ongoing kind support makes a difference in the lives of families in our community.

Volunteer with us!

We rely on volunteers to help us at our pop-up sales, yard sign build events, pouring Beer at Oktoberfest or any other ways you can contribute. Do you have expertise in a certain area and would love to help? Send us an email and we'll add you to our volunteer list. Thank you for your continuing support!