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Bundles of Joy - Quarterly Newsletter
March 2010, Volume 3, Issue 1
Inside This Issue
Donations Doubled in 2009!
On behalf of everyone at Bundles of Joy, I’d like to thank all our supporters wholeheartedly for your generosity in 2009. With your help, we raised $3,400 in monetary donations and collected in-kind donations valuing over $46,000. Our total donations nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009!
When we started Bundles of Joy in 2008, we set our sights high, and thanks to friends like you, we have been able to reach our goals. In 2009 alone, we shipped 69 Balikbayan boxes to needy communities in the Philippines. That’s roughly 6,000 lbs. of clothes, shoes, food, books, school supplies and toys! Your donations have been sent to young orphans, to abandoned elderly, to underprivileged schools and to squatter families living in the most dire conditions. And after the wrath of Typhoon Ketsana/Ondoy that hit the Philippines last September, your caring donations went straight to the flooded communities most in need of relief.
Thank you again for all your support. Best wishes for 2010, and please continue to keep in touch with us!
- Sondra Suazo, President
Partner Organizations
Many organizations have come together to help us fundraise, raise awareness and help the poor. We would like to acknowledge the following groups who have been instrumental in helping us provide aid to the poor.
o Chevy’s Restaurant (Foster City, CA)
o City of Foster City (Foster City, CA)
o Girls Scouts Troop No. 30-436 (Foster City, CA)
o Girls Scouts Troop (Redwood Shores, CA)
o Hendrick Hudson High School SEED Club (New York)
o Rancho Milpitas Middle School Filipino Club (Milpitas, CA)
o St. Mark’s Catholic Church (Belmont, CA)
o Students for Radical Action (Cebu, Philippines)
o UPS Store (Foster City, CA)
We would also like to acknowledge the following organizations who have helped us ship donations to the Philippines.
o Alpha Cargo (Oakland, CA)
o Attila Cargo Express (South San Francisco, CA)
o CDC Global Link (Burlingame, CA)
o LBC Corporation (South San Francisco, CA)
o Manila Forwarders (Daly City, CA)
Recipient Organizations
Bundles of Joy has increased its outreach in the Philippines to include aid to the following organizations who serve the poor:
Bataan
Cavite
Cebu
Manila
ABS-CBN Foundation (non-profit organization)
Franciscan Sisters (Catholic convent)
Gawad Kalinga (agancy providing free housing)
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church (Catholic church)
Our Lady of Peace Mission (free hospital for the poor)
Philippine Red Cross (non-profit organization)
Sisters of Mother Teresa (orphanage)
St. Hannibal Multi-Level School (Elementary school)
A special thank you goes to our partners in the Philippines, Carol Risos and Kathleen Chiongbian, who worked tirelessly planning and overseeing the distribution of donations.
Bundles of Joy also supports the local community in San Mateo County by making in-kind donations of food, clothing, books and household items to local charities that serve the poor.
PARCA (serving people with developmental disabilities)
St. Vincent de Paul Society (food, thrift stores)
Mission Ministries (soup kitchen & provisions for the poor)
Fundraising Highlights
HENDRICK HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL RAISES MONEY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
In January 2010 the students and teachers of Hendrick Hudson High School in New York raised $1,800 and donated the money for scholarships for poor kids at St. Hannibal Multi-Level School in Manila, Philippines. Thank you to the SEED Club members of the high school for your generous support. (SEED stands for Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity).
GIRL SCOUTS TROOP NO. 30-436 USED CLOTHING DRIVE
The Girls Scouts Troop No. 30-436 of Foster City started a used clothing drive in December 2009. Over 2 months they collected 514 articles of clothing, 27 pairs of shoes and some toys, books and household items. These donations were shipped to Our Lady of Peace Mission, Tahanan ni Maria (home for the aged), St. Hannibal Multi-Level School and the Sisters of Mother Teresa orphanage. Thank you, girl scouts!
CHEVY’S RESTAURANT
In September 2009, Bundles of Joy held a 2-day fundraiser at Chevy’s Restaurant in Foster City. Chevy’s donated 25% of the proceeds to Bundles of Joy. We raised $120! Thank you to Chevy’s and to all who participated.
ST. MARK’S CATHOLIC CHURCH
In February 2009 St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Belmont held a Lenten fundraiser to support Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Manila and St. Hannibal’s Multi-Level School. A used clothing and school supply drive was held over 3 months. The students in the parish’s Faith Formation program in Grades 1 – 3 brought in the shoes that they had outgrown. The students in Grades 4 – 8 collected school supplies. The Youth Group donated the proceeds of their “souperbowl” fundraiser to St. Hannibal School. The entire parish participated in this fundraiser and collected 961 articles of clothing, 164 pairs of shoes, 1,311 school supplies and $670 in cash donations. Special thanks go to Father Al, Jackie Guzman and Jill Watkins for your hard work.
THE UPS STORE
The UPS Store on Edgewater Drive in Foster City collected used clothing and food for Bundles of Joy during the second half of 2009. A collection barrel was permanently located outside their front door and they spread the word to customers and friends about the cause. Thanks to Pepe San Miguel and his staff for all their support.
Disaster Relief
September 26, 2009--Manila, Philippines Typhoon Ondoy pounded down on Manila and in 10 hours the equivalent of 30 days of typhoon force rain flooded the city. Houses were under water with people climbing onto their roofs to escape the flood waters. 80% of Metro Manila was submerged by the flood waters. Commuters were stranded as roads became impassable. Many were left homeless and in dire need of help. Over 250 deaths were reported and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
Bundles of Joy shipped 29 boxes of relief goods to the Philippines to be distributed to typhoon victims and sent $1,500 in monetary donations. The Philippine Red Cross, LBC Foundation, ABS-CBN Foundation and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Manila all helped with the local distribution of donations.
Distribution Highlight
On a bright sunny morning in March 2009 a team of volunteers started their journey to the rural town of Catmon, Cebu to distribute donations to 100 needy families. They had with them 100 bags of clothing and food. The used clothing was donated by supporters in California and Nevada, and shipped to Cebu for distribution to the poor. Donations of food came from sponsors in the Cebu who provided canned goods for the families and candy for the children. Lolo Tinong’s, a bakery in Cebu, donated 50 loaves of sliced bread which was made into sandwiches for the families. Special thanks to Kathleen, Allan, Samantha and Earl who organized this event.