Many ways to give back this month!
Posted by: Irma |
ECHO of Brandon is certainly bustling these days and we need your help! Several volunteer opportunities have come available in March. See the following listing of events where we could use your time and talents:
Check out our website for some fun ways to help your community this month. Sign up to reserve your spot!
3/17 – Pick Strawberries for ECHO
Strawberry Pickers! ECHO has been offered free strawberries if we have a group that will go over and pick them for us. Date is March 13th 8:30am-1:00pm. You can work as many of those hours that you are able to. If you work 4hrs they will give you a free t-shirt! Please ask for Betty Jo when you arrive and let them know you are picking for ECHO. Fancy Farms Rd 3838 Fancy Farms Road Plant City, FL 33566
Date Needed: 03/13/12 (08:30 AM - 01:00 PM)
Hours Required: 4 hours per Volunteer
Volunteers Needed: 10 of 10 still needed.
Resources & Materials: Please dress according to the weather, you will be outside in the sun the whole time so don't forget to bring your sunscreen. Minimum age to volunteer alone is 14. Ages 10-13 may come if they are directly supervised by a parent.
3/24-3/25 – Winthrop Art Show – Sell water to benefit ECHO
ECHO has been given the opportunity to sell water at the Food Truck Rally at the Winthrop Pole Barn on Bloomindale Ave on March 24th & March 25th. Two shifts are available: 10am-2pm and 2pm-5pm
Date Needed: 03/24/12 (10:00 AM - 02:00 PM)
Hours Required: 4 hours per Volunteer
Volunteers Needed: 3 of 5 still needed.
Resources & Materials: Please dress according to the weather and wear sunscreen.
3/25 – Feed The Bay
It is time again to get ready to make a difference in Tampa Bay! We are preparing for this years event and look forward to another year of Feeding the Bay. Just as in years past, there is a huge need to help our local agencies fill their shelves so they can help meet the needs of our community. Be a part of this years event! Learn more: http://www.feedthebay.org/
3/31 – Yard Sale at ECHO
Once a month on a Saturday from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM, ECHO will be hosting monthly charity thrift sales at the ECHO center to refresh our stock and raise money for the center.
CLICK HERE to Volunteer
123RF Stock Photo
Hometown Boy Does Good
Posted by: Irma |
Here’s a photo of Ryan at his 14th Birthday party with the generous donations he received in lieu of personal gifts for himself this year. He had 20 friends come and many of them brought canned food along with unwrapped toys.
They collected 50 unwrapped toys for Y’s Angel Tree and a heaping amount of canned food with the hope the kids who receive them have a very Merry Christmas!!
His family truly believes in these local organizations and hope to always be there for ECHO of Brandon and the YMCA in many years to come…
Vote 5x Daily for Albertsons Community Partner Challenge for ECHO
Posted by: Irma |
Vote 5 times a day Albertsons Community Partner Challenge
October 1-15
http://albertsonscpchallenge.com/
One of Albertsons Core Values is “Individually and collectively, we pledge to be active and responsible citizens of our communities.” Well now we are pledging $300,000 in grants to Community Partners organizations and it’s up to you to decide who gets what. This is your chance to help organizations that will most benefit your community. So bookmark this page, you can vote five times a day Oct 1 - Oct 15th! http://albertsonscpchallenge.com/
ECHO hopes to gain enough votes to raise funds of $7500 for the much-needed client center.
This is given to top 12 charities that receive the most votes. Instructions below
1. Go to albertsonscpchallenge.com and login, by entering your e-mail address.
2. If this is your first time to the site, you will be taken to the e-mail verification page.
3. Once your e-mail is verified you can login and vote using just your email.
4. Enter Charity Code # 0301 in the upper left hand corner, click go.
5. When you see our entry, click on vote.
You can vote up to five times per day from October 1st through October 15th.
CFC Night with the Rays: Support ECHO and Tampa Bay's Team!
Posted by: Irma |How can you have fun and help others at the same time?
Order Rays tickets for Saturday, September 24 using the form below by September 9th! A portion of the proceeds will help support ECHO!
ECHO Fourth of July 2011
Posted by: Irma |The day started out just as any other, a beautiful summer morning.
It was, however, the fourth of July. For organizations like ECHO, the fourth of July means many things, not only is it our nation's birthday and celebration of Independence, but it is also a day we can connect with the Brandon community. In addition to that opportnity, one of our board members, Cami Gibertini, was running for honorary mayor. Her charities of choice were ECHO and the YMCA. By 9 am, we were alerted that she had raised enough funds to become the honorary mayor, narrowly edging out a formidable opponent in financial planner, Barbara Schwabe, representing Center Place. In all, both candidates raised together nearly $72,000 for Brandon charities!
Next up was the parade. ECHO's blue classic car was driven by Cami's husband flanked by volunteers and board members, Kathy Collins and Lori Libhart. Miss ECHO, Kaitlyn Fuson, proudly waved to the adoring crowd as they passed.
As we celebrate our nation, we also celebrate community! ECHO is proud to be part of the Brandon community!
ECHO JULY 4 2011
Cami for Honorary Mayor
Posted by: Irma |
Cami Gibertini, ECHO Board member and Children's Fashion Show Chair has thrown her hat in the ring to become Honorary Mayor of Brandon. The "mayorship" granted by the Community Roundtable is based upon which indivdual raises the most funds for their selected charities. Cami is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club and her charities are the Emergency Care Help Organization and YMCA. "We are pleased that Cami chose to run and, of course, happy that ECHO was chosen as one of her charities. The mayoral race is a fun and great way to raise funds in Brandon," says Stacey Efaw, Executive Director of ECHO. Cami has a full schedule for the month of June and is using her facebook page to draw out community support.
Wednesday, June 1st: Mayor’s Mall Crawl
*Westfield Brandon Mall 5:30 – 7:30pm $30.00 per person
Come meet Cami Gibertini as we sample featured menu items at each restaurant,
but we’ll move quickly! Only 20 minutes at each location and at the end I hope
you’ll stay and enjoy dinner at one of the participating restaurants:
Sunday, June 5th: Cami’s 5K Fun Run
*Westfield Brandon Mall – Race starts at 8:00 am!
For $20.00 per person, you can support Cami by joining her for a 5k Fun Run!
Registration begins at 7:00am and includes a FREE T-shirt!
Tuesday, June 14th: Ladies Mystery Movie Night
Surprises await you at Brandon AMC theatre!
Enjoy silent auction items, dinner and beverages with your favorite girlfriends!
Unfold the mystery at 6:30pm for $25.00 per person.
Saturday, June 18th: Cami’s Combat Challenge
Join us at Campo YMCA and experience Cami’s passion for fitness!
The challenge begins at 12:30 pm and includes a FREE T-shirt and healthy
snack! Y Instructor, Allison Jane is Les Mills certified! Tickets are $20.00.
Thursday, June 23rd: Cami’s Clay Shoot
Guys! Come out and support Brandon’s Next Honorary Mayor at
Fishhawk Sporting Clays for a game of Clay Shooting from 9:00am – 12:00pm!
All materials will be provided – Tickets $100.00 per person.
Evenings with the Mayor
Tuesday, June 28th: California Pizza Kitchen, 5:30-7:00pm
Thursday, June 30th: The Rack, 5:30 – 7:00pm
*All proceeds benefit designated charities
Call to reserve your tickets in advance: (813) 315-3120
Tickets will be available at the following locations:
USAmeriBank: 668 Oakfield Drive, or Osprey Observer: 900 Lithia Pinecrest Rd
Find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/CamiforMayor
Volunteers needed to help sort food from Postal Food Drive
Posted by: Irma |
Have you been thinking about volunteering and giving back to your local community?
Your timing couldn't be better!
ECHO needs volunteers to sort the food from the postal food drive on Saturday May 14th and Sunday May 15th. All sorting this year will take place at Feeding America, who has graciously allowed us to use their indoor facility this year. There are many volunteer shifts to choose from.
Volunteer shifts
5/14 Saturday - Food Sorters
Location : Feeding America
Time: 12:30 to 7:00 pm
Will have 2 sorting areas, need 20 people per sorting area per shift
Shifts: 12:30 to 3:00 pm
2:30 to 5:30 pm
4:30 pm to 7:00pm
5/15 Sunday - Food Sorters
Location: Feeding America
Time: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Will have 2 sorting areas, need 20 people per sorting area per shift
Shifts: 10 am to 12:30pm
12:30 to 3:00 pm
3:00 pm til done
Feeding America is located 4702 Transport Dr, Building 6, Tampa 33605
Refreshments will be provided for volunteers. Volunteers must be 14 years of age or older. Need to wear closed toe shoes. This event does count for community service hours.
Please sign up directly online at www.echofl.org. Click on the I want to volunteer, then locate the shift that you want to volunteer for. If you have problems you can also sign up by emailing our Director, Stacey Efaw at stacey@echofl.org. Please include your name & volunteer shift in your email.
Map to Feeding America:
Local Panera Bread donates to ECHO
Posted by: Irma |
ECHO would like to give a huge thank you to our local Panera Bread cafe for donating over 60 chairs to ECHO.
The new chairs are very comfortable and a much-needed improvement to the "lawn chairs" that once graced our lobby for clients and guests.
Please join ECHO in thanking Panera Bread Company!
ECHO Targets Hungry Children With $2,000 Grant From Tampa Foundation
Posted by: Irma |The Emergency Care Help Organization receives a grant from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay to target hungry children over the summer months when school breakfast and lunch programs are on hiatus.
Brandon’s Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) will help feed more hungry children this summer thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
The $2,000 grant will go to a summer food program targeting children who might otherwise go hungry. Free school breakfasts and lunches are often the only steady meal for many poor children. Families are left with few resources when schools close for the summer. That’s where ECHO steps in.
New Study Shows Buying Food Proves Hard for Many Families
Posted by: Irma |According to the March 2011 Food Research and Action Center Report, many Americans are still struggling to buy an adequate amount of food for their families. FRAC polled many US families with the ultimate question of food hardship: “Have there been times inthe past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” Although the "food hardship" rate has decreased slightly from 2009 to 18%, it is still a high number of Americans not receiving the nutrition for themselves or their families.
At the Emergency Care Help Organization. a Brandon Florida nonprofit food pantry, we have have seen a similar trend....although we are serving many families, we are still serving slightly less than we did in 2009 at the height of the recession.
The national data show that the struggle of tens of millions of American households to afford adequate food did not, by and large, get easier in 2010. While the nation’s Great Recession technically ended in mid-2009 (measured by growth in the Gross Domestic Product), it has not yet ended for most of the nation’s households. For them, 2010 was the third year of a recession that continues to have severe adverse impact on their well-being.
The struggle continues here in Tampa Bay, specifically in the Brandon area. The study also shows that the main culprit for the national "food hardship" is unemployment. Since 2009, ECHO has seen "Unemployment" category skyrocket, when clients come to the center for help. It is not unique to have clients in the center who in the past were avid ECHO donors, either financially, with food or clothing, or both. Many in the Brandon area live paycheck to paycheck, even with "good-paying jobs" -- so when one (or both) breadwinner in a household finds themselves unemployed, they turn to ECHO since it is familiar. As a resource in the Brandon Community for those who have suffered a recent emergency, ECHO supllies families with enough food and clothing for about two weeks. The organization also serves as a clearinghouse of information for additional community resources like TECO electric bill assistance and where to find WIC, Food Stamps and much more.
As we slowly see recovery in the economy, ECHO is still serving a large client base. As noted by the FRAC report, "In 2010 the economy as a whole grew, but growth was very unevenly distributed. What hasn’t bounced back for tens of millions of people, of course, is employment, hours of work, wages and food security – the criteria important to most low- and moderate-income Americans." Since many still pass through ECHO doors who are unemployed and seeking assistance, it is clear that the positive economic trends are not clearly seen by the masses, and may not return for quite some time.
It is no surprise that according to the report, the Tampa Bay MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) fell into the top 25 US Areas with the highest rates of "food hardship". Since much of our local economy was resting on the real estate boom of the mid-to-late 2000s (which has not and will not return to its former levels of glory), we find many workers that need our help.
Since over half of the clients ECHO serves is children, it is heartbreaking to know that although "food hardship" levels are improving just slightly, we are still facing a national and local epidemic.
If you would like to help ECHO provide balanced and nutritious meals to those who face "food hardship" right here in the Greater Brandon area, please visit our Donate Food page.