charity – Page 4 – San Antonio Nerd Night

April Nerd Night: San Antonio AIDS Foundation

April’s partner organization is the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a dual mission – to provide compassionate medical care and social services to people with HIV/AIDS, and to help prevent the spread of HIV through education, counseling and testing.

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation exists to provide dignity and comfort to individuals infected with HIV and AIDS. SAAF was founded in 1986 by Papa Bear, aka Robert Edwards, a local bar owner who responded to the medical and social crisis at a time when most were afraid. SAAF began as a volunteer-staffed hospice in the back of a bar and has evolved to a multi-service agency reaching thousands on individuals every year through healthcare, support services and educational outreach.

Some of SAAF’s services include:

Testing and Education including free HIV and syphilis rapid testing, hepatitis-C and tuberculosis testing.
Special Care Facility and Hospice Care licensed by the state, providing 24-hour care, substance abuse and pastoral counseling, nutritional counseling, administration of medication, transportation to appointments, and medication reviews.
Case Management coordinating care and linking clients to a wide range of medical, mental health care and community-based services.
Nourishing SAAF providing 3 nutritious hot meals per day, 365 days a year. All meals are reviewed by a registered dietitian and include foods that help provide for particular dietary needs of persons with HIV/AIDS.
Short-Term Transitional Housing for a total of 20 men, women and transgender formerly homeless clients.
Dental Assistance is offered through dental subcontractors in the community to those who meet Ryan White eligibility requirements and have no private or public dental insurance coverage.

April Nerd Night will collecting items to support the work of SAAF’s special care and hospice facility, short-term transitional housing and case management programs.

Wish List

Men’s Boxer Underwear (M/L)
Men’s Slippers
Men’s T-Shirts (M/L)
Men’s Socks
Men’s Flip Flops (11-13)
Women’s Flip Flops (S/M/L)
Men’s and Women’s Deodorant
Used DVDs
Dish Soap
Cleaning Sponges
Bed Sheets, Twin (Fitted and Flat)
Bath Towels
Bus Passes

April Nerd Night: San Antonio AIDS FoundationStephanie2016-11-25T10:59:40-06:00

Crowdfunding, Nerd Night Updates

Hey nerds!

It’s been a while since my last post. Things have been busy at Nerd Night HQ, aka my house, and I figured it was time for a quick update.

Last month, five of your fellow Nerd Nighters and I gathered at my house and formed San Antonio Nerd Night, Inc. We’re now an official nonprofit corporation, registered with the state of Texas. We’re a board of six, and I’ll get some information up about the board soon once we determine how that’s going to be put out there. Our first order of business is obtaining our 501(c)(3) status, which is expensive and involves a lot of forms, like anything the federal government, and especially the IRS, is in charge of – so that’s quite an undertaking. To that end, we’re raising money on Crowdrise. You might have seen my posts on Facebook or Twitter about this, and I’ll speak on it more at Nerd Night on Friday, but the short version is that we need several hundred dollars for the application and I’m not able to front it myself. Thus, the wonderful world of crowdfunding. If everyone gives a little, we’ll have what we need in no time.

Nerd Night is this Friday! Join us at Geeks Cafe on Babcock and bring an item (or two or ten) to support the Animal Defense League of Texas. The donation wish list is available at this event link and there’s sure to be something there you can find easily at a store near you. We’ll have a guest speaker from ADL and her canine friend.

Joining us on Friday will be Childs’ Play Games & Geekery, a mobile game store run by Sarah Childs and based in New Braunfels. She is graciously donating a portion of all game sales to the ADL, so if you play a game you especially enjoy, see if she has a copy with her! They also offer local free delivery to the San Antonio area.

Speaking of generous Nerd Night partners, Geeks Cafe will be donating a portion of all food sales on Friday night as well. Do we have the best friends or what?

See you all on Friday night!

Crowdfunding, Nerd Night UpdatesStephanie2016-03-09T10:37:43-06:00

March Nerd Night

This month’s partner organization is the Animal Defense League of Texas, a 501(c)(3) non-profit working to help San Antonio’s stray dogs and cats.

ADL is a true no-kill shelter, which means animals are never euthanized if they can be treated and returned to health. No animal is ever euthanized to make room for others. The mission of the Animal Defense League is to enhance the quality of life for abandoned, abused, or neglected animals by providing needed medical care, food, shelter, and safety along with compassion and attention. They provide a number of services, including:

Sheltering animals, regardless of their conditions when they arrive
Complete medical treatment for all resident animals
Full-time veterinary staff
Low-cost spay and neuter program for pets of low-income families
Humane education programs
Adoption services to help resident animals find forever homes

March Nerd Night will collecting items to support the work of ADL, both general need and animal-specific items.

General Needs

Brooms & String Mops
Copy Paper
Hand Sanitizer
Heavy Duty Water Hoses
Laundry Detergent
Bleach
Trash Bags (33 gallon)
Newspapers
Strip-Shredded Paper
Lawnmowers, Weedeaters, and Edgers
Electric Space Heaters
Refrigerators
Nailguns and Drills
100 ft. Electric Snake
Steam Mop

Animal-Specific Needs

KONG and “Hard Plastic” Toys
Blankets (any size)
Towels
Heating Pads
Nebulizers
Canned Kitten Food
Puppy and Kitten Toys
Dog and Cat Toys
Pedigree Canned Dog Food
Esbilac Puppy Formula
KMR Kitten Milk Replacement
Gerber 2^nd FOOD Chicken
Beech Nut Stage 1 Chicken
Plastic Kiddie Pools
Baby Wipes

March Nerd NightStephanie2016-03-09T12:03:59-06:00

Charity Spotlight: Animal Defense League of Texas

About Animal Defense League of Texas

The Animal Defense League was established in 1934 “for the prevention of cruelty to animals; to provide kind and humane treatment of animals; and to aid and assist the enforcement of laws enacted for the prevention of animal cruelty.”

While they began their mission with a few makeshift chicken-wire cages to shelter stray cats and dogs in the San Antonio area, ADL has grown to a 12-acre campus with a pet park, an adoption center, a small retail store, and a 5,000 square-foot clinic that provides on-site spay and neuter surgery, surgery for injured and ill animals, as well as veterinary care for all resident animals.

ADL is a true no-kill shelter, which means animals are never euthanized if they can be treated and returned to health. No animal is ever euthanized to make room for others. The mission of the Animal Defense League is to enhance the quality of life for abandoned, abused, or neglected animals by providing needed medical care, food, shelter, and safety along with compassion and attention. They provide a number of services, including:

Sheltering animals, regardless of their conditions when they arrive
Complete medical treatment for all resident animals
Full-time veterinary staff
Humane education programs
Adoption services to help resident animals find forever homes

ADL is supported through adoption fees, grants, bequests, donations and a number of special events to raise funds. We will be collecting donations to support the work of the Animal Defense League at our March 11^th Nerd Night. Needed items are:

General Needs

Brooms & String Mops
Copy Paper
Hand Sanitizer
Heavy Duty Water Hoses
Laundry Detergent
Bleach
Trash Bags (33 gallon)
Newspapers
Strip-Shredded Paper
Lawnmowers, Weedeaters, and Edgers
Electric Space Heaters
Refrigerators
Nailguns and Drills
100 ft. Electric Snake
Steam Mop

Animal-Specific Needs

KONG and “Hard Plastic” Toys
Blankets (any size)
Towels
Heating Pads
Nebulizers
Canned Kitten Food
Puppy and Kitten Toys
Dog and Cat Toys
Pedigree Canned Dog Food
Esbilac Puppy Formula
KMR Kitten Milk Replacement
Gerber 2^nd FOOD Chicken
Beech Nut Stage 1 Chicken
Plastic Kiddie Pools
Baby Wipes

Charity Spotlight: Animal Defense League of TexasStephanie2016-11-25T10:59:35-06:00

February Nerd Night Wrap Up

So, I know I say this almost every post, but…

You. Guys. Are. Awesome.

I won’t lie, I was worried about the venue change and all of you making the move to another part of town. But wow, did you all prove that I worry a lot over nothing! We had FIFTY happy game-playing nerds at Geeks Cafe on Friday, and you all collected an amazing amount of STUFF for SAMMinistries. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

February Nerd Night

Nathan’s Room

Ticket to Ride

Paulina, Kelly & Shane

Keller

Vince

Winner!

Melanie from SAMMinistries speaking to the group

Anyway. Apologies for some of these blurry pictures, I’m apparently challenged when I don’t have a flash.

Our next Nerd Night is scheduled for March 11 and will again be at Geeks Cafe. We’re collecting items for the Animal Defense League of Texas. I will post a spotlight article very soon with details about what items they are in need of to take care of all the pups and kitties that are lucky enough to end up in this no-kill shelter.

Shameless plug time!

Art by Freddy Gonzalez

This fabulous piece of art has been donated to help raise money for SAMMinistries. Colleen and Vince of GaMExpo and Geek Out SA are handling a silent auction. Starting bid is $100. Get on over to their Facebook page and make a bid, y’all!

Speaking of Geek Out SA…

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Nathan and I stopped by to plug Nerd Night and talk about all things geeky. Give it a watch!

February Nerd Night Wrap UpStephanie2016-11-25T10:59:36-06:00

Charity Spotlight: SAMMinistries

About SAMMinistries

SAMMinistries is an interfaith ministry whose mission is to help the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless attain self-sufficiency by offering, with dignity and compassion, shelter, housing, and services. Since 2008, SAMM has prevented 20,000 San Antonians from entering homelessness. Each night, SAMM offers 350 families a place to call home. In 2014, 98% of the families served through SAMM’s Homeless Prevention Program remained out of homelessness after 18 months.

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Homelessness in the SA Metro Area

Homelessness is a real problem in San Antonio and its surrounding communities. We will get a new survey later this month to count current homeless, but 2015 numbers are available from SARAH, the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless. In 2015, there were 2,891 homeless individuals counted at the Point-In-Time (PIT) Count. The PIT Count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is used in determining federal funding for San Antonio’s homeless programs. 546 of these were children (average age of 6) and 309 of these were veterans. This total number has been largely steady for the last three years (2,892 in 2014 and 2,980 in 2013). SAMMinistries estimates the current San Antonio homeless population at approximately 3,211.

While 3,211 may not seem like a very large number in a city with a population of 1.4 million, the reality is that nearly 50% of San Antonio’s population is living with no savings, which puts them at a high risk of becoming homeless if they experience a loss of income. More than half of all homeless individuals in San Antonio cite a loss of income as their reason for homelessness, and affordable housing is the most requested service by homeless individuals in San Antonio.

SAMMinistries offers the following services:

Homeless Prevention: Providing rental assistance, utility assistance and supportive services to enable individuals, families, veterans and seniors who are in imminent danger of eviction avoid homelessness.
Transitional Housing: SAMMinistries offers 65 families transitional housing through individual homes in San Antonio, as well as the Transitional Living and Learning Center (TLLC). The Transitional Housing program provides housing, support and resources to families who show a commitment to gaining self-sufficiency. The individual needs of all family members are supported for a two-year period, promoting the viability of the family as a whole while they transition out of homelessness.
Rapid Re-Housing: The Rapid Re-Housing program reduces the amount of time a family experiences homelessness and rapidly re-houses families into permanent, affordable homes. Financial assistance is provided for up to 3 months along with 12 months of case management.
Permanent Supportive Housing: Permanent Supportive Housing assists and empowers families to live as independently as possible. SAMMinistries has a permanent housing program that assists families with whom one member of the family has a disability. SAMMinistries also manages 100 set-aside housing vouchers to help families find permanent housing in the private rental market.
Supportive Services: In order to serve their clients and the community holistically, SAMMinistries offers supportive services to all program participants to support them spiritually, mentally and physically. These services include spiritual services, educational assistance, wellness classes and employment development.

What are we doing to help?

February Nerd Night on February 12th will specifically be targeting item collection for “Welcome Baskets,” given to each family as they enter SAMMinistries’ Transitional Housing program. These baskets give families much-needed household goods as they begin their journey to self-sufficiency. We will collect the following items at Nerd Night and deliver them to SAMM’s donation center.

FAMILY MEALTIME

Dish Sets & Large Plastic Cups
Flatware Sets
Pots & Pans
Cooking Tools (ex: wooden spoons)
Oven Mitts & Pot Holders

LINENS

Sheet Sets: Twin & Full
Crib Sheets
Comforters: Twin & Full
Towel Sets: Bath, Hand & Washcloths

CLEANING SUPPLIES

Buckets & Sponge Mops
All-Purpose Cleaner
Antibacterial Wipes & Bleach
Brooms & Dustpans
Dish Detergent
Toilet Brushes & Toilet Cleaner

HOUSEHOLD GOODS

Garbage Cans & Trash Bags, 13-gallon
Laundry Detergent
Laundry Baskets

Charity Spotlight: SAMMinistriesStephanie2016-11-25T10:59:38-06:00

January Nerd Night

Happy New Year, nerds! Time for January Nerd Night. We’ll be gathering once again at Magic Beans Gaming Café and this month we are collecting items for the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter. This facility, run by Family Violence Prevention Services, gives every person seeking help and shelter a safe haven. They run a 24-hour crisis hotline, offer case management, a children’s program, counseling, emergency food and clothing (more on that in a moment), legal advocacy and referral, medical and dental care, parent education, workshops and support groups, and a lot of educational services that help women and their children become self-sufficient.

The shelter is in need of a number of personal and household items that are accepted in new or gently-used condition. I’ll post a complete list in the charity profile later this week, but here are some highlights. All of these things will be collected at Nerd Night on January 8th. If you have a large item or need to donate at another time, give the donation center a call at (210) 733-3536 and Mari will make arrangements.

Baby Items

8-oz. Baby Bottles
Bottle Brushes
Baby Shampoo & Lotion
Diapers: Large sizes, 4, 5 & 6
Pull-ups: Large sizes
Baby Wipes

——
Personal Hygiene

Hand Gel/Soap (full size)
Bat Gel/Soap (full size)
Shampoo & Conditioner (full size)
Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
Deodorant
Hair Brushes & Combs
African-American Hair Products

——
Linens & Bath

Full/Twin Sheets – White only
Blankets & Comforters – White only
Towels & Washcloths
Shower Curtains
Pillows

——
Clothing & Shoes

New children’s underwear (all sizes)
New women’s underwear (Size 6+)
Pajamas
Bras
Socks
House Slippers
School Uniforms (sizes 4-20)

January Nerd NightStephanie2016-11-25T10:59:40-06:00

Giving Tuesday: Virtual Food Drive!

Giving Tuesday

This is the 4th year for Giving Tuesday, a day to highlight volunteering and charity donations on the day after “Cyber Monday.” In the last four years it has come to symbolize the beginning of the charitable season. I’m all for anything that encourages people to give back! Consider this my official Giving Tuesday post to encourage everyone to take a moment and visit our Virtual Food Drive to benefit the San Antonio Food Bank.

One of the only complaints I had at our November toy drive was that I didn’t have any way for people to donate using their credit cards. Luckily for me, the San Antonio Food Bank is on top of things and set me up with the virtual food drive for our December event! It’s a cute little flash-based shopping spree, where you drive your shopping cart down virtual shopping aisles and select food items by the case or dollar amounts to donate. It’s easy and fun, and is a secured option provided by the food bank for your peace of mind. No worries about handing over cash to some stranger at a game night!

Anyway. Those of you who can’t make it out to see us at Magic Beans, please consider clicking here and doing some virtual shopping to help feed the hungry and food insecure in Southwest Texas. The food drive will be active throughout the month of December. The food barrel will be at Magic Beans from December 4th – 14th, and December Nerd Night will be Friday, December 11th, starting at 6pm. Clean out those cupboards, put a few extra cans in your cart at the grocery store. Be a part of the solution! The Nerd Nighters and the San Antonio Food Bank thank you. 🙂

Giving Tuesday: Virtual Food Drive!Stephanie2016-11-25T10:59:39-06:00

Charity Spotlight: The San Antonio Food Bank

For December, we highlight another charity close to my heart: The San Antonio Food Bank.

In 2012, I was laid off from a job and once my SNAP benefits expired, the food bank was my next stop. Time to pay it forward.

It’s impossible to overstate how much this organization relies on donations. It’s also impossible to overstate how desperately it is needed in Southwest Texas. Food insecurity, or not knowing where your next meal is coming from, is a rampant problem in our wealthy state. Some statistics:

One in five adults in Southwest Texas struggles with hunger.
One in four children is at risk of food insecurity.
Texas ranks 8th nationally in rate of food insecurity.
Each week, the San Antonio Food Bank assists 58,000 individuals in sixteen counties through their various programs.
98% of all donated resources go directly to hunger relief.

Some of the San Antonio Food Bank’s programs include:

Kid’s Cafe: Neighborhood children can go to one of 28 Kids Cafe sites in the San Antonio area after school for a hot meal and homework help. 1,000 children visit these sites each day.
Project HOPE: Provides a 50-lb. bag of shelf-stable, supplemental food items to fixed-income seniors. 7,500 seniors every month are served by Project HOPE.
Nutrition Education: The San Antonio Food Bank deploys nearly a dozen bilingual nutrition educators into the San Antonio community every day to teach people how to shop for and prepare healthier meals.
Distribution: Mobile Food Pantries and Food Fairs allow the San Antonio Food Bank to distribute 1 million pounds of food weekly to difficult-to-reach individuals in the 16-county area (17,559 square miles) the food bank serves.

The San Antonio Food Bank distributes 50 million pounds of food every year. We’re trying to make a very small scratch on the surface of that with our food drive. A single shopping cart = 100 lbs, and we’re trying to fill three.

So dig into your pockets, go through those cupboards. Find some of these “twelve most wanted” non-perishables and bring them by Magic Beans, or just click here to go to our virtual food drive and make a cash donation. Every $1.00 donated provides seven meals to a hungry Texan.

12 Most Wanted Items:

Peanut Butter
Cereal
Tuna
Beans
Rice
Mac & Cheese
Chili
Canned Stews
Canned Soups
Canned Luncheon Meats
Full Means Can/Box
Pop Top Food Items

Join us in supporting the San Antonio Food Bank in the month of December. Donate food at Magic Beans Gaming Cafe from December 4th – December 14th, or donate online here. Mark your calendar for DECEMBER NERD NIGHT on Friday, December 11th starting at 6:00 PM.

Charity Spotlight: The San Antonio Food BankStephanie2016-11-25T10:59:39-06:00