March
31, 2008 - New Video
Hot
off the hard drive, we've got a live music video from
Deeper Blues. Shot at the event, and produced and directed
by Mike Harper, Stormfront is pure Deeper Blues. Watch
the video here.
March
8, 2008 - A note from Executive Producer Jill Jones
Wow!
It's been almost a week since the benefit, and I still
can't help but walk around with a smile on my face when
I think about how well Foodstock 08 went. We raised
roughly $5000 in food and money for the Danville Area
Food Pantry and as a member of this community that makes
me proud.
The
day of Foodstock '08 started off with everybody meeting
at our house and loading gear and supplies to head to
DACC's Bremer Conference Center. Upon arriving there,
I was in charge of getting the baskets displayed (many
kudo's to Brandy Harper for getting that job done….and
done well!) and getting the food ready….SNAG! We
did have a minor outlet problem, but thanks to my buddy
Bob Stevens, and my sister Pam Thomas, who got the hot
dog cooker up and running, we were able to serve countless
hotdogs and pieces of Backdoor Pizza.
Throughout
the day I got to meet a few people and chat to some
friends and family. Everybody that I spoke with really
had a great time, and was impressed with every group
that took the stage that day. I also had the opportunity
to sell some merchandise and a few raffle tickets in
my spare time (when JJ-aka: Happy Fingers - and Billy
needed a break!) and I'm pretty sure that I sold all
the winning tickets (*wink*). Really though, there were
a lot of happy basket owners by the end of the day and
a lot of people sporting Deeper Blues T-shirts.
At
the end of the day when it was time to wrap it all up
and head home we had a few standout helpers…namely
the Peer Court Crew and Mark McKinzie….thanks a
lot for all the help. I'm pretty sure if it weren't
for all of you, I'd still be at the Bremer Center holding
my head asking what I was forgetting to pick up.
I
have to say that I have enjoyed the experience even
at the worst of times. We learned some things, I lost
a cell phone, I missed the Spinal Tap Moment, but in
the end, I still have to say I definitely look forward
to doing it again.
Peace
and much love…..Jill
March
4, 2008
Wow.
It's over. We're all still a bit shell shocked, as the
week leading up to the benefit was pretty intense. But,
boy, oh boy, was it ever worth it! The final totals
aren't in, as we still have to complete the inventory
of all the food we took in, and we are pciking up the
donations from US Music Corp. later this week. However,
we estimate that we'll have more than FIVE THOUSAND
DOLLARS in food and cash by the time it's all done.
As soon as we know more, we'll post it here.
We've
added a new page today - View
the Pictures. We're still gathering files from the
photography team, but this is a good start. As we receive
more pictures, we'll post the best of them here.
We
also heard that the event made the news on Champaign/Urbana
ABC affiliate Channel 15. We've already sent off for
a copy, and will post it as soon as possible.
Don't
forget: you can donate to the Food Pantry all year long,
using the PayPal button on every page. ALL proceeds
go directly to the food pantry, with nothing taken off
the top for administration or anything else.
February
25, 2008
We're
happy to report that both papers serving Danville -
the Commercial-News and the News-Gazette - ran articles
about the benefit today. We appreciate the coverage
very much. To view the articles, visit the Promotions
- Media page.
This
week, we'll be picking up all the gift baskets, coupons
and gift certificates from the dozens of businesses
that are supporting our efforts. And we've set aside
an entire room at the Bremer Center for their display.
Remember, you don't have to be present to win. If we
draw your name and you've already had to leave, we'll
contact you personally to arrange pick-up or delivery
of your basket. Visit the Sponsors
page to see the many Danville businesses participating
this year.
February
21, 2008
Today
we added the names of many more gift basket donors -
and we appreciate each of them very much! We won't know
for certain until we gather all the baskets, coupons,
gift certificates and more, but so far it looks like
there will be at least two dozen baskets, if not more.
We
also added a Promotions/Media page, on which we placed
the press release for the event (temporarily) and several
radio spots, including three interviews and seven Public
Service Announcements. These were all produced at MB
Music & Sound for KISS Country and KOOL-FM. And
thanks to Larry Weatherford's quick thinking, the PSAs
are also airing on numerous other radio stations in
the area.
Executive
Producer Lane Baldwin of Deeper Blues sat for an interview
today with Barbara Greenberg of the Commercial-News.
We hope to report a feature article soon.
By
the way, even if you can't stay for the entire event,
we invite all of Danville to stop by and drop off food
or make a donation... or both! You can also use the
PayPal button on every page of this site to make a donation
straight to the Danville Area Food Pantry. Pantry director
Chuck Brooks set up the account, so there's no intermediary
between you and the food.
We're
in the final stretch and things continue to build. We're
almost there and we can hardly wait!
February
16, 2008 - Press Release and Radio Promos Now Available
Today
we put the press release and radio promo spots on the
sitem so you could read (and listen!) all about it!
We continue to reach out to community businesses and
will soon be adding more names to our sponsor list.
We appreciate each and every business that has shown
support for the benefit, because without them, we couldn't
do this. We hope you will show them how much you appreciate
their effots, too.
By
the way, in addition to whatever food items you're able
to bring, please also bring cash so you can take part
in the gift basket raffles, grab a bite to eat, maybe
even bid on the auction. We have a huge truck to fill,
and a huge piggy bank to fill, too! You can also donate
any time by clicking on the Donate button on every page
of this site. The food pantry now has its own PayPal
account, and you can use your credit card, or your own
PayPal account, to make a donation. This allows us to
continue our support of the Danville Area Food Pantry
all year long.
February
14, 2008 - Radio Interviews and a True Story
Tuesday
afternoon, several of us met at MB Music and Sound's
recording studio to a series of short interviews and
ad spots for KOOL-FM and KISS Country. So you should
start hearing them soon. HUGE thanks to DJ Greg Green
and to both stations for such great support. Likewise,
many thanks to MB Music and Sound for their support!
Many
years ago, Executive Producer Lane Baldwin had a life-changing
experience, in which a homeless woman taught him the
meaning of gratitude... and of service. We believe that
this experience fully explains why we should all reach
out and lend a hand to those in our community who need
our support. Read The Feast.
February
11, 2008 (evening) - Donations Now LIVE!!
As
of now, you can make a donation to Danville Area Food
Pantry whenever you can spare a little. A dollar, ten,
twenty, it doesn't matter. It ALL helps. And now you
can do it any time you want - all year round! Click
on the DONATE button in the left-hand column (on every
page) to straight to the Food Pantry's PayPal account.
There, you can choose how much to contribute, and how
you want to pay. Use your Visa, MasterCard, American
Express or Discover card, or use your own PayPal account.
Either way, it will take less than five minutes and
you'll be doing a world of good!
Thanks
to ALL who help in this manner. But we still hope you'll
come out to the show!
February
11, 2008 (morning) - Learn About the Danville Area Food
Pantry
We've
added a new page today. Chuck Brooks, director of the
Food Pantry was kind enough to provide us with a lot
of information about the history and operation. Many
thanks to Chuck for putting this together for our site.
Now, click here to learn about
the pantry.
February
10, 2008 - Who Are We Helping?
We
just received an email from Danville Area Food Pantry
Director Chuck Brooks. In it, he gave me a lot of information
about the Food Pantry and its history. As soon as possible,
we will post all of it on various pages within this
site. But one thing needed to be said right away:
"In
2007, the Danville Area Food Pantry served over 3,500
families or 8,116 individuals. We had almost 700 new
families that had never been to the Food Pantry before.
We are still seeing a number of families that have faced
a plant closing or lay-off. We are also seeing a number
of seniors that now have the children and grand children
moving back in with them. These numbers seem to increase
every month."
Laid
off workers. Senior citizens. Children. And more coming
every month. And considering that winter is far from
over around here (and getting colder), and the fact
that heating bills can triple or even quadruple during
the colder months, there are going to be a LOT of people
who need the pantry's help.
It's
a hard, if not impossible, choice -- food or heat? Which
would you choose for your children?
So,
this is who we're helping. These are our neighbors,
our sisters and brothers, our mothers and grandmothers.
Our children.
In
light of this, it's important to note (again!) that
all donations will go directly to the food pantry. Every
penny and every pea that we collect goes directly to
the program, with NO administrative or operational expenses.
Thanks to our Corporate Partners,
the entire cost of this event has already been underwritten.
Folks, this is unheard of in the world of fundraising!
The
National Charitable Industy Board guidelines state that
any organization that spends less than 25% of its donations
on administration and associated activities earns their
seal of approval. This event cost NOTHING for the Food
Pantry, and all donations go directly to the pantry's
programs. Pretty cool, don't you think?
Check
back soon for more information on the Danville Area
Food Pantry and its programs.
February
9, 2008 - Posters All Over Town
Today,
Jill, James and Lane began to distribute the posters
that Speedy's Quick Print was kind enough to print up
for us. They got to stop in and see many of our sponsoring
businesses and tell them once again how much we appreciate
their support of the event. We've still got a lot to
put up, and we'll continue that over the next several
days. We also picked up several new sponsors, which
we'll be adding to the Meet Our
Sponsors page very soon. (We just need to confirm
details.)
For
those interested, we are still seeking volunteers to
help with all aspects of mounting the event. If you're
interested, please send
us an email and give us your contact info. We'll
have someone call you as soon as possible.
Oh!
And we found our truck! That's going to help a LOT!
February
4, 2008 - More Sponsors
We've
added several more sponsors to our list, and expect
to hear back from more every day. So, please keep checking
the Meet Our Sponsors
page. There are going to a be a LOT of gift baskets
to raffle... including one from Turtle Run filled with
SIX golf passes and SIX swim passes!
Oh.
And did we mention the auction for a private party for
you and 50 friends? With food. And a private performance
by Deeper Blues.
Now,
we just have to find someone with a REALLY BIG truck...
to fill up with food.
February
3, 2008 - A Few Thoughts from Lane Baldwin, Exec. Producer
of Danville Foodstock
Thursday
afternoon, I drove home from Chicago, having spent the
previous few days in meetings with US Music Corp. executives.
I got home to Danville just ahead of the snow. After
a quick stop at Gary's house to deliver the amplifiers
USM has made available for the benefit, I headed to
the store to pick up a few items I might need during
the storm.
As
usual, I was pleasantly amused by the number of people
filling baskets to the brim. You'd have thought the
Big Blow was coming, that folks were stocking up for
months instead of a few days. Then it hit me.
I
realized that none of the people we want to help with
Danville Foodstock were in that store. They couldn't
afford an extra carton of eggs, or some extra fruit.
They didn't have the money to make a big pot of soup
to warm their children after playing in the snow. No,
they were home staring at bare cupboards, wondering
if they still had that recipe for Snow Soup. (You know,
just add snow and heat till it boils.)
Stop
for a minute and think about that. Close your eyes and
imagine your cupboards are bare. If you really want
to get a sense of how it feels, take everything - except
one box of crackers, some peanut butter and a can of
creamed corn - and hide it all in a closet. Now, for
the next week, make some meals out of what you have
left. I wish you luck.
The
point is this: it's scary as all get-out to have no
food for your family. It's terrifying to know you have
no job, no income and no food for your children. I know.
I've been there. Have you?
Do
you understand the quiet desperation of true poverty?
Do you know the sense of hopelessness? Of humilation?
Have you ever had to stand, hat in hand, begging for
a little understanding?
I
do. I've been there. And it hurts like nobody's business.
