Pennies for Poverty:
Two Cents For Change
Two Hours for Change:
To increase awareness of volunteer needs in the community and encourage everyone to volunteer 2 hours a month. To contact us about volunteering, please email us at volunteer@2cents4change.com or at 2hour@2cents4change.com.
Have you given your 2 hours this month?
We are asking that everyone volunteer two hours a month to an organization of their choice.
To get involved with Pennies for Poverty: 2 Cents 4 Change, please consider filling out one of the following applications: Application to the Board of Directors and Advisory Board or Volunteer Application. Thank you!
PENNIES VOLUNTEERS!
We need your help! If you have a couple of hours a month to volunteer in any capacity, it would be of enormous help. Everyone at Pennies from the Board of Directors to the Pennies volunteers, is a volunteer. We have several ongoing volunteer needs:
- Board of Directors: We have several openings including President in 2011, Publicity, and Together Chair. If you want to help mold the future of Pennies, we need you! From marketing to policy to developing and organizational issues to running the Board, we need your skills. This is a 2 year commitment of 4-10 hours a month not including events and Board meetings.
- Newsletter: We're looking for someone to do the monthly newsletter and facebook entries.
- 2 Can Committee: Work with the churches, civic organizations to increase food donations to the food pantries and soup kitchens.
- Together Committee: Do you like planning events? Historical presentations? Travel slide shows? Help plan and run free Together events.
- Fundraising Committee: Help organize and run a fundraiser for the 2 Cent Grant Fund.
- Online: Do you use twitter? Facebook? Help us increase awareness by forwarding on our newsletter and facebook entries.
- Teens: Join the Pennies Teen Committee and get your school, church youth group involved, hold fundraisers, and raise awareness.
- Table events: Help man the Pennies table at awareness events.
- Awareness Presentations: Do speeches and presentations on Pennies and poverty to help increase awareness.
- 2 Cent Store Committee: Join the committee task force to increase the 2 Cent Stores in town.
Our greatest need is filling the President's position in 2011. Part of the Pennies philosophy is that the founders step down so as to avoid founders syndrome as well as to bring new ideas and fresh energy to the organization. If you would like to take a turn at running Pennies, please send us your application (available on our website under downloads). This is a very fulfilling and satisfying job that truly does "Make Change with Change"!
Want to know more about volunteering at Pennies? Contact Eleanor Turke for a volunteer positions and Volunteer Orientation at volunteer@2cents4change.com or Catherine Gould for Board positions at 2cents4change@gmail.com.
New Common CENTS Programs:
We call them Common CENTS because it just makes sense to work together!
Common CENTS Garden:
A new program, the Common CENTS Garden, encourages farmers and gardeners to grow vegetables for local food pantries. Have a garden? How about planting a row of vegetables for a soup kitchen or food pantry? Download the Common Cents Garden Poster, laminate it and attach it to a stake in your garden. Send us an email and let us know that you are part of the Common Cents Gardens and which food pantry or soup kitchen you are pledging vegetables to. It's that easy!
How You Can Help:
- Sign up as a Pennies volunteer or join the Pennies Board of Directors. Pennies volunteers are needed for our semi-annual food drives, Volunteer Fair and for table events. The Board is a working Board and the time requirement is 4-10 hours monthly with more hours during the months with large events, i.e. food drives. Each Board member is responsible for implementing one facet of the Pennies programs.
- Donate 2 cents a day or $7.30 a year to the 2 Cent Grant Fund. Donations can be deposited directly to the 2 Cent Grant Fund at either the Institution for Savings, Eastern Bank, the Provident Bank, the 5 Cent Savings Bank, or mailed to 282 High St., Newburyport, MA 01950. Please note on checks "2 Cent Grant". One hundred percent of the Grant Fund is given out to individuals or organizations with new initiatives or to fund underfunded necessary programs that reduce poverty in Newburyport. The funds can not be used for salaries or overhead expenses. There are two grant applications available online: 2 Cent Urgent Need Grant Application and General Grant Application.
- Help fund our operating costs by making a donation of just $10. We run the entire program on $2,000 a year. If 200 people donated just $10, we would have our annual budget covered! We are a program run by volunteers from the community, funded by the community, for the benefit of the community. Please note on the check "operating" and mail to 282 High St., Newburyport, MA 01950.
- Sign up for Good Search and list Pennies for Poverty: 2 Cents 4 Change, Inc. under "who you goodsearch" or "good shop" for. Any online searches or online shopping you do will help fund Pennies.
- Shop at our online Zazzle store. A percentage of each purchase will help fund Pennies.
- Donate 2 Cans a month to any local food pantry or soup kitchen.
- Volunteer 2 Hours a month with any organization.
- Attend local free events.
- Invite a Pennies Board member to your event to raise awareness of Pennies and local poverty. Ask your friends and neighbors to bring 2 cents for the 2 Cent Grant and 2 cans for a local food pantry or soup kitchen rather than hostess gifts.
- Tell your friends and neighbors about Pennies. Help us spread the word! Pennies is the community's nonprofit: run by volunteers from the community, funded by the community, for the benefit of those in need in Newburyport. Write articles for the Pennies Newsletter. Bloggers, myspace & facebook: give us a shout-out and link!