Friday, September 29, 2017

PEOPLE AND THINGS ARE NEEDED FOR A HALLOWEEN/HARVEST PARTY FOR THE KIDS AT THE KENSINGTON FAMILY SHELTER


A Halloween/Harvest party is being planned for the families in the Kensington Family Shelter.

Catherine and Tracy, our neighbors who volunteer as liaisons between the shelter and the Kensington and Windsor Terrace neighborhoods, sent this e-mail to the community. To receive their e-mails about the shelter (about once a month), send an e-mail to givemeshelterbk @ gmail.com.

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Neighbors,

We hope everyone is having a fantastic start of fall. This is a busy time at the Kensington family shelter and we wanted to share with you some of the upcoming activities.

First of all, thanks to everyone who donated clothing and other items for the back-to-school, back-to-work drive this month. The shelter got everything it needed and was very grateful for the community support.

Our next big project is a Halloween/Harvest party for the shelter kids. It will be held Saturday, October 28th, from noon to 2 p.m.

Here's how to help:

Costumes: Please drop off costumes in excellent condition to the shelter, 385 McDonald Ave. (across the street from Foodtown), attention Uniquia Parker, by October 15th. That Spider-Man or panda bear costume your kid wore last year for three hours of trick-or-treating that is not tattered or stained is just the type of thing to donate. Toddler/pre-school costumes are particularly needed.

An event captain: This is someone who can work with us to make sure we have everything we need for the party and be on site the day of from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to ensure things go smoothly. We keep these events relatively simple, so it's not a ton of work, but will require some emails and phone calls.

Face-painters: As anyone who has been to one of the shelter parties in the past can attest, the face-painters are the stars of these events. We will supply the paints (unless you have some of your own that you prefer to use) and you supply the creativity. You don't have to be Michelangelo for this gig, but you should be comfortable with kids and a paintbrush. If you would like to volunteer for a couple of hours, raise your hand by sending an email to givemeshelterbk @ gmail.com with the subject line FACEPAINT.

Entertainment: We would love to provide some kind of kid-friendly entertainment. Maybe it's a sing-along. Maybe it's a DJ who can get the kids doing the Monster Mash. Maybe you're a magician who can spare an hour of your time? Please raise your hand by replying with the subject line ENTERTAINMENT.

Volunteers: We need a few volunteers to be on hand to help with drinks and snacks, run a craft project and assist with setup and cleanup. You can sign up here: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0848AFAF2AA5FA7-halloween1

Note: The shelter has an 18-plus policy for onsite volunteers so you cannot bring your own children if you volunteer. Sorry!

Stuff: We've created an Amazon wishlist for a few things we need: crafts, some snacks, a few decorations (we have a lot left from last year). Here's the link: http://a.co/6NsW0ra

Going forward, we are planning more holiday activities, including a big holiday toy and gift drive, so please keep your eyes peeled for details on those in the coming weeks.

As always, we thank you for being amazing neighbors and want you to know how much the shelter staff and the families appreciate this community's ongoing generosity and kindness.

Love,
Catherine and Tracy