The Suppa du Mamma soup kitchen started as a way to provide seniors with little to no income with two balanced meals a week. This program has become a vital source of community building for seniors in Ivory Park.

The seniors come together for fellowship and support. They bring what little they have and combine it for a meal to feed dozens. Seniors come early in the day, long before lunchtime. They talk about ways to survive the loss of children and partners. They provide support though the aging and dying process. They care for members and members’ children who are dying from HIV/AIDS. They develop new strategies and support structures for their grandchildren who have been orphaned through losing their parents through disease or violence.

These seniors have an entrepreneurial spirit. They are identifying key needs in their lives and finding creative solutions for long-term change. They are finding new ways to connect intergenerationally with the young people who will be tomorrow’s leaders.

This project will be self-sustaining in 5 years. The community plans to grow their own food and has already started gardening and developing a sustainable agriculture plan. The new central kitchen in the community center will consolidate the cooking that is currently done in three separate facilities to support the day care center, orphans after-school meals, and the soup kitchen twice a week. Finally, the women are developing plans for income generating projects to support the soup kitchen.

As you develop your individual fundraising goals, it might be helpful to think about how your contributions will be put to use. Here are some of specific costs for nutrition programs:

$10,600 would allow the soup kitchen to operate for an entire year, feed 60 people twice a week, and pay local people for their labor.

$1200 would pay the salary of a trainer to teach the women of the community how to use their skills in beadwork, sewing, and embroidery to start income generating projects.

$500 will provide 60 people with two meals a week for an entire month.

$300 will pay 5 cooks for a month.

$100 will cover gas (for cooking), transportation, and other material costs.

Link 25-50 schools in an online fundraising campaign
Think of the possibilities that will exist for your school and community once students have learned how to work together to use these powerful new online fundraising strategies. By participating in the Campaign for Ivory Park this fall, you will be building your own online fundraising engine for your school and community.

ACT LOCALLY
Work with your local senior center or soup kitchen to learn from and partner with social entrepreneurs in your community. Visit Feedingamerica.org to find opportunities in your community.

Work with local government and civic leaders on a community project targeting intergenerational programs. Check out Generations United for more information.

REACH GLOBALLY
Join the Campaign for Ivory Park’s online fundraising campaign through eBay Giving Works. Giving Works allows individuals and organizations to donate items for sale or auction on eBay and then to designate a portion of the proceeds to the charity of their choice. The great thing about this fundraising strategy is that it doesn't require your organization to raise dollars so much as it challenges them to collect things and then to organize and coordinate a "virtual garage sale" or online auction.

Another online fundraising approach is to collect donations directly through PayPal's Donate Now program. Imagine how simple it would be to reach our goal if we could mobilize 1000 students to raise $50 each by finding 10 people who would contribute $5.00 or more to help us achieve our building goal in Ivory Park. You could do this by collecting donations yourself or by steering people to the Keep It Campaign’s Donate Now site.

Both Options Are Available Here: Keep It Campaign eBay Giving Works »