What are Warm Wishes? Winter Holiday Backpack Donations packed by Volunteers for Homeless in Marin County and Bay Area

What is Warm Wishes? 

Warm Wishes is nonprofit distributing warm clothing items to San Francisco Bay Area homeless. Warm Wishes is a MarinLink project founded by Bill Hamm.

Mission

Warm Wishes creates a personal relationship between our volunteers and the street community when once a year volunteers distribute 5,000 “StreetPacks” or backpacks stuffed with new, warm gloves, scarves, hats, wool socks and rain ponchos to homeless men and women and children, living on the streets of the Bay Area. The winter accessories, manufactured under the direction of and funded by Warm Wishes, help them survive the difficult weather months.

One of the most valued pieces in each StreetPack is the heart-warming, personal holiday card hand-written by one of 5,000 Bay Area children.

Join Founder Bill Hamm on Distribution Day for this year on Saturday, December 1, 2012 8:00am. Volunteers, including families and their children, meet at Unity in Marin (Novato) and within two hours assemble the StreetPacks. They then take to the road to personally distribute the packs to the Bay Area homeless. The purpose is for the homeless people to stay warm; perhaps to save a life. But Warm Wishes purpose is for volunteers to reap the rewards of looking into the eyes of a stranger, of coming closer to understanding his or her plight, and filling with the feeling of doing good for others.

This year Warm Wishes is requesting donations at the door on Distribution Day to offset the cost of the items for the homeless. Suggested donation is $10.00 for adults (children FREE) but please be as generous as you can. Warm Wishes is committed to providing NEW items that are purchased specifically for this population and need your support.

Volunteer on Warm Wishes Assembly & Distribution Day

Come one, come all and join in the fun! Experience the true meaning of giving this holiday season. This project is for anyone; of any age–so bring your family, friends or just yourselves. Warm Wishes needs volunteers to stuff backpacks and/or distribute them to the homeless. They have items that include gloves, socks, caps, rain ponchos and holiday cards that all need to be put inside 5000 backpacks (StreetPacks). And will then literally distribute them to over 40 agencies that serve the street communities, and go out into the Bay Area streets and shelters to distribute them one on one to homeless people.

Warm Wishes Art Project

Are you a teacher? Warm Wishes needs your help with a special project that will brighten up the lives of the homeless during the Holiday Season. This year, they will be handing out 5,000 backpacks filled with a pair of socks, a scarf, gloves, knit cap, and a rain poncho. Warm Wishes would love to include a holiday card from a local child to warm the heart of the recipient.

The card should say “Warm Wishes” and the FIRST NAME ONLY of the child who makes the card.

Please note: No glitter,  crayons or paint (or anything that will run or come off on  the clothing in the pack). 

 Call for more information: 415-472-0211

Send your student’s cards to (or drop them off):

Warm Wishes/MarinLink
5800 Northgate Mall Ste250
San Rafael, CA 94901

Bocce Tournament Fundraiser

Every year Warm Wishes hold its Bocce Invitational fundraiser to benefit the Homeless Holiday Backpack Project.

Warm Wishes ask philanthropists for their support with a Bocce Ball Court Sponsorship and they as businesses to donate items for auction.

All proceeds are then used for the Warm Wishes Street Packs project.

 

For more information and to volunteer please call Warm Wishes at (415) 472-0211. Visit http://www.warmwishes.org/ .

 

 

Gallinas Watershed Council in 2011

Efforts by the Gallinas Watershed Council to promote watershed planning for the zip code 94903 area (North San Rafael) finally paid off as Marin County launched a serious effort to begin this process in 2011.

Other watersheds in Marin have had their cities such as Ross, Fairfax, Corte Madera, Larkspur and Novato stepping up as major partners.

We hope San Rafael will do the same. Upstream impervious development and creek channelization leads to downstream flooding; a whole watershed approach will create systemic improvements so that those at the end of the line are not shouldering the burden alone.

GWC highlights from 2011:

Jan: Participated at the Bay Area Environmental Education Resource Fair

Feb: Held our 1st community watershed workshop at Northgate Mall
Gave tours of the creek with local politicians and journalists to draw
attention to the significant value of the wetlands
Attended a LOT of meetings around the bay dealing with Sea Level Rise,
Climate Change and Watershed planning

May: Began developing our watershed plan vision
Became an official creek group within North Bay Watershed Association
Promoted Marin County’s Watershed plan to local agencies
Made watershed presentations with Liz Lewis to Santa Margarita,
Contempo Marin and Mont Marin Homeowners’ Associations

Sept: Held our first Watershed Education Bike Tour and BBQ
Presented Gallinas Creek info at the Santa Venetia Labor Day Picnic

Nov: Presented watershed appropriate planning information at the SMART
Civic Station Area Design Committee community meeting
With Diana Connolly developed the Gallinas Creek Watershed Survey
www.surveymonkey.com/s/ gallinascreekwatershed
Submitted a letter and spoke out to SR Planning Commission
addressing the serious flaws in the FEIR for the airport soccer development

GWC will continue to monitor proposed developments and speak out against inappropriate development. We will be watching as the Phase 2 Stormwater Pollution regulations come into effect and help support city and county efforts to keep our waterways free of trash and toxic chemicals.

We will also keep reminding everyone of the effects of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise on our area and promote ways that work with, not
against, nature.

As always we can use your help, personally and financially, as we work to protect our local natural environment. Join our email list at www.
gallinaswatershed.org to stay in touch with important issues or join us for a kayak tour, bike ride or headlands hike that celebrate this beautiful
landscape we are so fortunate to live in. We usually meet on the third Monday of the month and would love to have you join us!

To volunteer for Gallinas Watershed Council call  415 578 2580.