Kindness Monterey Campaign to Help Restaurants and Those in Need Due to COVID-19 Emergency Expanding Its Campaign

2024-04-30 01:55:54 News & Society

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Kindness Monterey, a campaign initiated to help individuals in need and restaurants that have been challenged as the result of the coronavirus emergency

Monterey, CA, August 03, 2020 ? Kindness Monterey, a campaign initiated to help individuals in need and restaurants that have been challenged as the result of the coronavirus emergency, is expanding its campaign to include a gofundme page, new partners working to get sponsors and donations, assistance to restaurants wanting to set up gift cards on their websites and organizing two streaming concerts to raise funds.

KindnessMonterey.com is excited to announce that we have partnered with a CSUMB initiative called GetVirtual.org. GetVirtual gives local businesses affected by COVID-19 the tools to adapt to the virtual landscape and extend their businesses online. Their program pairs local businesses, who need help with online tools like gift cards, with college students who are tech savvy and want business experience. It's a win-win. Businesses get help for free and the students get college credit.

KindnessMonterey.org will partner with GetVirtual?s CSU Monterey Bay chapter starting the week of July 20, 2020. Maren Elwood, (co-founder of KindnessMonterey.com), will work with Brad Barbaeu (GetVirtual CSUMB Program Director) and Kenneth Olsen (CSUMB GetVirtual Program Manager) to pull together a team of students who will assist our local restaurants to offer an online gift card option on their website.

Kindness Monterey has teamed up with The American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), Monterey Bay Chapter (https://www.aiwfmb.org/), which has agreed to be the campaign?s 501(c)3 non-profit fiscal sponsor. Kindness Monterey can now accept donations of $250 or more from corporate sponsors or individuals through their fiscal sponsor ? AIWF-Monterey Bay Chapter, and those donating at that level or higher will then be able to get a tax write off. Chef/caterer and cookbook author, Mary Chamberlin, Emeritus Chapter Chair/National Vice Chair of AIWF ? Monterey Bay Chapter, has been instrumental in making this happen.

Kindness Monterey has also set up a GoFundMe page at: https://www.Gofundme.com/manage/kindness-monterey. You can also access the page with the ?Donate? button on the Kindness Monterey website (kindnessmonterey.com) or Facebook page (facebook.com/kindnessmonterey).

The GoFundMe page was set up primarily for individuals to give smaller donations to help fund the campaign. It will enable the Kindness Monterey team to spread the word about this important program that benefits so many local community members through print advertising and social media. The advertising will urge everyone in the community to go the KindnessMonterey.com website and purchase restaurant gift cards. Please note that any donation under $250 is not tax-deductible.

For individuals or businesses who do not have a specific person in mind and would still like to make a donation to the Kindness Monterey program, these GoFundMe funds will be used to purchase gift cards for the Food Bank For Monterey County, to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County and other worthy local community members in need.

Kindness Monterey has also teamed up with marketing and PR professional, Wendy Brickman (https://www.brickmanmarketing.com), who will reach out to local businesses and individuals to secure sponsorships to help fund the campaign.

Sponsorships will allow Kindness Monterey to accomplish five important goals:

1. Fund its campaign enabling Kindness Monterey to do widespread marketing through social media, print advertising, Constant Contact and various Chamber of Commerce email blasts.

2. Allow Kindness Monterey to buy restaurant gift cards and distribute them to organizations such as the Food Bank For Monterey County, Chambers of Commerce, small business owners whose companies are being challenged by COVID-19, first responders, musicians, displaced hospitality workers, including those working in the restaurants, field workers, etc.

3. Provide matching funds to offer 2-for-1 deals to generate additional sales for gift card promotions.

4. Allow Kindness Monterey to donate six grab-and-go weekend meals to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County for every $1,000 raised through sponsorships and GoFundMe.

5. Fund the two online Music Care-A-Thon concerts produced by musician and promoter, Kiki Wow, on Aug. 23rd and another date in the fall to be determined, as well as other fundraising events.

The concert will be aired on the Kindness Monterey Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kindnessmonterey.

Kindness Monterey will continue to provide as long as there is a need in our community. For more information, go to: info@kindnessmonterey.com, like Kindness Monterey on its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/kindnessmonterey, or call Annee Martin at 831-236-5618; Maren Elwood at 831-238-5503; or Kiki Wow at 831-235-7662. Or, go to the website at: kindnessmonterey.com.

The Kindness Monterey campaign was created by local businesswomen Annee Martin and Maren Elwood, and the website, www.kindnessmonterey.com launched on July 8, 2020.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.kindnessmonterey.com