Bloomin' Newsletter - Fall 2020
- Sep 9, 2020
- 1 min read
Bloomin’ Boutique presents the fall issue of our seasonal newsletter, The Quarterly Bloom. We appreciate you being with us throughout the year, and we are proud of the work being accomplished. We value this opportunity to share some highlights with our community of supporters.
Every organization has expenses -- rent, utilities, phone, postage, insurance, etc.
Bloomin’ Boutique focuses on minimizing expenses and maximizing how to “stretch” each dollar.
We have calculated that our total expenses are approximately six percent of our budget. That means 94% goes directly toward providing “care packages” for kids. That percentage puts us at the very top of the non-profit rating scale. Our volunteers and donors are the best!
During the stresses of COVID-19, we have implemented several necessary changes to the preparation and distribution of the “care packages” for referred children. As you can see from the numbers in this newsletter, the requests for help have not decreased. Because of the thoughtfulness and generosity of our volunteers and donors, we have been able to supplement the normal packages with items such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, masks, and even some snacks. We strive to recognize and provide for kids’ needs, even as the world changes around them. I sincerely thank the many people providing support and encouragement to the Bloomin’ Boutique and to me. We are so grateful and blessed. Thank you.
Patti Serres, Founder and Executive Director
Click below to download the complete newsletter:
For more information about how and what you can donate, and where you can drop off your donations, contact Patti at 503.320.0789 (pattiserres@comcast.net).
The Fall 2020 newsletter captures a season of growth and adaptation, which is always a good time to refine how we store local data. For community gardens and market organizers, keeping track of crop yields, volunteer hours, and seasonal notes is crucial for planning. I've started using a structured database to log this information, and the PostgreSQL page on FreeDB was a helpful starting point for finding a service that suited our small-scale needs without unnecessary complexity.