You’ve all heard of start-ups that get launched out of someone’s garage.  Well, Thrive blasted off out of a coffee shop, Bloc 11 in Union Square to be exact.  And, we continue to do some of our best thinking, our best drinking (caffeinated beverages only), and our best connecting there.

Yesterday’s Bloc 11 conversation centered around key topics for the coming months. Top on our list is planning out the details of our upcoming fundraiser at The Independent on May 16. Big, over-the-top, fancy events are not my cup of tea (or pint of beer) even though I know that they often provide needed funding for worthwhile non-profits.  So, rest assured this will not be one of those big fancy events.  It will be big.  And it will be an event. And it will raise much needed funds.  And it will bring together as many non-fancy people as we can find who care, and who want to have fun building community while feeding hungry kids. As the saying goes, “Be there or be square!”

Another discussion topic is sustainability.  Right now if Aswita, Maureen, or I (Barbara) were hit by a bus (heaven forbid!) it is unclear whether and how things would keep moving forward. So, we are starting to talk about engaging a broader pool of like-minded people in the effort, and streamlining some of the processes such that Thrive can continue to Thrive with or without the 3 of us.

And, last but certainly not least is how to grow the population of kids and families we are serving. If we are already reaching all the families in our community who need/want weekend food backpacks, great!  But somehow, it feels as though we are missing some. If you or someone you know could benefit from Thrive, it is never too late to sign up.  Grab the form attached here, print it, fill it out, and return it to Nurse Maureen.  That’s all there is to it.  The following Friday, food will start being sent home for your child(ren).

THRIVEoptin

And if that’s too complicated, contact Nurse Maureen directly and let her help with the enrollment.