Good Cheer Winter 2015 newsletter color

The Year In Review

Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores

What Our Food Bank Clients Say Karen’s favorite soup recipe

Food Bank & Thrift Stores Winter 2015 Vol. 12, No. 3

Lots of low-cost bling and bargains

Tips on what to look for in Thrift Store jewelry Looking for jewelry to accentuate a certain outfit or occasion?

Want to stretch your fashion budget, lift your mood in an inexpensive way, or find a special something as a gift for someone special? Look to Good Cheer.

Both Thrift Stores carry jewelry, but Good Cheer Two Thrift Store in Clinton has an expanded array.

Its U-shaped jewelry cases and counter top displays have everything from a gold ring with diamonds and clear rubies (a steal at $525), to vintage jewelry, watches galore, $5 earrings and bangle bracelets, and $1 jewelry grab bags filled with dress-up jewelry for girls.

The main volunteer responsible for displaying and pricing Good Cheer’s jewelry is Cara Race, a fifth-generation Whidbey Islander and descendant of Sea Captain James Swift, who retired to Coupeville in 1852.

Race worked for a number of years selling jewelry in high-end boutiques in Hawaii and moved back to Whidbey to provide assisted living care for her mother, Helen, who helps her with the jewelry and puts the jewelry grab bags together.

“I’m fortunate that I can do much of the cleaning, repairing, polishing and pricing at home with my mother. She loves it. It’s like art class,” she said.

Race shared some of her knowledge and what she looks for when receiving jewelry donations.

“Earth’s lava geologic produces rocks and minerals that make gems ranging from quartz to diamonds, plus metals such as silver and gold.

“Organic gems such as pearls, amber and Continued on page 2

▲... Volunteer Cara Race makes sure that the jewelry cases at Good Cheer Two Thrift Store are well stocked with a variety of fashion finds -- all bargain priced.

Busting myths about shopping at thrift stores If you haven’t yet shopped at Good Cheer Thrift Stores, what’s holding you back?

Could it be that you’ve fallen prey to a common thrift store myth? See if any of these are holding you back.

Myth #1: Thrift stores are only for poor people.

Mythbuster: Smart people shop thrift stores for a variety of reasons. To save money, sure, but there are other reasons as well such as not wanting to make the trip off island or drive

way up island if they can find what they are looking for locally.

Others like the thrill of discovery, or an inexpensive way to boost their mood with a gently used ‘new’ outfit or a piece of jewelry.

Environmentally conscious people like the idea of recycling, while creative and crafty people like the idea of re-purposing items.

And everyone likes the idea that proceeds from the Thrift Store help create a hungerfree community on South Whidbey.

Continued on page 7

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Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores

Jewelry continued from page 1 bone come from living materials on the surface of the planet.

“Gems are evaluated in carat weight, while metals are measured in karat quality. One interesting note is that natural gems hold temperature. They may be cool to cold when you first wear them and then they warm up.

“Some of the pieces that Good Cheer receives have a decimal number stamped on the piece. For instance, silver that is sterling is marked with the number “925” or stamped ‘sterling’ meaning that it has 92.5% silver content--the highest, most valuable kind.

“Gold can be 24k, 18k 14k, 12k, or 10k.

The higher the value, the purer but softer the gold, why is why many rings are 10k or 12k which is gold blended with other, stronger metals.

“Look for a stamp on the inner portion of the band in the case of a ring or bracelet, or on the back of the pendant in a necklace.

These numbers indicate the carat quality of the piece. If you see the number ‘416,’ you’re holding a ten carat piece. ‘585’ indicates a 14 carat piece of jewelry, while ‘750’ is 18 carats.

“If you see jewelry with the mark ‘G.E.P.’ it means that it is gold electroplated; or with ‘G.F.’it means it is gold-filled.

“I only note the karat quality of gold when it is stamped, and not all countries adhere to that method of identification.

“If I have a question about an item I give it to Rita Tulloch, the store manager, so that she can have a local jeweler examine it for identification and value.

“Most of the items we carry are not fine jewelry. The condition of the item is most important to me. I evaluate each treasure to get the most for our Food Bank needs, yet still price it attractively. Pricing comes from the heart.

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▲... You never know what you’ll find in Good Cheer Two Thrift Store’s wraparound jewelry display case. It’s chock-full of lovely treasures for the holidays.

“I enjoy seeing the smiles of Good Cheer customers. It’s wonderful when older customers come in and identify jewelry styles they’ve worn through the decades. It’s a trip down memory lane for them,” Race says.

She offered another tip for costume jewelry: the best rhinestone pieces have handset stones, meaning that the stones are held in place with prongs instead of glue. Quality rhinestones have lots of facets which are the flat, polished surfaces on a stone. The more facets a rhinestone has, the more expensive it looks.

Small, decorative curio pieces are also in the display cases and make great gifts.

Additional tips on identifying various types of jewelry can be found on the internet, through YouTube videos, books, and TV programs such as Antiques Roadshow.

Whether you want to experience the thrill of the hunt for a rare designer piece or just want something to go with a new outfit to wear to work, check out Good Cheer Thrift Stores for value.

If you have jewelry that you wish to donate, you may drop it off at either Thrift Store during hours of operation. The Thrift

▲... Cara Race holds the $1 girls grab bags of

costume jewelry that her mother helps put together.

Stores are open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Proceeds help fund our community Food Bank. Last year’s jewelry sales from both stores totaled $19,986.

Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores

Executive Director shares thoughts after recent head injury and surgery Sometimes life can turn on a dime – or membrane between the skull and the brain. in Good Cheer Executive Director Kathy She was admitted to the ER at Whidbey McCabe’s case – on a tangled dog leash General and then transferred by ambulance wrapped around the legs. to Harborview.

On the evening of October 4 as she was After several days on blood thinners, brain returning from a walk at Double Bluff with surgery was performed to drain the accuher grandson and her new mulated blood. dog, Nutmeg, a leash enHer recovery is “I am so grateful for the caring tanglement and uneven progressing well, concern and support I received pavement meant a nasty with the help of fall forward. She hit her from our local community. physical therapy.

This truly is what community is head and face hard on the “I’m hoping that parking lot pavement. my healthcare proall about, and we try to communiWeeks later she still wasn’t vider will allow me cate this same sense of caring to feeling well and contacted to return to work by her healthcare provider our neighbor-clients at Good Cheer the new year,” she who ordered a brain scan, Food Bank.” said. which looked normal.

In her absence, – Kathy McCabe

By November 6 she still Good Cheer has wasn’t feeling well, errooperated smoothly neously chalking it up to high blood pressure. thanks to the cross-training of staff and Her healthcare provider was concerned and volunteers. made arrangements for an MRI. “We miss Kathy’s leadership and just “I’m fortunate that I have health insurance,” plain having her around,” said Rita Burns, McCabe said. “Even so, there was a lot of manager of Good Cheer Two Thrift Store pre-authorization involved and I was worried in Clinton, “but we are so used to knowing about out of pocket co-pays, so I very nearly her expectations, that we just ask ourselves, gave up and was going to skip it. It was only ‘What would Kathy do?’ and then do it.” due to my husband’s insistence that we kept Community Outreach Manager Shawn at it. I can only imagine what a person would Nowlin has taken on the additional role do without insurance,” she said. of Operations Manager and adds, “After The MRI showed bleeding in the dura - the 14 years of having Kathy at the helm, we pretty much know how she would like us to proceed, and with the team she has put in place, everything is running as well as possible in her absence.”

“I don’t have to worry about Good Cheer, said McCabe, “because I know what good hands the organization is in.”

“The only thing I do worry about is having enough monetary donations at the end of the year to see us through a busy winter.

“We had 38 new first-time families come to the Food Bank in November,” she said, “and I just pray that our community is able to give generously to the Food Bank this holiday season.”

The accident has deepened McCabe’s empathy for people who come to the Food Bank as a result of health issues.

“I’m raising my six-year-old grandson, ▲... Grandson Rodrick and Nutmeg

▲... Kathy McCabe is on a physical therapy regimen and looks forward to returning to work as Good Cheer’s Executive Director before the new year.

and also help care for my 84-year-old mother while working a full-time job. Like many people, when I get sick, it’s not just me that needs help,” she said.

On top of that, her husband’s mother had major surgery in Seattle the day after her operation, so the number of well adults in the McCabe household was pretty thin when Kathy arrived home. She realized she needed help.

“I am overwhelmed by the many people who expressed support and concern through cards, flowers, prayers, phone calls, those who visited me, those who ran errands, brought food, and took me and my grandson to appointments,” she said.

“I am so grateful for the caring concern and support I have received from our local community. This truly is what community is all about, and we try to spread that same sense of community caring to our neighborclients at Good Cheer Food Bank,” she said.

“You never know about the future. One wrong turn, one car accident, one lost job – it could be any of us who may need temporary help from the Food Bank,” she added.

“This accident has taught me three things: that it’s okay to ask for help; to appreciate every kindness; and to cherish every moment I have with my family,” she said.

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Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores

2015: The Year in Review JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Food Bank visits: 902 families • A day of service for on the Martin Luther King holiday brought out many volunteers to work in the garden.

Food Bank visits: 864 families • Methodist churches in the Seattle area and New England had a contest to see which Superbowl home team could donate the most items to their local food banks.

Seattle won handily with 44,675 items to New England’s 10,000. Langley United Methodist brought 300 food items to donate to Good Cheer Food Bank.

MARCH Food Bank visits: 873 families • Anh Bui joined the Good Cheer Garden team as our 2015 garden apprentice.

Her gentle spirit and hardworking attitude is greatly appreciated.

APRIL

Food Bank visits: 914 families • The Good Cheer Garden began its annual seed giveaway for home gardeners to begin starts for the new year.

MAY Food Bank visits: 872 families • The third annual Paws by the Sea 5K Walk/ Run put on by Animal Hospital by the Sea donated more than 300 pounds of quality cat and dog food for Good Cheer Food Bank.

• We had a great gathering in our Good Cheer Garden with a May Day Celebration and potluck.

• Thanks to Whidbey Island Bank’s matching grant, we doubled the first $5,000 of donations.

Local families helping local families...

This is what community looks like.

Nearly 900 South Whidbey families per month turned to Good Cheer Food Bank in 2015.

Thanks to you, they were able to put food on their table from our local Food Bank.

Good Cheer is South Whidbey’s oldest grassroots charity and helps make our community a special, caring place.

Please include a generous donation in the attached remit envelope or make a donation online at www.GoodCheer.org.

And please remember to shop our two Thrift Stores.

Thank you.

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Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores JUNE

• The holidays bring about many food drives including our friends at Langley Middle School; which donated 946 lbs. of food.

Food Bank visits: 892 families • Windermere Real Estate of South Whidbey spent the whole day of service sorting, cleaning, pricing and building. We love the tradition we have built with Joe Mosolino and his whole crew.

JULY Food Bank visits: 881 families • The tradition continues of Good Cheer Food Bank marching as a crowd favorite in the Maxwelton July 4th Parade.

• Our Annual Volunteer Appreciation BBQ included a new tradition of two awards named in honor of two former volunteers: Reva Albright (Good Cheer’s ‘shoe lady’); and Louise Prewitt, longtime volunteer, board member and visionary.

AUGUST Food Bank visits: 887 families The Annual Island County Fair always kicks off with a Food Drive during their opening day resulting in several hundred pounds of food. We also were given the blue ribbon for our entry in the Fair Parade.

SEPTEMBER Food Bank visits: 903 families • Children’s Day was another huge success with lots of kids painting colorful tiles at the Good Cheer booth.

• The Fall Harvest potluck celebration in Good Cheer’s Garden included a delicious lunch by staff and community for about 80 volunteers.

• The 2nd Annual Thrift Shop Tour was held with 10 Whidbey Island Thrift Stores joining in an island-wide mega-sale.

• Good Cheer’s ‘Chairity’ online auction, which offered unique hand decorated chairs and art, had a successful first year.

OCTOBER Food Bank visits: 915 families The Empty Bowl Soup Night was a wonderful community meal enjoyed in handcrafted bowls which diners took home.

NOVEMBER Food Bank visits: 924 families • Our annual turkey drive at the Goose Grocer brought in 100 turkeys for the holidays.

PSE matched the first 40 turkeys donated.

Every turkey donated by our community leaves us more in the budget for other items.

• A number of our clients lost their frozen food during the power outage. Our thrift stores also lost needed revenue. Please consider some extra shopping at Good Cheer Thrift Stores to help us make up the lost revenue.

DECEMBER Food Bank visits: estimated 900+ • Thanks to all the S.W. Girl Scouts for making soup mixes for the Food Bank – a seasonal favorite at the Food Bank.

Food Bank coupon crew has new wheels thanks to grants When Ula Lewis began her coupon program for Good Cheer, she made a trip to town about once a week in her own van.

She would fill up the back with a pallet’s worth of food purchased with extreme coupon savings and bring it back to the Food Bank.

As the program grew, the mileage on her vehicle grew as well, increasing to over 200,000 miles!

Thanks to recent grants from the Boeing Employees Community Fund and the

Norcliffe Foundation, Good Cheer was able to purchase a fully-outfitted Honda Odyssey van for the couponing crew. The van can take a heavy payload plus helpers to shop and unload the food.

Lewis and her crew now make 3 to 4 trips a week to the other side.

They do so in a van decorated with signs to promote the couponing crew’s mission and inspire people and organizations around the area.

It was Ula Lewis’s innovation and proven track record of significant savings through the Food Bank couponing program which inspired these two foundations to make the grants.

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Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores

A season of gratitude...

Good Cheer means community caring and love.

Lots of stress lifted off me knowing that my community cares.

Thank you for being so kind and happy.

It is my first time here today.

Good Cheer is the heart and soul of South Whidbey...

When I’m swinging on the trapeze of life, Good Cheer is my safety net if I fall.

– a Food Bank client

Good Cheer is a bridge between having too little & having enough to get by.

Thank you!

Thanks to all who make Good Cheer what it is.

– a Food Bank client

I am a 56-year-old widow who recently had total knee replacements.

Good Cheer carried me through the hard times, as well as cheered me up.

Thank you for your love.

– a Food Bank client

When I was unemployed, I could not afford to feed my kids.

It was horrible, but we made it...

I work now and don’t use the Food Bank.

It feels good to still be here.

Thank you Good Cheer!

– an Island Mom

When you come into the Food Bank you feel welcome and like family.

Your homemade soup makes my day.

Without Good Cheer, who knows what I would do?

– a Food Bank client

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Good Cheer’s ‘Child’s Chance to Give Event’ is held every December at both Good Cheer Thrift Stores. For the past 14 years this happy event has provided children of Good Cheer Food Bank clients the opportunity to select gifts for parents, caretakers and siblings.

Holiday-attired volunteers help the children find just the right gifts and then gift wrap them.

Good Cheer was begun in 1962 as a way to help spread holiday cheer to low-income families by providing food baskets and gifts to children.

Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores

Mythbusters continued from page 1 Myth #2: Second Hand Means Second Rate Stuff Mythbuster: Not al all! We frequently receive donations of top name brand womenswear, purses, sweaters, jackets, and shoes. In addition we have some lovely collectibles and antiques.

A pair of perfect condition Villeroy and Boch vases sold at Good Cheer for much less than what they would online on a popular china replacement website. And when you shop local there are no shipping charges!

Some of the more affluent members of our community love to donate items to Good Cheer because they know that the proceeds benefit the Food Bank. Our free pick-up service of large items and our convenient drop off of donations at any of our locations makes it convenient to donate gently used items.

Myth #3: Since Items Are Donated, They Should Be Nearly Free Mythbuster: Good Cheer prides itself on keeping prices low, and we believe we offer the best value of any area Thrift Store.

Like any store, however, even nonprofits have overhead costs of staff, rent, heating and electricity, phone, delivery truck maintenance, and garbage pickup.

With our volume of sales, we try to keep things moving quickly through our stores, especially seasonal items, and have frequent sales.

There’s our First Tuesday bag sales -- a clothing bonanza for only $10 per bag, plus Monday Madness sales, and online and Val-Pak coupon sales.

Myth #4: It’s Hard To Find Things In Thrift Stores Mythbuster: Good Cheer volunteers and staff do their best to organize and de-clutter as much as possible on a daily basis. We’ve even had walls removed at our Langley store for a more open, light and airy feel.

Many people come by the stores daily, just to quickly see the new items. We invite you to do so this holiday season. You never know the ‘treasures’ you will find.!

Store Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Make life a little easier for them...

Give to Good Cheer Food Bank’s Holiday Appeal Drive Make someone’s life a little less stressful by keeping our Food Bank stocked.

What’s cooking at the Food Bank...

Clients love Food Bank Manager Karen Korbelik’s homemade Chicken and Dumplings soup. Here’s her recipe for the popular winter favorite.

Prep time: several hours.

Start with a whole chicken, and boil it in lightly salted water at a simmer until the meat is loose on the bone.

Cool, skim off the fat that has congealed on top, remove the skin.

Take the chicken out and let it cool a bit. Take the meat off the bones, and chop it into bit sized pieces. Set the chicken to the side in a bowl.

Next you will want to dice your veggies.

You can use what you have on hand or use any of these suggestions: onions, celery, carrots, peas, corn or potatoes.

Saute chopped onion, celery and garlic in olive oil or a couple of tablespoons of butter.

Add seasoning. Chicken soup loves Simon and Garfunkel, especially “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.” Add them to the soup stock along with all the other chopped vegetables.

Cook until all the vegetables are tender.

Add the chopped cooked chicken and begin your dumplings.

The easiest way to make dumplings is with a biscuit mix.

Mix a generous amount of biscuit mix with milk, stirring ever so gently with a fork to mix, being careful to moisten but not over mix.

When soup has returned to a soft boil add dumplings by the spoonful to soup, covering the top of the pot in a single layer, Cover and let cook for ten minutes. Test the dumplings by breaking one open with a fork. They are finished when the center is dry. Once the dumplings are cooked, your soup is ready to serve.

Enjoy!

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Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores Good Cheer Board of D irectors Marilee Seligson, President Bob Olson, Vice President Rob Anderson, Treasurer Bob Green, Secretary

Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores PO Box 144 Langley, WA 98260 www.goodcheer.org

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAM INC

Jerry Bacon Pam Bickel John Lawson Tom Nack Vincent Nattress Jay Ryan Kay Stanley Kathryn Stevens Bill Watts Laura Weeks Gene White Executive Director Kathleen McCabe

Good Cheer has great last-minute stocking stuffers It’s not to late to buy some great stocking stuffers and support Good Cheer Food Bank!

Stuff a stocking with Good Cheer Thrift Store Holiday Gift Certificates in the dollar amount you choose.

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For every $100 donation you make to our Food Bank, you will receive a 12 oz. bag of special blend Good Cheer coffee from our friends at Mukilteo Roasters, plus you’ll receive a set of five holiday cards!

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