Lemay Child and Family, Sunny Hill Compete for $15,000 Online

St. Louis nonprofits are all vying for money through Monsanto's Grow St. Louis competition.

Four local organizations are competing for $15,000 and need your votes online. Lemay Child and Family Center and Point Elementary School both have projects in the running that could benefit South County children. Sunny Hill and Girls on the Run are also competing. Monsanto’s Grow St. Louis competition awards $15,000 to the top vote-getter online. Second and third places receive $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. The contest is open to nonprofits and voting runs until Aug. 26. Supporters can vote once per day at this website.  Here’s information about the projects: Lemay Child and Family Center would use the money for their new outdoor learning center. The $600,000 project combines traditional playground equipment and natural elements to …

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Help Me Raise Money for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery

Affton-Shrewsbury Patch editor Lindsay Toler will be working as a "celebrity waiter" at Canyon Cafe for the annual fundraiser tonight.

Help Me Raise Money for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery

Affton-Shrewsbury Patch editor Lindsay Toler will be working as a "celebrity waiter" at Canyon Cafe for the annual fundraiser.

When I volunteer at the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, I'm always surprised by how much the children seem to need me. Here I am, a total stranger, but they still push past each other for the chance to be held, rocked, sung to, cuddled until they fall asleep. Volunteering for the Nursery is easy, in a way. It's like babysitting, but the social workers do the actual hard work (like disciplining, making dinner, etc.) All I have to do is play, hug and smile at little ones who seem desperate for positive attention. I'm telling you this because you have a fun opportunity to help me help the Nursery this month!  I'll be working as a "celebrity waitress" for the Nursery's Celebrity Waitresses' & Waiters' Night, an annual fundraiser. Don't worry, I won'…

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Local Food Pantry: Who Buys Used Cardboard?

Anybody know how a food pantry can sell their used cardboard so they can use the money to feed hungry families?

We here at Affton Patch have come across a question we can’t answer, and we’re hoping you can help: How can a local food pantry get paid for all their extra cardboard? The Affton Christian Food Pantry helps struggling families find the food they need. Much of the food from donations and local food banks comes in cardboard boxes, so the pantry has volunteers dedicated to breaking down, transporting and recycling spare cardboard each month. “We generate a lot of cardboard,” said volunteer Marie Labus. Labus said she’s been looking for someone to pay her for the extra cardboard, generating much-needed revenue for the pantry. “I guess it’s silly, but I guess that’s what I was looking for,” she said. “But nobody wants to pay me. They want me to…

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Notable Neighbors

Twins Use Birthdays to Give, Not Receive

Evan and Tate Jenkins chose Annie’s Hope and Service International as donation recipients for their 10th birthdays.

Local charities Service International and Annie’s Hope recently received a very special gift. Crestwood Elementary fifth graders, 10-year-old twins Evan and Tate Jenkins, wanted to share their birthday presents in the form of donations. For the third year in a row the brothers have invited their birthday party guests to contribute to charities, rather than give traditional party gifts. When guests arrive at the party, they can donate to two organizations that the boys have selected. The idea came about three years ago when the boys were having such a big party that their mother, Julie, wanted to do something else besides get a ton of gifts for themselves. “They were right on board,” Julie said. “The next year they asked me what we were …

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Churches, Charities and Kindnesses

Service Is Strong at St. Mark Church

St. Mark Catholic Church has a large selection of outreach programs and service clubs to help residents and students in the St. Louis area.

When it comes to community service and volunteerism, the attitude of the leaders and congregation of St. Mark Catholic Church is best summed up by the motto of its school: “Enter to learn and go forth to serve.” The church’s pastor, Patrick Hambrough, said generosity and giving are important parts of the Christian life. They are ideas that can serve as a “jumping off” point for prayer, he explained. “The first thing we think about when we pray is how much God has blessed us,” Hambrough said. “When you have so many blessings, we are taught to share them.” In this spirit,the churhc is involved in a variety of outreach programs, everything from donating to local food pantries to providing rent assistance. Parishioners also coordinate closely …

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Churches, Charities and Kindnesses

Sponsor A Family: A Small Group With Big Impact

With only four volunteer board members and a tiny budget, Sponsor a Family has brought hope and help to hundreds of St. Louis residents.

With more than 600 people helped and only $500 of operating expenses in its four years of existence, local charity Sponsor A Family has proved doing a lot of good doesn’t take a lot of cash. Sponsor a Family (SAF) takes donations of clothes, appliances, toys, food and other household items and gives them to needy individuals and families in the St. Louis area. The group assists a wide range of people, from those who have become unexpectedly jobless, to families devastated by a fire or other natural disaster to the mentally disabled, elderly or others on fixed incomes. President and co-founder Cathy Redman said she is proud of the broad scope of the organization’s mission as well as its outsized impact, which she attributed to its unique …

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Get Out

Carpentry, Ceramics and Beer Events This Weekend

From benefit auction and art exhibit to live music and beer, take your pick of what to get out of town for this weekend.

This week, we've got a good variety of activities to get you out of the house and, in some cases, out of town. Learn some carpentry projects, try your luck at a benefit auction or trivia, or check out some art, music and beer. Do you know something we don't know? Share your own events/ideas in the comments.

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Get Out

Mystery, Bowling and School Benefits

From dinner theatre to standard theatre, from an auction gala to cosmic bowling, take your pick of fun outings this weekend.

There are plenty of opportunities to get out of the house this weekend, whether you're raising money for local schools at a formal auction or a bowling alley, or enjoying some theatre.

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Get Out

Sci-Fi, Shakespeare and Chili This Weekend

From arcade games and chili to Buddhism and Macbeth, this weekend offers a perfect sampling of culture, high and low.

With everything going on this three-day weekend, there is no excuse to stay in and be bored. Geek out Friday night, spend Saturday and Sunday with some modern art and classic Shakespeare, and top off the weekend with chili and healthy foods.

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