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The second annual 31 cent Baskin-Robbins Scoop Night celebration is tonight (April 30) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can buy up to 10 (2.5-ounce) scoops (of any ice cream flavor) per person for 31 cents each plus applicable tax. The company is partnering with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and donating $100,000 to the organization. For more information or to find the nearest store location, click here.
Somehow, this city girl caught a farming bug that has become her life's passion. Torrance native Judi Gerber's love of local agriculture has sprouted two blogs where she writes about the virtues of growing your own produce and organic farming and lists a treasure trove of resources for the South Bay gardener.
On L.A. Farm Girl, she lists local farms and farmers markets, and writes about the local agriculture industry.
On The Giving Gardener, Judi is trying to establish a network of local backyard gardeners who would share their extra bounty with charity groups. But she also has a very complete list of South Bay gardening events, local gardens and clubs, educational resources and garden catalogs and nurseries.
As if that weren't enough resource material to keep a gardening fiend going, she answered our questions about the best source in the South Bay to get supplies and plants, and gave her opinion on what we should be growing and what to do with all the tomatoes we're about to be overrun with. And she even told us how to get fresh milk delivered to the door, just like in the good old days.
Here's her bio:
Judi Gerber is an agriculture and garden writer who is a Torrance native. She regularly writes about California farming and organic gardening for various publications including California Tour and Travel, California Farmer, and Organic Producer magazines, and the West's agriculture weekly, Capital Press. She has a monthly garden column that appears in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News and is the author of the upcoming book Farming in Torrance and the South Bay by Arcadia Publishing to be published in September 2008.She received a bachelor's degree from UC Santa Cruz, and a Master's Of Public Administration from Cal. State Long Beach, and is a University of California Master Gardener and has a certificate in Horticultural Therapy. She has been actively involved as a volunteer at the Torrance Farmers' Market, leads a Senior Gardening Program at the Bartlett Senior Center, and is currently a Library Commissioner for the City of Torrance.
Continue reading "LA farm girl dishes on where to get the best produce in the South Bay" »
Four children die each day as a result of child abuse, and Richstone Family Center, a Hawthorne nonprofit that offers programs throughout the South Bay, wants to help.
Spend an hour on Saturday, April 26th making a difference by participating in the 21st Annual Richstone Pier-to-Pier Walkathon . The event begins at the Manhattan Beach Pier, and participants will walk to the Redondo Beach Pier and back. (Don't worry, it's only 3.4 miles).
After the event is done, there are awards and entertainment, and along with your $25 donation, you'll receive a free T-shirt. Here is the form to fill out if you want to participate, or if you aren't a big walker, you can simply make a donation.
Talk about eco-friendly. The Santa Monica Pier's amusement park is recycling its Ferris wheel by putting it up for auction on eBay.
Opening bid starts at $50,000, which would be a steal, considering it originally cost $800,000, according to a promotional flier. Of course, the buyer will also have to spring for a base to support the thing, which will run about $135,000 from the manucaturer. And then there are shipping costs to consider for the 122,000-pound wheel. But Santa Monica to Hermosa is less than 20 miles, so how expensive could that be?
Last we checked, there were no bids, but Ferris wheel shoppers have until April 25 to make their move. Half of the winning bid will be donated to Special Olympics Southern California.
Here are some fun facts from City News Service:
If a full-size Ferris wheel is a little out of your price range, ebay also has a Fisher-Price version, complete with 24 critters to ride it. Opening bid: 1 cent.
It may seem like the war has been going on for a long time, but think what it must be like for our men and women who are fighting in it. Whether or not you agree with the war, it's important to support our troops. At A Million Thanks you can let them know you support them with your thoughts, prayers, or emails. Take a minute to tell them how much you appreciate their sacrifices and service to our country.
Which of the following is a synonym for "anthracite:" "dusk;" "responsibility;" "coal;" or "style?"
We knew you'd pick "coal," the correct answer, because Daily Link readers are very well read. But we wanted to give you a taste, pardon the pun, of FreeRice. FreeRice is in league with the UN World Food Program to donate free rice, 20 grains for each correct response. So when we correctly responded just now that "colloquial" means "conversational," we flexed our brain muscles and helped feed someone in a less fortunate place.
Now, you're probably wondering just how much good 20 grains of rice can do. That's hardly sustenance, you're thinking. But in the time it took to write this blog entry, we donated nearly 1,000 grains. It adds up quickly. And we did a little Web surfing and math to help you get an idea of how much you can help. There are more than 29,000 grains of long-grain white rice in 1 pound. And 1 pound is about 2.5 cups of rice. From personal experience, one cup of rice makes about four servings. So, for every 2,900 grains of rice you donate, you've provided someone one serving of rice. That's 145 words to correctly identify -- not all that many when you consider the good you're doing for yourself and someone else.
Do you feel the need to make a difference? Maybe you've seen those TV ads to help the needy, but you fear your dollars might not reach the people you want to help. Or you may believe in teaching people how to fish, not just giving them a meal for a day. Then you should explore micro-lending, which is talked about in Stephanie Enright’s column in today’s Monday Business section of the Daily Breeze. The Grameen Bank Web site offers background on its efforts.
The Kiva Web site takes a Facebook-like approach to the program. It not only connects individuals with Third World loan seekers, it allows lenders to see how their money has made a difference.
While Kiva participants can loan all or part of the money requested, micro-lenders may require more substantial funds.
Other micro-lending Web sites are: www.villagebanking.org; www.opportunity.org.
If you saw our story today about a nonprofit that helps homeless, single mothers, you know it's a worthy cause. A new shelter being opened is in need furniture and other supplies. For information, call 310-534-4040, e-mail info@cchild.org or go to Community's Child.
Chances are that you've never seen a Blue Iguana. And it's not just because they don't live anywhere near the South Bay. The rare reptiles are also endangered -- In 2001 it was determined through a population survey that there were less than 25 Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas in the wild. The International Reptile Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit group that focuses on protecting these and other threatened species, and their habitats. Because of their efforts, more than 200 Blue Iguanas were released in 2004 and are thriving in two protected areas. For more information on how to get involved, or to learn more about endangered reptiles, view International Reptile Conservation Foundation's site.
Redondo Beach resident Desiree Wong blogs about her travels with IRCF, especially with the Blue Iguana program. She also has a lot of local wildlife photography on her site.
You may have seen today's story about Hope Wine, the company that donates half of its sales to charities, and we wanted to point those interested in finding out more or buying a couple of bottles to the Web site. Cheers.
The Redondo Beach-based International Association for Freedom and Equality United is offering scholarships to help disabled veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who want to go back to school. The deadline for the first round of scholarships is Jan. 25. To apply or donate, go to www.iafeunited.org or call 310-297-3610.
Looking for something other than a "World's Greatest" mug for your teacher's Christmas gift this year? Try this site.
At Oxfam America's Online store, you can buy school uniforms, school supplies, a desk and chair or books for a child in one of 26 developing countries the charity supports.
The site also has other unusual charitable gifts, like a can of worms to be sent in your favorite gardening enthusiast's name, or a crocodile in your favorite Harbor City resident.
If you've got a dog, you're probably thinking about stuffing its stocking with treats.
The Associated Press reported recently:
Americans are expected to spend an estimated $48.7 billion on their pets in 2007, nearly twice the amount of a decade ago and growing at more than 7 percent a year, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research company in Rockville, Md.
A San Pedro business that bakes homemade dog treats is offering to share the holiday wealth with less fortunate pups. The home-based business has a holiday promotion to donate 50 percent of its proceeds to local animal shelters and rescue groups.
While there are plenty of games online to play, this one is a bit different. While you're playing, not only will you get smarter, but you'll also help stop world hunger! FreeRice has two simple goals: 1) Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free, 2) Help end world hunger by providing rice to starving people for free. Every time you guess the correct definition of a word, sponsors of the Web site will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. Click here to start playing and feed the hungry.
With the holiday season comes the reminder that it's better to give than to receive. But when it comes to giving to a national charity, be sure you're making a good investment by learning which organizations meet the standards of the Better Business Bureau. The bureau's Wise Giving Alliance at www.give.org offers reports on individual charities, news and alerts on charity scams, tips on giving and more.
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