Philanthropy
Wendy Wesley returns for a Virtual Cooking Class with BPW
Healthy Eating and Holiday Cheer can be difficult unless you have BPW’s not-so-secret weapon, Wendy Wesley. Our favorite Food Policy Advocate and Nutritionist returns to help us raise funds for our Connie Passmore Scholarship with a virtual cooking class on Saturday, November 14th at 11 am. Wendy is hosting this one hour class to help give you some great information for navigating holiday meals and avoid the seasonal pitfalls of overeating and poor nutrition.
With your $35 donation, you’ll receive admittance to this fun and informative virtual cooking class as well as your very own BPW apron to help keep you looking sharp through your holiday cooking. Order now to have the opportunity to have yours in time for class on November 14th.
For those that will be joining us, if you’d like to cook along side with Wendy, here’s the recipe she’ll be preparing:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup black rice (or sub wild or brown rice)
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- 1 10oz package of baby bella or white button mushrooms
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese or feta cheese
- 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons jarred garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- Pinch each salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer to remove the starch. Bring the stock or water to a boil and add rice. Bring back to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
While rice is cooking place walnuts into the oven and toast for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Remove mushroom stems and clean caps. Brush caps with olive oil or melted butter and bake for 10 minutes without filling. Chop mushroom stems and walnuts and mix together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add rice, garlic, salt and pepper and cheese to the mushroom-rice mixture. Place generous spoonfuls of the mixture to the pre-cooked mushroom caps and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove and serve warm or a room temperature.
A Fresh Voice for Smart Growth
BPW Scholarship Applications Now Available
Each year BPW/St. Petersburg-Pinellas awards scholarships to women in our community who are seeking further education in order to advance their current career or perhaps start a new one. Throughout the year, BPW members engage in various activities in order to fund these scholarships. The application for 2020 is now available and is due by April 15th.
Holiday Donations for CASA
At our luncheon meetings on November 15 and December 6 we’ll be collecting donations for CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse) to assist in their mission of ending domestic violence. This time of year is particularly difficult for those who find themselves in a shelter. Here’s their “holiday wishlist.”
Advocating for Teenage Girls
Bring Your Donations December 7
At our luncheon meeting on December 7 we’ll be collecting for The Kind Mouse to assist in their mission to assist families in transition and their chronically hungry children while developing the next generation of volunteers to carry on the mission of The Kind Mouse. Here’s their “wishlist.”
Outreach to Special Communities – Lariana Forsythe, CASA
Take Your Career in a New Direction or Further the One You Have
Are you or a woman you know going to school or continuing or starting a certification program? The Connie Passmore Scholarship makes awards directly to women, age 21 or over, who live, work or go to school in Pinellas County, who demonstrate achievement, need and well-defined educational goals, and who are attending an accredited program or a program recognized by the licensing agency in the certification area. Several awards between $250 and $1,000 are made each year.
The application deadline is October 15 and all completed forms should be either mailed to BPW/St. Petersburg-Pinellas, P.O. Box 1063, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1063 or emailed to scholarship@bpwstpetepinellas.org so as to be received by the deadline. Checks will be distributed in December. Applications for certificate programs allow for non-traditional start times.
The Effects of Hunger On Education – Gina Wilkins of Kind Mouse
On August 3rd, BPW welcomes Gina Wilkins, Founder and CEO of The Kind Mouse, to speak with us about The Effect of Hunger on Education. Her organization is a nonprofit established in 2012 to assist local families in transition and their chronically hungry children. At that time, Gina was a self-employed certified architectural draftsman. Upon the decline in the economy she saw many of her friends and peers fall into financial despair. These
hardworking career people were too prideful to ask for help and eventually lost their homes and businesses.
Gina, wanting to help her proud friends, saw a need to assist these displaced families and to also feed the hungry children of her neighborhood. Currently The Kind Mouse is feeding 350 food insecure students every weekend through their Mouse Nibbles Weekend Feeding Program and an additional 90 students monthly through Pinellas County School Board’s Jane’s Pantry as well as assisting families monthly with food, pet supplies and housewares. Over the summer the student number increases to almost 400
students. The Kind Mouse has two peer to peer children’s clubs called Mice In Training and Mice Interns.
Click here for more about The Kind Mouse.
Wine Tasting Member Social
Join BPW on Friday March 24th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at American Spirits – 230 3rd St S for member social with proceeds benefiting the YWCA of Tampa Bay. The cost is $10 to attend so please bring your friends, colleagues, clients any anyone who enjoys wine. If you need further details, please email info@BPWStPetePinellas.org
December’s Philanthropic Endeavor: Christmas Toy Shop
December’s Philanthropic Endeavor: Christmas Toy Shop.
Please bring a brand new unwrapped toy to either BPW Meetings in December 1st or December 15th.
History: The Christmas Toy Shop originated in 1921. It was organized in 1952 at the request of The Community Welfare Council to coordinate the efforts of clubs, agencies, and individuals in toy giving. The Christmas Toy Shop was chartered by the City of St. Petersburg in 1959. Since then, many disadvantaged children in south Pinellas have received gifts to help them experience the excitement and joy of the holiday season.
To view the whole list, click on the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/982gmxro6iyerrr/Toys%20needed%202012%20%281%29.pdf?dl=0