Break Time

We are going to take a break for a week or so. Now is the time where we have to wait until the dates roll around to pick-up the donations. As of today, we have 25 participating restaurants. I will stop by each of them to see how their individual drives are going, but I don't think there will be much to post here.

In case you are wondering, here is what has happened in the last few days. Last Wednesday night, University Pizza had a fundraiser and they did a really good job (read below). On Friday, it came to my attention that my contact for two other restaurants had quit his job, and without his support, I lost those participants. About an hour later, I discovered that Charlie's Cafe had joined our cause -- so I lost two and gained one.

Friday night, Tanners Creek had a massive party with a live band , but those patrons were not as generous as we had hoped. However, Tanners Creek is continuing with their drive, and I believe the staff is going to raise a lot of donations for the foodbank!

On Saturday I received a phone message from a guy who said the following, "I own two bars, and one of them is already participating, so I don't think its necessary for the other bar to do anything for you." ???? I guess the staff at one location likes to help and at the other location, they do not. It was just an odd phone call, unexpected and curiously angry.

And so you see, that is how it will go for the next two weeks. If anything exciting happens, I'll be sure to post. But please, stay tuned because the end of the drive is the most fun part!

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

If you go back to the beginning of this blog, or just click on the link How to Help, you will notice that the very first requirement to help in my food drive is that your contribution be both fun and voluntary. I can tell you this requirement was met tenfold at the special event at University Pizza on the night before Thanksgiving.

First let me give you some background. Maureen (pictured above, left), a bar manager for University Pizza, really took this food drive to heart. She thought long and hard about the best way to increase donations, and finally settled on a brilliant idea. She asked Michael "Nuzzie" Nusbaum (pictured above, right) to come in for an evening of "guest bartending".

Nuzzie graduated from Norfolk Academy several years ago and has been attending college at Hampden-Sydney ever since. But before he moved, Nuzzie had established himself as one of the most popular students in Norfolk, and he has A LOT OF FRIENDS! Maureen and Nuzzie concocted this idea of having him step in as a guest bartender and making a night of it with recent alumni of both Norfolk Academy and Norfolk Collegiate. Add in a few students from Maury High School, and the night was ready to explode.

Maureen created a site on Facebook, and sure enough, students returning for Thanksgiving break heard about the event and started hitting the Will Attend button like crazy! And it sure was a crazy night as University Pizza was at max capacity for several hours.

To add to the fun, Nuzzie's father donated a box of special-order beer koozies, which were sold as a souvenir of the night. All in all, between the door donations and the koozie sales, University Pizza was able to raise more than $300 for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. Oh, plus all the food shown in the picture at top!

Thank you Nuzzie for volunteering to work SO HARD during your Thanksgiving break! Thank you Nusbaum family for the koozies! And Thank you Maureen for your tireless labor in putting this together!

More fun to come!

JUST ADDED: Tanners Creek at 5100 Colley Avenue has just announced an after-Thanksgiving party on Friday, November 27th. Once you are done eating turkey and just plain done with the family, wouldn't it be great to get out of the house and listen to some great music? House on Fire, one of Norfolk's terrific rock bands will be performing.

Bring your non-perishable food items and relax for awhile -- let someone else do the dishes!

All sorts of specials will be offered all night long to entice your generosity, so make sure you load up the car with a really big box!

I would also like to welcome the staff of Azar's Market and Cafe!

Boar's Nest

The first donations are in after the Boar's Nest rocking party last Saturday night. What a haul they have brought in for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia! And they are not done yet, with promises of still more contributions in the days to come.

University Pizza's event is day after tomorrow, and I just know they are going to work hard to topple the Boar's Nest. Stay tuned for this event and for more information. Restaurants are still calling to join the fun, and there may be other events to list soon.

More Friends!

Today I received confirmation of four more participants. I'd like to welcome into the group the staff members of Hell's Kitchen, Baxter's Sports Lounge and Tabb's at Riverview!

And a very warm welcome to the re-opened Painted Lady, one of my favorite restaurants. With the original owners taking the reins once more, it is my sincere hope to see this unique restaurant shine once again!

I have also heard whispers of other possibilties, so stay tuned!

The Momentum is Building!

To borrow a catch-phrase from all the construction in downtown Norfolk: The Momentum is Building! With only 65 of the invitational cans delivered, we have over 20 participants, and that number is surely to grow as we move past Thanksgiving into the holiday season. Just today, the staff members of California Pizza Kitchen, Kincaids and Joe's Crab Shack have pledged their support.

And we also received a family 4-pack of tickets to the Virginia Zoo to use as an incentive prize. The challenge is getting more exciting every day. Join us and help your community!

Events!

With only 20 cans/invitations delivered, we already have two events dedicated to increasing the donations to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia!



November 21st: Join the party at the Boar's Nest located at 4502 Monarch Way. That is in the new ODU student village. Admission is... what else? Non-perishable food items! (757) 961-5465



November 25th: University Pizza will have a surprise bartender from Hampden-Sydney to liven the fun. Cover charge is covered with your canned food donation! 5008 Colley Avenue (757) 423-0300 Check out their Facebook Event: Nuzzy and Maureen "Can" Hunger

http://www.facebook.com/share.php?appid=2344061033&src=box&tid=195036461263&u=greenbeanchallenge.com#/event.php?eid=195036461263&ref=mf