Womenade is a local nonprofit that combines fun, food, and volunteer efforts to provide needed items to families in San Luis Obispo County and around the Central Coast. Members meet four times a year to enjoy a pot luck supper. Each woman brings a dish and a $35 contribution, and a growing list of charitable requests is fulfilled.
Womenade specializes in items and people who "fall through the cracks." There are other charitable groups and social service organizations that provide for larger needs and in general; Womenade helps individuals and families with items not normally available or provided by the larger groups.
For instance, a family that had been evicted from their apartment needed bedding; a woman whose home burned needed shoes and clothing; babies throughout the county needed diapers. Womenade was there, quickly, with the needed assistance. From safety gates to surgeries; from dental care to a place to sleep, Womenade has been there for the forgotten people in our local population.
Womenade was founded in 2003 by Sandy Richardson, who had read of a similar organization in Real Simple magazine. She liked the idea of a no-frills fundraiser where all the money goes directly to assist recipients. Six years later, the group (now numbering about 300, and including both men and women) has raised $55,000 to help with such diverse problems as a girl who needed new eyebrows after being badly injured in a fire, and a formal suit of clothes for a homeless man so that he could attend his father's funeral properly attired.
Womenade learns about needs in the community through referrals from public health nurses, schools, homeless shelters and other public and nonprofit agencies. There are no applications to fill out, no red tape, and no waiting periods. "This is the grass roots of the grass roots," Sandy says. There is also no overhead: no office, no paid staff, no fundraising expenses. Instantaneous email communication means that almost the moment that an alert is issued for a specific item, it appears on Sandy's doorstep.
Last November, Womenade members were recognized as Unsung Heroes by the Tribune newspaper--an honor they richly deserve. For more information on services and membership, contact Sandy at sanfranslo@sbcglobal.net.
Womenade representative Marylou Gooden receives a donation check from the Board of Directors of the Central Coast Women's Council of Realtors at their December 2009 meeting.
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