Valentine Giveaway Winner & Special Delivery:Share Your Love 2011

                                                                                                   Photo by YesJess

 I have a friend that delivers for Meals On Wheels. The other day I thought that I should ask her if she'd like some valentines to deliver along with her meals that week. Then this morning I was browsing around Etsy and found the story below about donating a Meals on Wheels program in NYC and thought some of you might want to participate! 

Our local libraries collect handmade cards for the VA Hospital in a nearby city. (My uncle is currently on the hospice hall there.) The article in the newspaper said last year 50,000!!! cards were donated. That is amazing but I know that means they have more than enough cards for that hospital. Think about the programs and facilities that serve the elderly and the disabled in your area. I am sure they would be delighted to pass on any cards you and your friends/children/scout troop/book club/church circle would like to donate. While you are at it consider sending a few to City-Meals-on-Wheels for bringing it to our attention!

Oh, yes!!! A few of you may be interested in who won the five handmade valentines I am giving away!!!  That would be Jane! Congrats, girl, they'll be in the mail tomorrow!

 

 Story by adam, julieincharge    Published on Jan 20, 2011 in Craftivism      

 Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and with it comes an opportunity to extend some love and kindness. You may recall our Special Delivery project from years past, which we're delighted to say is now an Etsy tradition. We'll be working with Citymeals-on-Wheels to bring nutritious meals, handmade greeting cards and companionship to elderly New Yorkers.

Sounds great? How do I get involved?

Easy! We need your help to supply the cards. Citymeals-on-Wheels serves over 18,000 people, so we need as many as we can get. There are two ways to do this. The first is (you guessed it) to make your own card. You can also send in a vintage card from your shop. Either way, please fill it out with a nice message. Please craft as many valentines as you would like and send them to us. Before you send them, you can also post photos of your cards in our Special Delivery Flickr group.

We think that crafting is way more fun with friends, so we invite you to throw your own Craft Party in your corner of the world. All you need to do is visit Etsy's Meetups Everywhere page, join a Special Delivery Meetup where you live, invite your friends and neighbors, make some heartfelt cards and mail them our way. Don't forget to share photos of your gathering in action too!

If you don't have time to make cards, you can buy them and have them delivered to us. The deadline for us to receive the cards is Wednesday, February 9, 2011. There are a few other important guidelines for this, so please carefully read the FAQs below.

Ok, then what happens?

Special delivery! We will collect all the cards and bring them to Citymeals-on-Wheels, where each will be delivered with a meal in time for Valentine's Day. Several of the Etsy Admin will be volunteering at the Citymeals-on-Wheels' Senior Center's Valentine's Day party. We're going to help decorate, serve meals, and spend quality time with our neighbors.

Is that all?

No, there's more. Please post photos of your valentines in our Special Delivery Flickr group. Then, post a link to your photos (or to an Etsy item, if you bought or sold one) in this Forum thread. Once we've received them all, we'll post a list of all the participants in this article.

You can also help by donating to Citymeals-on-Wheels or by volunteering or donating to your local organization.

Now stop asking questions, read the FAQs and get crafting! February 9 is closer than you think. Oh, and thank you very much for helping to spread the love.

FAQ

1. How do I participate in Special Delivery?

There are two ways. Either make or purchase a handmade Valentine's Day greeting card (or several). Please mail them to:

Etsy

Attn: Adam Brown

55 Washington St.

Suite 512

Brooklyn, NY 11201

2. When do the cards have to arrive at Etsy?

The deadline is Wednesday, February 9, 2011. This is important!

3. Are there any rules about what the cards should look like?

Yes. Please follow these guidelines, otherwise we can't use your card(s):

• No glitter! This creates food safety issues.
• Please make your cards cheerful by using bright colors. You can decorate cards using paint, crayons, markers, pastels, collage or anything else you can think of.
• Please avoid dark backgrounds and religious symbols.
• Please write clearly in large print and avoid using the abbreviation “V-day." Please say, “Valentine's Day."
• You should not give out your address or suggest that the recipients write back to you. Initiating an ongoing correspondence is not appropriate.
• Please make sure that the cards are appropriate for the intended audience. That is to say, pretend it's for your sweet sweet grandma, not your snarky, angst-ridden teenage brother.

4. How many cards should I send?

As many as you want!

5. Is this open only to Etsy sellers?

Nope. This is open to anyone who wants to help brighten someone's day.

6. Can I send vintage cards?

Sure! The more, the merrier.

7. What's that deadline again?

We need to have all of the cards in our hot little hands by Wednesday, February 9, 2011. Thanks!