Altrusa International Service Projects
A database of Service projects from throughout our Altrusa organization
Feed My Starving Children is an organization committed to feeding children. St. Paul club members and friends hand pack meals specifically for malnourished children, which are shipped to 70 countries. The club also gives the organization a monetary donation.
Our club teams with many other service organizations, churches and business annually to participate in the United Way food packaging program. Working together, teams package either enriched macaroni and cheese or enriched bean soup. The program keeps growing, and this year we were able to package over 20,000 meals. The meals are distributed throughout the county to help feed impoverished families.
The Altrusa House is a 12 bedroom home away from home for patients and their families that travel more than 50 miles for treatment at one of the area hospitals in Green Bay, WI. Through the fundraising efforts of the Altrusa Club the House was built in 2001. Through various fundraising efforts, such as an annual golf outing, an annual newsletter mailed out to previous donors, and several smaller fundraising efforts plus Grant applications the Club has raised the necessary $100k + funds per year to operate the House, as the guests are only charged a one time key fee of $10.00
Pack the Pickup with Proteins for the Pantry: At the end of the summer, pantry shelves are bare. We joined forces with Altrusans, Civitans and Soroptimists to collect protein items for Amazing Grace Food Pantry. In one day, we packed the pickup 3 times, with 2,168 pounds of food and collected over $500. We continue to collaborate with service groups in our area on this project annually.
Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes: Altrusans are helping the PFC Nicholas A. Madaras home in Bridgeport, the first community-based transitional home dedicated to homeless female Veterans and their children up to 10 years of age by collecting much needed items for the 15 bed facility. We have been supplying ‘Blankets of Warmth’ – a holiday gift of handmade afghan for each resident, in addition to deliveries of pillows, sheets, towels, laundry detergent, etc. as needed.
Hungry Babies are NOT an Illusion… Didato Family Memorial Baby Food / Formula Drive: Altrusans have expanded our annual food drive to assist babies all throughout the year. Baby items are donated to the local food pantry and agencies assisting families. We are partnering with the Middletown Diaper Bank to assist in their drives and distribute some diapers we collect to them.
We donated toys and books to the waiting area of WelcomeHealth: Northwest Arkansas’ Free Health Center. As the center expands their pediatric services, Altrusa have provided for children that enter the free medical and dental clinic.
Our club completed a cookathon for their local Bellyful Hamilton who provide meals to families with newborn babies, and families with young children who are struggling with illness. Altrusa donated pasta and pasta sauce, and helped to fill the freezers with 60 meals.
Our club provides hundreds of new, stuffed teddy bears to our local hospital to be given to children admitted to the Emergency Room or in for day surgery. Not only do the toys comfort the children, health care providers can also “demonstrate” and explain procedures to the child using the teddy bear as a “patient.”
We add tags to the toys explaining that they are donated by Altrusa.
We assist with a fundraising walk/run for the Bosom Buddies organization, which provides support and services to people with breast cancer and their families. We help stuff registration bags the day before the event, and at the start of the event we hand out bags to registrants, register walk-ins, and prepare light snacks for the registrees.