Food, Wine, Art for a Cause

I have no recipes or photos for you today. Instead, I’m helping to raise awareness around two very honourable and worthwhile events taking place this month. Both are doing wonderful things to help people in need, and both could use your support!

I. ADSUM HOUSE: MYSTERY ART SHOW & SALE

I mentioned this first event briefly last week and promised more details. Here they are!

On November 26th, Adsum House will be hosting their annual Mystery Art Show at FRED in Halifax; the mystery being that you don’t know who the artist or photographer is until you successfully purchase the piece! There will be both well-known and up-and-coming local artists featured. With Christmas coming, I’m sure you can find a beautiful new piece for someone you love, or even fill that blank wall you’ve been meaning to do something with. Each piece, regardless of artist, is going for $100, so you’re really getting an amazing deal! The pieces will be on display the entire week beforehand, as well, so you can drop by to scope out potential purchases before the event.

It’ll be a fabulous night with drinks and appetizers (courtesy of FRED – so you know you’re in for a treat!), which makes it a fun excuse to round up some friends, support a good cause, and scope out some beautiful, local artwork. What’s not to like? (You might even see a photo or two of mine laying around!)

If you are unfamiliar with what Adsum House does, you can visit their website here: http://www.adsumforwomen.org/. The women who work at Adsum work tirelessly – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – to keep this safe haven open and ready to take women and children out of abusive and/or dire circumstances. They are some of the most humble, talented, and dedicated women I’ve ever met, so I’m absolutely honoured to be volunteering with them and supporting them in any way that I can.

Tickets are $25. You can buy them at the door or you can let me know if you’d like them in advance. There is more information on the flyer below. I hope you’ll join us!

II. BLOGGERS UNITE FOR AFRICA

The next event is one I imagine to be near and dear to many people’s hearts. Saying it best is Jackie – author of the food blog La Casa De Sweets – so here are some of her own, heartfelt words to tell you more about the fundraiser:

As I’m sure you are all aware, there is a crisis going on right now in the Horn of Africa. Over 13 million people have already been affected by the drought, ensuing famine, and starvation. About 30,000 children have died in the past 3 months, and an estimated 600,000 are in danger of starvation. We’ve all heard the numbers, and now it’s time to act!
The fact that thousands of children are dying is just too much for me to handle, without doing anything about it. As a mother of two young children, and as a former student of international child health, I have to do something. My blog encourages people to donate to child hunger organizations all the time, but this is an emergency situation, and thus requires larger action. So, I am calling upon the blogging community to help.

I guess I should introduce myself. I’m Jackie, and I’m the recipe creator, photographer, and writer behind La Casa de Sweets. I focus on classic American, Spanish and international desserts, and sometimes I delve into the land of savory yumminess, too! After baking, my other passion is children. I’m a teacher, taking a break to raise my two little daughters (ages 2 and 8 months). I love kids, so it’s almost unbearable for me to think about children suffering, especially from hunger. That’s why I focus on encouraging my readers to donate to charities that try to end childhood hunger. That’s why I find the images and stories from Somalia and surrounding areas so utterly heartbreaking. I have to act. We have to act.

And, so, I’ve created a fundraiser through Global Giving to help do just that. I thought long and hard about how to raise money, and I believe this is the best way. I’ve spoken to on-the-ground organizations and journalists in the area, and they have assured me that the money we raise will help save lives. I’ve chosen a few crucial projects for our readers to donate to through Global Giving, in the hopes that we can all help save children from starvation.

I really admire and respect Jackie’s tenacity and her commitment to this cause. Be sure to check out her site, because there are dozens of giveaways and prizes to be won! Unfortunately, the prizes are only available to US residents, but that’s good news for about half of the people who read this blog. Prize or no prize, every dollar helps, so if you have a little extra to give, please consider contributing to Jackie’s Global Giving campaign!

Thank you!

Source: http://foodjetaimee.blogspot.com/2011/11/food-wine-and-art-for-cause.html