City councilmember Donna Frye breaking bread at community picnic

Join us for a community picnic on Sunday, October 12, 2008, from Noon to 4 p.m. in Balboa Park (6th Ave north of Laurel Street).  This year’s theme is “Local Voices for Community Solutions” to poverty and homelessness.

At the picnic, we’re gathering our members, families and friends to break bread with our homeless neighbors; hear great speakers like long-time homeless advocate Congressman Bob Filner, street guru “Waterman” David Ross, and Shakti Rising’s Shannon Thompson; enjoy performances by local artists including our own Corina Rose, Terry Matsuoka, the Super Sonic Samba School, and DJ Quist; and participate in family games.  The League of Women Voters will be registering voters for the upcoming elections to get out the “street vote” and we will hold small group “story circles” about the issues particularly affecting the poor and homeless in our community.

Your $10 minimum donation will provide BBQ lunch for you and a person in need.  Every penny raised will go directly toward keeping folks warm on San Diego’s streets this winter.  We’re raising money for our winter survival backpacks, which will be loaded (as they have the past 2 winters) with sleeping bags or fleece blankets, knit caps, gloves, socks, ponchos, toiletries, water, non-perishable foods, and laminated resource and phone cards to put people on the streets in contact with people who can help them get back on their feet.  This year, we are adding GTT baby bags — homemade bags with baby wipes, pacifiers, infant bibs, infant socks, receiving blanket, wash cloths, baby bottles, cream or ointment, baby wash/shampoo and onesies for expectant or new mothers.

Co-sponsoring organizations include Foundation for Change, Shakti Rising, Lotus Outreach, The Resolved Church, the League of Women Voters, Progressive San Diego, and the Isaiah Project.  We’re looking for volunteers to help get the word out on the street and lend a helping hand on the day of, whether it’s flipping burgers (veggy too!), registering voters, or helping to clean up afterwards.  Working together, we can create community-based solutions to poverty and homelessness!

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE TO THE GTT COMMUNITY PICNIC! 

Downloadable 2008 Picnic Flyer

It’s almost that time of the year again!  We had a great success at our first annual community picnic and can’t wait for our second, which will take place on Sunday, October 12th in Balboa Park from noon to 4 p.m.  Please come help us plan our fall community picnic to benefit GTT’s homelessness outreach project on Wed., September 3rd, at 6:30 p.m., at Farzeen’s place, 1465 C Street, Unit 3418, San Diego, 92101.  Bring food or drink to share, and we will brainstorm how to repeat and even improve upon the success of last year’s community picnic!  Also, if your organization would like to participate as a co-sponsor or supporter of this inspiring event, please contact us at girlsthinktank@gmail.com. 

The GTT will support women in the arts by checking out the San Diego Museum of Art’s exhibitions on Georgia O’Keeffe and Eleanor Antin before picnicking in Balboa Park.  The museum is featuring two exhibitions and a “Screen on the Green” event which will feature the “Shop Around The Corner.”  We’ll meet out on the lawn at 7 pm and eat while collecting donations for the International Rescue Committee/VISTA.  Bring a dish/beverage/snacks to share and a donation if you can! 

DRIVE FOR International Rescue Committee/VISTA: GTT asks folks to donate items for tutoring kits for the IRC’s work  with refugees in San Diego who are learning English.  The IRC suggests donations of pencils, pencil sharpener, pens, glue sticks, scissors, 24 crayon boxes, 3×5 cards, notebooks, rubber bands, name tags & plastic covering, erasers, large Ziploc bags, coloring books, books, construction paper, white board markers, 1 inch binders, 8 pack of binder dividers, backpacks, and first aid kits.

Also click here to see David Ross Proposal for San Diego Homeless Solutions, which asks City Council to approve a budget for downtown temporary water fountains and port-o-johns.

Who exactly is a refugee and where do they come from?  For FAQ’s like this, check out the IRC website: http://www.theirc.org/what/frequently_asked_questions_about_refugees_and_resettlement.html MTV True Life did a great job of putting the immigrant and refugee resettlement experience into perspective. See the story of a Burmese family, as compared to a Czech immigrant, in True Life ‘I’m Coming To America’ Two foreigners move to the United States: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1581101&vid=207987

One of the tragedies of war seen daily on the streets of San Diego is the number of homeless veterans that have been tossed away by society and forgotten despite their great sacrifices for our country. This problem is exacerbated every day as new veterans are spit out from the war in Iraq, wounded, disabled, and traumatized. GTT has started a dialogue with U.S. Representative Bob Filner, Chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and David “The Waterman” Ross about the problem of homeless veterans and possible solutions in our area and beyond. This touching video made by Crystal Productions is a small taste of the problem of homeless veterans in our community and what small acts we can take to help in big ways.