|
Tips
for putting on your own Porridge Breakfast
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Consider this a kit for running your own Porridge for Parkinson's fundraiser. Borrow it all, or tailor it to suit your needs. Think adding dates to the fruit compote recipe will appeal to your guests (and raise more money for Parkinson's research)? Be our guest! |
Link down the page to:
The Host's Kit
The host's kit is designed to assist you in organizing your Porridge Breakfast. It is a downloadable package of printable files that include the following:
|
File |
PDF
 |
Word
 |
|
___________________________________________________________________________________________ |
||
| Instruction guide | ||
| Shopping list | ||
| Invitation template |
N/A
|
|
| Silent auction sheet | ||
| Name tag template | ||
| Fruit compote recipe | ||
| The porridge recipe | ||
| What is PfP | ||
| Why Now | ||
| Apron/T-shirt transfer | ||
| Tent cards 1 |
N/A
|
|
| Tent cards 2 |
N/A
|
|
| Tent cards 2 |
N/A
|
|
| PfP logo | ||
|
____________________________________________________________________________________________
|
||
 |
With
free Acrobat Reader® software, you can view and print Adobe PDF files. |
Timing
- Check
to make sure the date you have chosen for your breakfast doesn't
conflict with other events like Run for the Cure.
- Make
sure enough time has lapsed from other Parkinson's events.
- Sundays
seem to be easier as there are fewer kid activities. However,
if your guest list is really long, maybe Saturday would be a good
alternative.
- We of Scottish heritage eat porridge all year long so you could have this party any time you want, but we were particularly pleased with the last Sunday in November as everyone seemed quite keen to come out and enjoy some rib-sticking comfort food to soften the blow of winter's approach. Over the years, we have also found that the last Sunday in February is a successful date -- people are dying for a party and breakfasts are great at that bleak time of the year.
The
Invitation
Put
together your mailing list, ideally on the computer. Plan for the
invitation to arrive two weeks ahead of the event. We had our friend,
fellow Parkinsonian and professional photographer, Dan Heringa,
take our
picture. We laid out the copy on the computer and sent a card
with this
copy... and it doubled as our (early) Christmas card. Sending
it to friends far and wide paid off. But, it could be done a lot
more simply than this. You are welcome to adapt this invitation
for your own use and run them off: View sample
invitation layout.
The Logo
The logo file is in TIF format. It has a resolution of 300dpi and can be inserted into MS Word documents, or a s a standalone file. The file is 4,223KB, so unless you have a broadband connection the download will take quite some time.
For other logo file formats, contact Marg Meikle at info@porridgeforparkinsons.com.
The
Event
Delegate,
delegate, delegate.
- Designate
greeters and have them give out name tags. People were grateful
for this gesture, and it was useful for us to figure out who a
few people were too! Number the tags beforehand and you will know
how many people you have fed. We suggest using chatty "fun"
people for the greeting job - it sets the tone for the party.
- Appoint
a money and information person and station. Supply envelopes for
cash donations so people can write their name and address on the
envelopes to ensure they get a tax receipt. Supply information
about your designated recipient -- we found people really wanted
to know more. Likely someone from that organization will offer
to come and help and talk to people about Parkinson's Disease
and the research work they are funding. Have a meeting with these
folks beforehand and make sure you get all their materials. We
found out, by chance, that the Pacific
Parkinson's Research Institute can also accept $U.S. donations
through the Vancouver
Foundation.
- Provide
something for the kids to do, preferably on another floor and
with a babysitter.
- Handouts
for guests with the recipes, local Parkinson's association information
and this website address are useful. Feel free to cut and paste
anything you want from this site.
The
Food
- Use
paper bowls and plastic spoons (or rent the real stuff-but Chinette
is far less expensive).
- Lots
of coffee.
- If
you make the fruit compote recipe you will use far less brown
sugar and milk than you might expect. This is rich and addictive
stuff.
- Consider
a table of toppings for kids. We had brown sugar, milk, mini-marshmallows,
sprinkles and chocolate chips. A few parents are still cursing
us.
A Silent Auction
A silent auction can be a great way to raise some more money. You need to find a decent spot out of the line of traffic but still accessible. An auction can be a fair amount of work, or you can simply ask for donations in the invitation and provide bid sheets (sample) to guests as they arrive. Remember, this breakfast is meant to be low impact. Delegate the silent auction task to an organized or well-connected friend.
Here are some suggestions for labours of love for silent auction items*
- Decorated porridge bowls
- Fly fishing trip
- Cycle therapist
- Theme dinner party (Like "Big Night Timpano" or Spaghetti And Spaghetti Westerns)
- Your special cheesecake
- 10 lbs of homemade candy
- Sunday night supper
- Homemade cookies -- 2 dozen, 3 times a year
- Xmas baking
- Scrapbooking
- Sewing
- Mending
- Ironing
- Party spruce up
- Pick-up truck for removal or delivery
- Designing a family Christmas card
- Roundtrip shuttle to and from airport
- Organizing your database
- Cat sitting for 2 nights
- Tea party
- House maintenance
- Gardening/ weeding
- Yard work
- Christmas wrapping
- Pies
- Casseroles
- Press release for general distribution
- Jam
- Childcare
- Krispy Kremes delivered
- Rent a writer
- Knit
- Vinyl floor installation
- Manual labour (X Hours)
If you have more suggestions for auction items or other fund-raisers to do at a porridge breakfast, let us know (info@porridgeforparkinsons.com) and we'll add them.
