Rustic Love's quarterly update

A note from our Executive Director

Welcome to our quarterly newsletter! You are receiving this email because you opted in either via online shopping or a pop-up sale event. We thank you for being a subscriber!

We started our summer off with a bang at Viva Vienna - our biggest sale of the year! We always receive such a warm reception at Viva and meet so many new supporters. Our next sale is Oktoberfest on October 7, another fun-filled street festival in the Town of Vienna. We will have all of our merch for purchase/donation in our tent right on Church Street in front of Caffe Amouri. Our family, friends and supporters are also invited to help staff the ticket sales and beer pouring at Oktoberfest's Beer Tent on the Town Green. We receive a donation from the Vienna Business Association for staffing this event, so if you'd like to volunteer your time to help our cause, this is an easy and fun way to help! The Sign Up form is here.

In January, we began offering domestic shipping - it's always available for you to send some Rustic Love to your friends and family across the country - order online here.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our mission: To actively engage and bring the community together to help the food-insecure. We are continuing to work hard to ensure we help the hungry in our community. Your support of our efforts goes a long way.

Michelle Connors

Founder & Executive Director

A Brand New School Year!

School is starting back up in just a few short weeks! Congratulations to all of our Rustic Love volunteers who are heading off to college, the military or other exciting opportunities - thank you so much for your three years of service throughout high school And to those continuing to work hard in our local Vienna schools - we wish you the best of luck and look forward to having you volunteer with us again soon! We are grateful for the philanthropic hearts of the youth in Vienna!

2nd Quarter 2023 Recipient Spotlight:

Belong!

We were so happy to be able to give a grant to Belong! for the third summer in a row! Belong! is another Vienna-based non-profit whose mission is to equip the underserved so that they can have equal opportunities for success. Our donation funded lunches and healthy snacks for 60 local elementary school kids who participated in Belong!'s Summer Academic and Enrichment Programs for disadvantaged children.

Media Highlight: Fox5 DC Zip Trip LIVE

A big thank you to Fox 5 Zip Trip team for featuring Rustic Love on their morning-long segment all about the amazing Town of Vienna! So many businesses, community members, town officials and non-profits were represented on the 5 hour broadcast from the Town Green. What a great way to kick off the summer and feature all the unique people and things that make our town so great! Special thanks to Christine from Ben & Jerry's who brought one of our pallet signs over to the Town Green - you could see it in so many camera shots throughout the day! :)

Adult Volunteer Spotlight:

Liz DiFrancisco

Liz first volunteered with Rustic Love to help with security during one of our early pop-up sales. She has continued volunteering at builds and sales, and her family has helped set up our sales and with yearly ornament decorating! She recently signed on to manage our Oktoberfest beer tent volunteers, so you will see her smiling face at our beer tent this October 7!

Liz is very generous with her time to many local volunteer efforts. One special highlight is her work with puppy fostering. She's fostered close to125 puppies! Wow! Thank you for your philanthropic spirit, Liz!

Student Volunteer Spotlight:

Lia Davila

Lia is one of the founding teenagers of Rustic Love! In the past three years she has volunteered hundreds of hours, including working at the majority of our builds and sales, and endless behind the scenes hours planning, making deliveries and learning the ropes of building a non-profit organization!

Lia is heading to college this Fall and we will all miss her sparkling personality and awesome work ethic! Best of luck this year, Lia, and thank you for helping spearhead our philanthropic efforts throughout your high school years!

Build Crew Spotlight:

Colonel John Cordone

For the second year in a row, Marine Reservist Colonel John Cordone made beautiful flag heart signs for a special Rustic Love auction. In total, Colonel Cordone's efforts have raised nearly $5000 for our mission, and these funds were given to non-profits who provide support for local families. Thank you for your incredible efforts and generosity, Colonel Cordone!

Partner Spotlight: Caboose Brewing

Now in our third year of partnership with Caboose Brewing, today we are excited to introduce the latest iteration of the Rustic Love IPA! This one packs in rich tropical fruit characteristics of tangerine and pineapple using Kveik yeast, a Norwegian yeast strain. Proceeds from this collaboration benefit our mission. Thank you to the Caboose team for this long and prosperous partnership!

How can you help support our mission?

Each quarter, our Board of Directors reviews our grants schedule and determines the donations we make in our community. In 2022, our main focus was to research local school food pantries and assist them with grants to help their students and families. Please consider making a financial donation to us via PayPal or credit card and shop our site anytime to get your own items with our trademarked open heart. Your kind support makes a difference in the lives of kids and families in our community.