Giving Back | Twin Cities Wedding & Event Professionals

MN Wedding Planner, The sandwich project, volunteering_0357.jpg

Rustic Elegance belongs to this really great group of wedding vendors called Twin Cities Wedding Professionals! Within this group, we wanted to give back, so each month Rustic Elegance plans a volunteer event at various organizations around the city. We have had so much fun getting to know each other and have helped so many different organizations! We wanted to do a shout out to all the vendors that have been involved (see below)! Such a great group of people! We also wanted to share a bit about the organizations we have been helping.

We were excited to participate in helping The Sandwich Project by buying supplies and making 300 sandwiches to be delivered to people in need!A bit about The Sandwich Project:The Sandwich Project was established with the other days in mind. Their starting goal was to help feed 150 homeless people in Minneapolis as many times a year as possible, with the ultimate goal of doing it everyday of the year. Today, they are helping to feed about 4,500 people per week through various shelters and food shelves!

We have helped put together meal packs Feed My Starving Children, a couple of times. This is always a lot of fun and a good group activity.A bit about Feed My Starving Children: is a non-profit organization committed to feeding hungry children. The approach is simple: hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and then ship these meals to nearly 70 countries around the world. .22 cents is the price of one meal. Photos by Jeannine Marie Photography & Kate Minor Photography

Prism needed our help to set up their Holiday Shop by arranging tables and chairs, decorating, sorting toys, placing toys in the shopping area...etc. We found out how OCD we all are when we decided all the games had to be organized by age...A bit about Prism: Prism (People Responding In Social Ministry)-is a social service agency that helps local families during times of financial hardship. PRISM is one of the largest holiday toy programs in the state. Photos by Kendra Oxendale Photography

We had a fun evening out helping Erick's Ranch by taking a tour, lead by Mariah (who has autism), of the St. Paul Cathedral and stopping at O’Gara’s Pub for dinner, while learning about the Irish migration to St. Paul in the late 1800’s and the role of the Catholic church. By us taking this tour it provides Mariah with a job and also raises money for Erik’s Ranch. A bit about Eriks Ranch: They are an innovative program for young adults with autism that provides an opportunity for them to use their unique talents and expertise. Photos by Jeannine Marie Photography

We spent an afternoon helping Bridging unload mattress in their warehouse... we had to pile up the "good" ones and "bad" ones, I have never seen so many mattress and there were some bad ones.. a couple hours of mattress moving makes the arms pretty sore! A bit about Bridging: Through the effective reuse of donated items, Bridging improves lives by providing quality furniture and household goods to those transitioning out of homelessness and poverty. Bridging serves over 80 households, over 240 people, each week who are given a sense of dignity as they rebuild their lives. Photos by Jeannine Marie Photography

We had a great time helping Arc where we helped sort, organize and get items ready for sale-we helped make the sales floor look pretty and set up end caps of items for sale. We are a great group to help with organizing things :) We also enjoyed a little shopping of our own :)A bit about Arc: The Arc is a nonprofit organization. And as Arc’s Value Village grows, so does our community impact. Every year, our stores provide over a million dollars for The Arc Greater Twin Cities’ programs that help adults and children with disabilities and our community. Photos by Kate Minor Photography

Next month we are all set to help Emma Norton Services, by helping get their dorm-style units "turned over" and ready for new families by cleaning and painting.A bit about Emma Norton Services: Emma Norton has two sites - a dorm-style complex that houses 50 women in downtown St. Paul, and a set of 13 townhomes that house 13 families in Maplewood. They provide supportive housing for women and families who are homeless and dealing with mental illness and/or chemical dependency.Thank you to all the vendors who have given participated in these events and given their time to help these orientations! I am excited for many more opportunities to give back with this group!
Rustic Elegance Event Coordinating and Rentals
Jeannine Marie Photography
Studio Starfish
The Outer Envelope
We've Got it Covered
Ganache Desserts and Confections
Kendra Oxendale Photography
Kate Minor Photography
Bryan Bratt Productions
Anna Hildenbrand
Kristina Designz
Ask for the Moon Events
Urban Fitness
The Simply Elegant Group
Rose Tree Events
Paper Thick Ink
On Site Sanitation
Jim Jaeckels
Memories in Time Photography
Eva Stukenberg
Tanya Hagre