Tag Archives: Webster Community Chest

Webster Community Chest is re-imagining their food pantry. And they need your help.

6 Jun

Remember the Webster Community Chest’s (WCC) food pantry? For years, the pantry provided meal assistance to individuals and families in our community until the WCC lost their former space in what is now the Van Ingen Court Building behind Town Hall. Recently they’ve been distributing food through several “little free food pantries” in town, but you know they’d like to do a lot more than that.

Well, I got some good news recently: the WCC is working on a very innovative plan to re-open the food pantry. Their idea is very clever. They’re going to be distributing meal bags.

As a recent press release explained,

The pantry will … operate more like an “Instacart model” for meal preparation support. Residents will be able to place orders for specific meal types, as offered on the WCC website order form, and ingredients to create the meals will be bagged up for their pick-up. Delivery may also become an option, as volunteers are available.

The bags will include all the items for a complete meal, plus a recipe card. For example, the spaghetti dinner bag would include pasta, sauce, parmesian cheese, green beans and more. People can request one of each choice or multiples. Once they receive the orders, WCC volunteers will pack the orders on-site, then take them to another location for pick-up.

It’s a great idea, right? Only problem is, the WCC doesn’t have any storage space. Before they can launch their plan, they need a small place to store and pack non-perishable foods. It only needs to be about 200 to 300 sq. ft., and there won’t be much foot traffic at all. The space needs to be secure, protected from the elements and able to be accessed a few times per week. Extra parking or amenities won’t even be required. It could even be a very temporary location if need be.

If you can help, please call committee chair Joanne Nania at 585-503-2450.

Can you help? Do you or someone you know have some un-utilized space within your business or facility that could be used for this purpose? If so, please contact Joanne Nania at joanne.nania@gmail.com or webcommchest@gmail.com

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(posted 6/6/2022)

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Happy news from the Webster BID

14 Jan

You might think that when the Village’s Business Improvement District holds special events like the Wine Walk and Beer Walk, it’s all just for fun and games.

There’s a lot of fun involved, definitely. But rest assured, the money that you’re plunking down for these events is always earmarked for donation to a local charitable organization. There’s just not a whole lot of hoopla when the check is handed over.

That was not the case on Thursday, however, when Mike Grenier, president of the Webster Community Chest, received a very large (literally) check for $900, representing the proceeds from the BID’s first-ever “Hops and Stops” Beer Walk held at the end of November. (It was a terrific event; you can read about it in my blog here.)

Grenier was presented the check by Kevin Finn (of Finn’s Garage) and Laurie Read (of Woodland Silkscreen & Embroidery).

Based on the event’s success, organizers are planning a second Hops & Stops later this year. They’re looking at maybe doing it a little earlier, however, like during October. Perhaps they can combine it with the village’s Oktoberfest?

What events would you like to see in the village?

The BID, which put on the Beer Walk, is the group behind a lot of the special events we have here in the Village of Webster, including the Trick or Treat Trail, Wine Walks and Family Game Nights. It’s an organization comprised of Village of Webster business owners, and dedicated to promoting village businesses.

If you’re a village resident or business owner, would like to find out more about the BID and perhaps put in your two cents about the events you’ve seen or would like to see, here’s your chance: the first BID meeting of the year will be held Monday Jan. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Webster Interiors, 975 Ebner Drive.

The meeting will be more a social gathering than anything else. It’s a great chance for village residents and business owners to get to know more about the organization and exchange ideas on how best to help promote village businesses. Food and drink will be provided.

Please RSVP by Friday Jan. 21, by emailing info@websterbid.com. And if you’d like to find out more about the BID visit www.websterbid.com.

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The PEEP Show must go on!

6 May

And, ladies and gentlemen, presenting the

2020 Greater Rochester Marshmallow Peeps Show!

087 Rochester Presbyterian Home The Big Pink Peep Photo Op MGYes, it’s still happening this year, but of course it will look a little different from years past, when it’s been held at the Webster Recreation Center, spread among several rooms.

Like everything else, the 5th annual PEEP Show, had to be postponed last month. But the show’s organizers found a creative work-around. This weekend, May 9 and 10, the Greater Rochester Marshmallow PEEPS Art Show, sponsored by the Webster Community Chest, will go virtual.

Here’s more information direct from the press release:

Although the number of entries has been reduced due to the pandemic, we still have plenty for folks to look at and many of the other features of the live show will be recreated on-line.

Our display makers have sent in photographs showing their art work in detail, and many have even sent short movies of their displays. There will be plenty of fun things to look at. Visitors need only to come to www.rochesterpeepshow.com to enjoy the fun.

In addition to all the displays, visitors can see past years’ displays, visit our craft vendors, make donations to get raffle tickets for wonderful prizes, see performances by our entertainers, learn about each of the sixteen local nonprofit agencies that benefit from donations and about the businesses that have sponsored this show.

The “make donations” part is particularly important if you stop by. This event has always been a big fundraiser for the Webster Community Chest, an organization which is needed even more during these difficult times to help support our neighbors in need.

So check out the show this May 9 and 10. Kids, make it a virtual Mother’s Day “field trip” for your mom!

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The 2020 Greater Rochester Peep Show has been announced!

20 Jan

peeps 3Good news for those of you who love those marshmallow Peeps candies. The 2020 Greater Rochester Marshmallow Peep Show is right around the corner.

If you’ve never heard about this really fun event, you’re going to want to keep reading, especially if you like eating those yellow (and now pink and purple and whatever other colors) marshmallow chicks and ducks. I’ve never been a big fan. I put them in the same category as those faux-orange circus peanuts. They squeak when you bite into them.

But I LOVE the Peep Show. This is a two-day event at the Webster Recreation Center, where at least four entire rooms are filled with incredibly creative sculptures, dioramas, and various other works of art created with Peeps. It’s simply the cutest thing ever.  (Click here for a small photo gallery from 2019.)

This year’s show is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday March 28 and 29 at the Webster Recreation Center. More details will come (but it’s free and great family fun). But for now, Peep Show organizers are looking for Peep creators.

Businesses, organizations or individuals are encouraged to enter a display for judging. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the show for the display that gets the most visitor votes.

Not feeling very artistic? You can support the event in other ways as well. You can hang a poster, donate a prize or become a partner in underwriting the show. Several levels of sponsorship are available, and all proceeds will benefit the Webster Community Chest.

This is a banner year for the Greater Rochester Marshmallow Peep Show, its fifth annual. It’s come a long way since it began, but I can’t see how it can be further improved. (Although I believe this is the first year they included “marshmallow” in the official name, perhaps dissuading those who walked away disappointed that the “Peep Show” offered a different kind of entertainment.)

This is a must-see family event, folks.

You can see more photos, and find out more about the show and how you can help by visiting the Rochester Peep Show website here, or email peepshow@frontier.com.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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This year’s Peep Show was speeptacular

31 Mar

IMG_0495The 2019 edition of the Greater Rochester Peep show happened this weekend, and it was bigger and better than ever.

This annual extravaganza is sponsored by the Webster Community Chest. I’ve been attending since it began several years ago, and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many people checking out the entries before. I didn’t get a final official count, but there must have been easily more than 100 Peeps-themed entries spread throughout six exhibition rooms, the whimsical creations of dozens of local businesses and community groups who were vying for one of many “Peeple’s Choice” awards.

Live entertainment was provided this year for the first time, featuring demonstrations by local groups including the Rochester School of Irish Dance and DK Dance Studio. Organizers also brought back the children’s activity room this year, along with a snack bar, merchandise table and raffles.

Peep Show visitors purchase tokens to vote for their favorite displays. All funds raised through the voting, raffles and snack bar will be split among several local charities.

Thank you to all of this year’s sponsoring organizations, and everyone who spent so much time creating the spectacular displays. And congratulations to this yer’s organizing committee for a job well done. You have created an amazing event which touches all corners of our community and brings everyone together in so many ways. I am already looking forward to next year.

Here are a some photos from the show. To see a full gallery, click here.

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Webster Community Chest needs help finding new space

2 May

community chest

The Webster Community Chest (WCC) is currently reevaluating the location where it provides services for the Webster community, and the organization needs your help.

The WCC is actively looking for a new location from which they can continue to provide assistance to individuals and families in our community. That especially means the food cupboard. The new space will house non-perishables most of the time, and fresh donations on distribution days.

Their ideal location would be in Webster (of course), on the smaller side (maximum 2000 square feet) and available for minimal rent. The WCC budget is limited and they’re hoping the vast majority of their donations could continue to go directly to neighbors in need and not to rent. (So donated/shared space would be IDEAL!)

If you know of a landlord or business who might be interested in sharing their space — or if YOU own a business which could help out — please contact Community Chest board member Andy LaManna at alamanna18@gmail.com.

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Greater Rochester Peep Show a sweet success

8 Apr

IMG_4613

Just a quick blog to tell everyone to tell everyone about my trip to the Greater Rochester Peep Show on Saturday afternoon.

What fun it was. More than 80 “paintings” and dioramas featuring marshmallow Peeps were spread among two rooms at the Webster Recreation Center, depicting everything from a library to a construction site to a baseball field. The creativity was amazing, and several of them made me laugh out loud.

The Peep Show runs through Sunday, from noon to 4 pm. There’s no admission charge, but you can purchase concessions and voting tokens to vote for your favorite entry. Kind of the “Peeple’s Choice” winner.

The kids will enjoy peeking out of the 8-foot long fairy castle and shooting peeps with a slingshot on the Peeps target range.

You don’t want to miss it. Noon to 4 Sunday, Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive.

You can see a lot more photos in my Webster on the Web Facebook gallery.

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Making art with Peeps. You know you want to.

5 Mar

OK, I’ll put this right out there. I don’t like Peeps.

birdhouseYou know, I’m talking about those yellow marshmallow chicks and every other iteration of Peepdom that has since been introduced. I kind of put them in the same category as those faux-orange circus peanuts.

That being said, I’m REALLY looking forward to the second annual Greater Rochester Peep Show scheduled for April 8 and 9 at the Webster Recreation Center. (Not coincidentally, the week before Easter.) It’s a fundraiser for the Webster Community Chest, and while I didn’t go to it last year, I have seen pictures from the event and it is the CUTEST THING EVER.

Basically, show participants create dioramas and other works of art, incorporating Marshmallow Peeps candies. The results were creative and quite impressive. You can see a few photos here, but also visit the website to see a whole gallery.

But — and this is important — the show cannot happen without the artists.

Organizers have put out a call to families, clubs, Scout groups and local businesses to draw up some plans and come up with some spectacular Peeps creations to enter into the show. There’s no charge to enter and artwork will be returned if desired.

up-up-an-awayDisplays can be large or small, and every one of them will be exhibited at the show for the whole community to see and vote on. Prizes and ribbons will be awarded for those chosen by the public as the most popular. Check out the website for more information and inspiration, or email peepshow@frontier.com with questions.

The 2nd annual Greater Rochester Peep Show will be held on April 8 and 9 at the Webster Recreation Center, 1350 Chiyoda Drive. It will be great family fun, perfect for kids of all ages, and admission is free. Last year an estimated 2,000 people attended, and organizers hope to double that this year. That means they need a LOT of entrants.

Proceeds from the event will benefit several local nonprofit agencies including the Catholic Family Center, Dream Factory of Rochester, Heritage Christian Stables, Webster Museum, and National Multiple Sclerosis Society Upstate New York Chapter.

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