Out of a Jam

12/05/2024

12/04/2024

At Out of a Jam, we’re on a mission to change lives through our cooking class Shop, Cook, Eat—a unique learning experience designed to empower busy and overwhelmed parents.

During our Around The Table Giving Campaign we are raising funds for this program so that we can:

Shop smarter to make the most of their resources.

Cook healthy, delicious meals quickly and efficiently.

Eat better to bring their families together around nutritious food

Will you help us change lives in Fort Wayne? Every gift makes an impact!!

Donate today HERE: https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3670768

12/04/2024

Do you enjoy engaging with youth? Are you passionate about helping young people learn valuable skills? If you answered YES, we would love to chat with you. We need skilled adults to lead our cooking classes for our Feeding Fort Wayne 'kids' program. Classes run twice a week for 6 weeks during school hours and serve elementary, junior high, and senior high. You'll follow a planned curriculum but with the freedom to improvise. Staff and volunteers will assist. And you must commit to all six weeks. For more information, contact Tonya at [email protected].

12/03/2024

Yes, it's Giving Tuesday, your opportunity to bless your favorite nonprofit. We hope you consider donating to Out of a Jam to help us raise more young people to achieve great things. At Out of a Jam we teach life skills and extraordinary culinary techniques that students can use going forward. Please consider giving to us today. https://www.outofajamfw.org/donate

12/02/2024

In case you missed it yesterday, we wrapped up our week telling you about what we for our Feeding Fort Wayne program.

In our Year End Giving Campaign, we need your help to purchase a Freezer Truck. Yes thats right!

This critical equipment will allow us to safely store and transport rescued food, ensuring we don’t lose perfectly good meals that could feed our neighbors.

Let’s extend the Thanksgiving spirit to ensure no one in Fort Wayne goes without a meal—not just during the holidays, but all year long.


HERE is what you can do!

DONATE Today – Every dollar brings us closer to our goal. Whether it’s $10, $50, or $500, your gift matters.
https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3628874

SPREAD THE WORD – Share our campaign with your family, friends, and colleagues to help us reach more supporters.

12/01/2024

Just two days ago, many of us gathered with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving—a time to reflect on what we’re grateful for and enjoy a warm, nourishing meal together.

But for many in our Fort Wayne community, that isn’t the reality. Hunger doesn’t take a holiday. At Feeding Fort Wayne, we’re doing everything we can to change that! But we need your help!

We have outgrown our resources and need a FREEZER TRUCK to help us store the rescued food and prepared meals! Please Help Us in our Gather Around The Table Giving Campaign and give to help feed the hunger in Fort Wayne!

Donate HERE==https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3628874

11/22/2024

Our Out of a Jam team dialed up a great spread at The Tall Rabbit Cafe last night as Greater Fort Wayne Inc. held a mixer for this season's interns. Most of the items were made by students in our culinary programs.

11/21/2024

You’ve heard about the incredible impact of our classes—today, we’re highlighting one of the tangible ways we make a difference through what we give our students!

OUT COOKING KITS

What better way to set students on their lifelong cooking journey than by equipping them with their very own kit? It’s an empowering gift that ensures the skills they’ve learned continue to flourish long after the final class.

Kits Cost $25 to create and with an average of 10 Students per class we need $250 per class to give each student their own kit!

You can be a part of their transformation by giving HERE! We can do this!!
https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/240689-sponsor-classes-feeding-fort-wayne-kids-giving-2024

11/20/2024

Volunteers help us make meals for the community every month through our Feeding Fort Wayne initiative. Last night, we had a group of emergency room nurses help us make almost 600 servings of fully cooked and ready-to-eat food that will go to food pantries throughout the Fort Wayne area. Thanks so much! To learn more about Feeding Fort Wayne and the other Out of Jam programs, please visit www.outofajamfw.org

11/20/2024

Remember the number $600? That’s the cost of running just one 6 Week session of Feeding Fort Wayne Kids. Now, here’s the big picture: we have 50 classes planned for the upcoming year. That’s a total of $30,000 needed to bring these life-changing experiences to kids in our community.

Wee have 3 Unique ways you can be a part of this impactful presence in Fort Wayne and help us fund our classes! Link To Donate is at the Bottom!

SPONSOR A CLASS
-Your sponsorship of $600 covers supplies, food, & teaching staff.
-We can share your name and photo with the class so they know who made it possible.
-You’ll receive regular updates and photos throughout the duration of the class.

PAY FOR A DAY
-Cover the cost of one day of class by giving $100

SINGLE CONTRIBUTION
-Give a single amount of your choosing

GIVE HERE https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/240689-sponsor-classes-feeding-fort-wayne-kids-giving-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3641266

11/20/2024

Last year, we began an incredible partnership with Smith Academy for Excellence, a tuition-free all-boys charter school in Fort Wayne designed to address the unique and evolving needs of our community.

Our staff, Tonya and Emily, led the cooking sessions and were deeply inspired by the boys in the class. Their vulnerability, honesty, humor, and willingness to tackle new challenges—whether they enjoyed them or found them difficult—left a lasting impression.

We could write pages about how transformative this experience was, but we think it’s better to hear it straight from Corey, the principal.

How were the students impacted?
Although our students had varying degrees of previous experience, each of them gained very practical knowledge and skills to take them to the next level. These classes also served to increase students' confidence in a variety of ways.

What did you expect from our program?
I expected the class to help kids learn how to work in the kitchen, however, one of the greatest benefits I saw from the class was the emphasis on teamwork and how to work toward a common goal with others. I really enjoyed how each session ended with everyone sitting down and sharing a meal together after they had all worked so hard to prepare it.

I'd definitely recommend other schools take advantage of the great programming offered by Feeding Fort Wayne Kids!

Corey Smith
-Co-Founder and School Leader

Every dollar given makes a difference. Every prayer offered touches the lives of kids. Every hour volunteered reminds these students that they are valued and capable of incredible things.

Thank you for gathering Around The Table with us this year! You can give to Feeding Fort Wayne Kids or You can head over HERE right now! https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/240689-sponsor-classes-feeding-fort-wayne-kids-giving-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3641266

11/20/2024

Today in our Around The Table Giving Campaign, we’re diving into what makes our kids’ cooking classes so impactful—and the blessing of it costing nothing for schools and organizations.

Here’s a number to keep in mind: $600. Got it? Good. We’ll explain why it’s so important below.

First, the heart of Feeding Fort Wayne Kids, is to feed hungry kids, encourage them, and inspire students toward greatness.

Remember that number—$600? That’s the cost of running just one 6 Week session of Feeding Fort Wayne Kids. Now, here’s the big picture: we have 50 classes planned for the upcoming year. That’s a total of $30,000 needed to bring these life-changing experiences to kids in our community.

But guess what? Together, we can make it happen! Are you with us? YES, WE CAN!

We're sharing a story from a class at Smith Academy AND 2 specific ways you can Give to Feeding Fort Wayne in another post! Come back for that!

Till Then You Can Give HERE: https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/240689-sponsor-classes-feeding-fort-wayne-kids-giving-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3641266

www.outofajamfw.org/

11/18/2024

In case you missed last week,

We're focusing the rest of the year on raising funds for our core programs here at Out Of A JAM!

This week we're spending time with Feeding Fort Wayne Kids and specifically how your gifts will impact young people in Fort Wayne.

In a lonely, discouraging world where kids are hungry, we are working to inspire confidence, encourage them and change their future through learning how to cook.

Much more will be shared through our Newsletter, You Can Join That HERE https://outofajamfw.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/out-of-a-jam-email-signup

& You can DONATE to Around The Table Giving Campaign HERE https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024

11/13/2024

Today we're sharing our 2nd Need in our End Of The Year Giving Campaign and it's a CHILLY one!

This week we're painting the picture of what the OOAJ needs in our Year End Giving Campaign. NEXT UP is our program: Feeding Fort Wayne

Feeding Fort Wayne began in 2020 with the shut down of restaurants and food establishments that left so much food needing to be rescued.

While the pandemic is in the past, and food sources have changed, the need for nutritious prepared meals has not.
We need more places to store those meals. We NEED more FREEZERS!

We'll share more details in the coming weeks! To GIVE today click the link HERE
https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024?utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_3628874

11/13/2024

Did you know that shopping at Kroger/Kroger affiliated stores can help us raise money here at Out of a Jam? Similar to Amazon Smile Program, you just link your card and choose us, Out of a Jam, as a recipient. There is no charge to sign up. Kroger just wants to give back and makes it super simple for you to do that! Here are 2 ways you can sign up/link your card to start giving to us today. Below there will also be a posted link that directs you to the website as well.

1. Create a digital account.
A digital account is needed to participate in Kroger Community Rewards. If you already have a digital account, simply link your Shopper’s Card to your account so that all transactions apply toward the organization you choose.

2. Link your Card to an organization.
Selecting the organization that you wish to support is as simple as updating the Kroger Community Rewards selection on your digital account.

1. Sign in to your digital account.

2. Search for your organization in the list provided on the page.

3. Enter our name: Out of a Jam

4. Select the appropriate organization from the list and click “Save”.

Your selected organization will also display in the Kroger Community Rewards section of your account. If you need to review or revisit your organization, you can always do so under your Account details.

3. Your organization earns.
Any transactions moving forward using the Shopper’s Card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program, at no added cost to you. Kroger donates annually to participating organizations based on your percentage of spending as it relates to the total spending associated with all participating Kroger Community Rewards organizations.

Learn more about how you can help raise funds for community schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations. Our community rewards program makes it easy. Learn more about Kroger Community Rewards.

11/13/2024

Through hands-on lessons in preparing and cooking recipes, children build confidence, our program Feeding Fort Wayne Kids teaches basic nutrition, & shows students how to explore healthy eating choices. Kids attend a 2-hour cooking class once a week for 6 weeks.

Each class session engages students through teaching a new cooking skill, preparation method, & making a healthy meal. Students wrap up the class by enjoying the meal they prepared together.

By the the end of the year we're hoping to raise $100k and your gift will help fund classes, allow us to hire additional staff as well as send kids home with their very own cooking kit!!

We'll share more next week! But you can GIVE today HERE https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024

Thank you! We are so grateful for you!!

11/12/2024

Earlier we announced the start of our Year End Giving Campaign called "Around The Table"

Over the next 6 weeks we will 🎉celebrate all that has happened this year 🗓️ and invite you to be a part of what we hope to accomplish in 2025!!

We have continued to FEED, NOURISH & TRANSFORM lives in and around Fort Wayne through rescuing food, providing delicious food for events, and expanding our teaching program across the city.

But we have a lot more to do and a BIG Goal of raising $100K by the end of the year! Can you believe it?!? When we dream, we dream big!

So come along, gather around our table table 🍽️ and hear the struggles and stories of transformation! Your gifts and generosity can change lives in your community! 🏙️

Tomorrow we'll share specifically about our Feeding Fort Wayne Kids program and what your donations will help accomplish!

Click HERE https://outofajamfw.networkforgood.com/projects/239427-around-the-table-2024 To Donate

www.outofajamfw.org