Benicia Main Street gets into the giving mood

(Originally published in the 4/26/16 edition)

   Winter is always seen as the season of giving- it is the season in which Christmas falls, after all. However, people really should be benefiting those in need throughout the entire year. Benicia Main Street recently came up with the idea to tie the concept of giving with the season of spring for its weeklong promotion titled Spring into Giving. 

   “We were just throwing around ideas that had to do with spring,” Deborah Housman, Benicia Main Street’s event coordinator, said. “We thought ‘The community is really giving, with a lot of different charities, so how can we tie a shopping promotion with a charity cause?’”

   Out of this brainstorming came Spring into Giving, a promotional event lasting from Sunday, April 30 to Sunday, May 7. The event will benefit Benicia’s Family Resource Center, a community center supervised by Benicia Police Department’s Special Operation Division. The center provides assistance for families and offers parent education and family support services.

   People who drop off suggested donation items at Benicia Main Street during the week will receive a discount card valid with 33 participating downtown businesses. These include Bookshop Benicia, Camellia Tea Room, First Street Cafe, First Impressions Salon and Spa, Pups ’N’ Purrz, Union Hotel, Christina S Fashion Destination, Venticellos Ristorante Italiano, Angel Heart 4 You, Roberto’s Fine Jewelry, Wellness Wisdom and many others. 

   The goal is to stock the Family Resource Center’s closet with emergency family products. Suggested donation items include diapers, baby wipes, baby shampoos and soap, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, bath towels, wash cloths, socks, hair brushes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and more. 

   “Spring into Giving is a win-win all around,” Benicia Main Street Executive Director Nancy Martinez said in a statement. “The public gets to learn about and donate to a great community cause, while supporting local downtown businesses.”

   Benicia Main Street is located at 90 Main St. and open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays and weekends. For more information, visit BeniciaMainStreet.org or call 745-9791. 

   People can also drop off donations at the Family Resource Center, located at 150 East K St. However, appoints should be made ahead of time by calling 746-4352. For more information, email Blanche Hillman at bhillman@ci.benicia.ca.us.