Truman Charities Supports KIND

Kids In Need Distributors (KIND) is a Montgomery County-based charity that provides critical food supplies to children through local schools. Truman Charities is so excited to partner with KIND to raise funds for this important cause. On February 25, 2023, Tommy Joe’s in Bethesda, Maryland will host one of Truman Charities’ signature gatherings from 6-9:30. The event will feature a raffle and a live auction as well as food and open bar. Tickets can be purchased here.

Putting Food on the Table for Hungry Children

KIND was founded by Jeremy Lichtenstein, a local as well as one of the nation’s top real estate agents. He began on his own, buying groceries to drop off at an elementary school. Ten years later, KIND serves 27 schools, providing much-needed, non-perishable food to over 3,000 students through the help of over 150 volunteers and a fleet of 50 vehicles. KIND delivers the food to the schools where teachers provide students with essential food for the coming weekend.

Jeremy is truly excited to be partnering with Truman Charities for this event. “We have been able to reach so many children suffering from food insecurity, but we can do more. I’m looking forward to meeting with people who want to help and spreading the word about our work.” Check out the latest podcast episode to learn more.

Fun and Philanthropy in a Winning Combination

Truman Charities operates on the principle that people who want to be generous deserve a good time. This all-volunteer organization sponsors fund-raising events throughout the year, highlighting charities and giving them a much-needed infusion of donations. The organization pays for the entertainment, so 100% of the proceeds go directly to the featured charity. With events in local homes and venues, Truman Charities gives people a chance to get together for a good cause, secure in the knowledge that their contribution is going straight to the need.

A Legacy of Giving and Awareness

In addition to raising funds for organizations, Truman Charities makes a point to help people to learn more about the many ways that they can help in the community. In a recent video, we shared some of our successes as well as our approach. The signature events are only one piece of the puzzle since Truman Charities also has a podcast that invites charities to showcase their good work. With multiple shows a month, the podcast features charities as well as other information about philanthropy and community service of interest to their wide network of generous donors and volunteers.

We hope you’ll join us in supporting KIND at the upcoming event. If you want to get involved with Truman Charities or learn more about how to donate to one of our featured charities, sign up for our e-newsletter.

Exciting Developments in 2022 Q4

New leadership on the Board Since its inception, Truman Charities has emphasized the importance of the community of donors who come together to celebrate and spread joy. Our organization’s founders began with a simple house party, and this grew into a mission to hold multiple events per year with hundreds of guests and 100% of their charitable donations going to the target cause. As of December 2022, Truman Charities raised $106,000 for the year and has grossed over $1,506,000 to support others. Growth can bring exciting change, and we have been so happy to welcome a longtime participant and donor, Cynthia Hall, as the new Chair of the Board of Truman Charities.

Cindy is the President and Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors of Z FEDERAL bringing over three decades of experience in government contracting to her leadership role. She is an expert in working with small and disadvantaged businesses and in human resources. Cindy is passionate about service, as well as working in communities to directly impact and improve the lives of children. This is not her first non-profit board experience, and we are so excited for her leadership and knowledge to carry Truman Charities forward.

Cindy shares with us that "For many years, I have donated and attended Truman Charities events, where I saw the tremendous acts of giving from the community. Today, I am honored to join Truman Charities as a Board member, where I have had the opportunity to not just see but feel the generosity of what this Charity embodies."

Podcast Reaches 60+

Truman Charities Co-Founder, Jamie Truman, hosts a wonderful resource for the giving community. Her podcast, A Philanthropist’s Guide to Charitable Organizations, invites guests to engage in important, informative conversations with Jamie about their organization, providing the kind of information and inspiration that donors want to have before making the decision about where to allocate their charitable dollars. While the podcast frequently features charitable organizations in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, many guests have a nationwide reach in their efforts to bring about positive change where they see a need.

This Fall, Jamie published Episode 60 on October 25, about an organization’s quest to fund a cure for a rare form of pediatric cancer. Since then, she has invited other guests and dealt with veterans, adopted children, and animal rescue. For Jamie, there are so many worthy causes that reach the hearts of donors, that she finds the podcast an incredible platform to give light and information about these opportunities to do good.

Learn more about upcoming events at Truman Charities, or contact us at info@trumansharities.com to learn how you can get involved with the organization.

Happy Holidays!

This Halloween Party is Going to Be Spooktacular

Truman Charities is so excited to partner with https://feedthefridge.org/Feed the Fridge, whose Founder Mark Bucker recently appeared on our podcast. Our annual Halloween Event is happening on October 29 from 6-10 PM at Tommy Joes in Bethesda, MD. You can buy tickets and join in the festivities, which includes a costume contest with winners in individual, couple, and group categories. As with every Truman Charities Event, 100% of the proceeds will go to Feed the Fridge so that they can continue to do their great work.

Mark Bucker is on a Mission

Mark is the owner of the popular Medium Rare restaurants, with locations in Arlington, Bethesda, and Cleveland Park. When the pandemic hit, and kids were moved to virtual classrooms, suddenly school meals weren’t going to be available. Mark realized that he could do something about food insecurity for families living in the DC Area and help local restaurants stay in business at the same time. How? Feed the Fridge has set up freely accessible refrigerators outside key locations such as schools and rec centers where anyone can get a meal, any time, no questions asked. The meals are provided by local restaurants, and the money to pay for the meals is raised by Feed the Fridge. Like Truman Charities, and one of the reasons we really wanted to help the organization out is that 100% of the money raised goes to meals to stock the fridges.

According to Mark, it is so important to be a part of the solution to problems like food insecurity in a way that makes sense. Feed the Fridge consulted with an association of Pediatricians to get information on the right composition of protein, carbohydrate, and starch to sustain a person for 8 hours. He then challenged participating restaurant chefs to come up with quality meals that meet those criteria in tasty ways. Vegan meals, steak dinners, and India fare are among the choices that people have when they access the fridge. Mark was particularly moved to learn that Feed the Fridge is letting families eat dinner together – which doesn’t happen easily for people living with food insecurity.

The Halloween Party is a Fun Annual Event

According to Jamie Truman, co-founder of Truman Charities, "we are thrilled to work with Feed the Fridge and host the annual Halloween event because we are passionate about creating fun opportunities for people to come together have fun and support such great causes." Every year, this is one of the most popular events organized by Truman Charities, with a big crowd coming out to support a cause they know has been well-vetted as the real deal. Jamie, also the co-host of the event comments, “we were particularly happy that Feed the Fridge gives 100% of its proceeds to the cause.”

Participants can expect to have a wonderful time, and the costumes are always creative and entertaining. Guests and donors may be able to win some donated items, including a home-cooked meal for 10 by none other than Mark Bucher, who notes “I don’t even cook at home, but this is a lot of fun for me.” Stays in Florida and the Hard Rock are also going to be up for grabs. We hope you can make it. And if you can’t, please consider donating to this worthy cause.