You wouldn’t think seafood paella and backpacks have much in common, right? Well, it’s time to think again!
On Tuesday, July 29th, from 5:30pm to 9pm, renowned San Francisco eatery Cha Cha Cha is hosting a “Mission Backpack Giveaway Fundraiser & Happy Hour.” The Mission District restaurant has generously offered to donate a portion of the night’s revenue to an important neighborhood cause, as folks indulge in some classic New World cuisine.
What is the cause? To raise needed funds for the Saturday, August 9th, 3-in-1 “Back to School Event” the Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) is holding. In December 2012, MEDA received a $30-million federal grant to replicate the successful Harlem Children’s Zone in the Mission District of San Francisco. The goal of MPN is to guide kids on a cradle-to-college-to-career continuum, partnering with 26 organizations that also provide client services. Part of this initiative is making sure schoolchildren have the tools they need to do well in their studies, hence the need for this fundraising event.
“Imagine our delight when several years ago our dedicated and joyful friends from MEDA moved from a block away to our very corner,” declares Cha Cha Cha spokesman, Michael Nolan. “Our creative symbiosis with this cracker-jack community service agency has only accelerated in recent years and we are honored that MEDA would choose Cha Cha Cha for its Backpack Giveaway fundraising party on July 29th.”
The backpacks are ready–the goal is to be able to fill these 2K backpacks with needed back-to-school items. Many Mission District students come from financially challenged families, meaning the cost of a backpack and school supplies cannot compete with a family trying to pay rent and put food on the table. Such families look forward to this event, as they prepare their children to head back to class 100% primed to achieve.
This August 9th happening will actually include a trio of events: a Backpack Giveaway, supported by the San Francisco Mayor’s Office and Target; MEDA’s third “Get Connected!” event, presented by Google and LinkedIn, with tech volunteers teaching Mission residents differing levels of digital literacy; and a Mission Promise Neighborhood Resource Fair, supported by MPN partners who will avail the community of their variegated free services.
MEDA’s Director of Development, Jillian Spindle, is grateful for this community support. She states, “We are grateful to our neighbor, Cha Cha Cha, for supporting the Mission Promise Neighborhood’s 3-in-1 ‘Back to School Event.’ We plan to give out 2,000 backpacks, stuffed with school supplies, to area students—along with lots of resources for families on topics like personal finance, accessing jobs, childcare and early education, and much more. The Mission Promise Neighborhood is 26 partner organizations, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and City of San Francisco agencies coming together to say that it is our collective job to make sure our children and young people are successful in school. We welcome the partnership and support of neighborhood businesses like Cha Cha Cha to help us meet our goals.”
MPN showcases the power of community, epitomized by this fundraising event at Cha Cha Cha on July 29th.
Cha Cha Cha
2327 Mission St. (between 19th & 20th), San Francisco, CA
(415) 824-1502