Holiday wishes do come true for children 12 years of age and under in the Bentley program.  “Be a Star, Brighten a Child’s Holiday” is the theme at The Learning Experience of Belle Mead this holiday season where the families of children enrolled at the center choose a star with a child’s name on it. On the back of the star, is a suggested holiday wish list for the child.

The holidays will certainly be brighter for these children because of the generous holiday giving from the families of The Learning Experience of Belle Mead. How fortunate and blessed are Bentley and The Learning Experience of Belle Mead?  We are so thankful for the generous philanthropic giving of The Learning Experience.

Please show your support of Bentley Community Services and participate in Giving Tuesday, December 2, 2014, the national celebration of generosity.  Your donation will help us further our important work with local impact. Please visit our website at www.bentleycommunityservices.org..Thank you!

We thank Trader Joe’s for their donation of fresh turkeys to us for distribution.  How fortunate we are to have received so many turkeys where so many families will enjoy these delicious turkeys, high in protein for their holiday celebration dinners!

So many hams and lasagnas came our way from ShopRite Hillsborough for distribution to our participant families.  We are so thankful for the bounty of delicious hams and lasagnas!

We are so thankful to Costco for donating holiday turkeys to us!  We were short turkeys as we are experiencing a surge in participant families that are in need.  Costco came through for us just when we were in need. We certainly are grateful.

WHAT IS #GIVINGTUESDAY?

We have a day for giving thanks. We have Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

• It’s a day to give a gift that makes an impact – right here in our own community.
• It’s a way to let your values be part of your holiday giving.

Please consider donating to Bentley this year!  We certainly are grateful for your generous contributions!

Bloomberg delivered thanksgiving blessings to Bentley! A load of delicious gourmet pies from Griggstown Farm and baskets and boxes of non-perishable food provisions, not only for preparation of holiday meals but also to fill the shelves of the food pantry. Thank you for your generous donations.  We are so thankful.

Our participant families learned such important information and gained valuable knowledge on how to prioritize their busy lives and manage their busy schedules in a more effective way.  Thank you to Lorette Pruden who did such a wonderful job in facilitating the class, Montgomery United Methodist Church for hosting us and Griggstown Reformed Church for use of their projector. We are all certainly so grateful.

A big thank you to The Learning Experience of Belle Mead who is collecting non-perishable food provisions for Bentley during the month of November!  Please drop off your generous donations from 9-5pm, Monday through Friday.  Here is the suggested list to help fill our shelves of these crucial staples for our participant families.  Thank you for your generous donations!

• Juices                                                                 Canned vegetables/beans
• Boxed Cake Mixes                                              Peanut butter/jams/jelly
• Pastas                                                                 Cooking oils/salad dressings
• Boxed Macaroni & Cheese                                 Mayonnaise/ketchup/mustard
• Boxed stuffing, potato/noodle sides                    Flour/sugar/salt
• Rice                                                                     Dried fruits/nuts
• Crackers                                                              Snack bars
• Canned Fruits                                                      Bread crumbs/panko
• Canned/Packet Gravies                                      Coffee/tea
• Canned Tuna                                                      Tomato sauce
• Canned/Packaged Soups                                   Shampoo/conditioner
• Oatmeal                                                               Deodorant
• Cereal                                                                  Toothpaste                  
• Applesauce/pudding                                            Body lotion/soap
• Gluten-free products                                            Laundry Detergent

We are now registered with Amazon Smile. Did you know that every time you make a purchase, Amazon will make a donation to Bentley Community Services? Log on to https://smile.amazon.com and make your purchases count. Please sign up today.  You can use your existing account to make purchases the same way that you usually do or create a new account if you are a first-time buyer.  It only takes a minute to register, and you will never be asked to pay additional fees.  Sign up today! Thank you!

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-0977945