Previous Massage-for-a-Cause Partners

The Denton Back to School Fair

The Denton Back to School Fair brings several organizations together to provide students with the resources and supplies they need to have a confident and a healthy start to the school year.  We are collecting items in July, in preparation for this event which will be held August 11, 2018.

Please bring in one or more of these items in the quantities suggested, and you will be entered to win a free 1-hour massage here at Soma Massage Therapy! Thanks for your helping hands!

• 24 count crayons (1 or more boxes)
• Classic Wide-tip Markers (1 or more boxes)
• Wide ruled spirals (2 or more)
• 24 count pencils (1 or more packs)
• Colored pencils (1 or more sets)
• Folders with brads (be generous! These are much needed and sometimes hard to fine)
• Glue sticks (4 or more)
• Elmer’s glue (2 or more bottles)
• Red or Blue pens (4 or more)
• Rulers (1 or more)

Thanks to you, we were able to collect the following items for Nurse Cook’s food pantry:

• Carrots 1 canned 14.5 oz
• Cereal 6 boxes 96 oz
• Taco shells 8.7 oz 1 box
• Fruit snacks: 1 box 6.4 oz
• Mac & Cheese: 19 boxes 147oz
• Pineapple 4 cans  80 oz
• Peaches  4 cans 60 oz
• Oranges 4 cans 60 oz
• Crackers 2 boxes 22 oz
• Pasta  2 bags 14 oz
• Snack crackers 8 boxes
• Cereal bars 6 boxes 48 total count
• Crunchy granola bars 2 boxes 48 total count
• Chewy granola bars 9 boxes 78 total count
• Ramen noodle soup 7 packs 86 total count
• Canned pasta:
• Lasagna 12 cans (11 pounds)
• Ravioli 23 cans(15 pounds)
• Applesauce 4.5 pounds
• 3 can openers
• Tuna 21 cans (5 pounds)
• Chicken 5 cans (just 1 ¾ pounds)
• Peanut butter 1 count 1 pound
• Beans 2 cans 2 pounds
• Chili 1 can 1 pound
• Corn 20 cans 18 pounds
• Green beans 7 cans 6 pounds
• Peans 2 cans 1 ¾ pounds

April and May 2018:

Communities in Schools

Our February 2018 Massage for a Cause recipient is Community Partners of Denton County, which provides support to Child Protective Services throughout the year, including gifts at Christmas, warm coats in the fall and winter, and making sure the Rainbow Rooms are stocked with toys, supplies, games, and clean clothes for those children (and babies!) who have recently been removed from their homes.

• • 14 boxes of diapers (1028 diapers total!)
  • 4 packs of wipes (296 wipes total!)
  • 5 teethers
  • 42 feeding items (such as spoons, cups, bowls, and forks)
  • 32 pacifiers
  • 33 bibs
  • 10 bath towels
  • 22 washcloths
  • 8 blankets
  • 37 pairs of underwear
  • 13 infant toys
  • 6 hats
  • 12 pairs of socks
  • 2 hat/glove sets

January 2018:

In honor of “National Mentoring Month,” our January 2018 Massage for a Cause partner is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Denton County

Big Brothers Big Sisters partners with parents/guardians, volunteers, and donors to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that changes lives for the better, forever.

Thanks to your generosity, we collected the following items this month:

• Crayons: 9 boxes/200 crayons
• Markers: 6 boxes/64 markers
• Colored pencils 2 boxes 24 count
• Rulers 3
• Erasers 2
• Glue 28 ounces
• Toothbrushes 3
• Toothbrush holder 1
• Gray plastic box 1
• Insulated lunch bags 4
• Flash card sets 2
• Keychain game 1
• childrens literature 2
• workbook/activity book 1
• Coloring books 6
• Construction paper: 12×9 8 packages /438 sheets AND 12×18 2 packages /160 sheets

December 2017:

Our December 2017 Massage for a Cause partner is Health Services of North Texas.

HSNT provides preventive care, well-child and well-adult exams, gynecology, on-site lab testing, education, immunizations and much more. They additionally offer case management, a prescription assistance program, and accept CHIP, Medicaid, Medicare, most insurance programs, and also provide sliding-scale services to ensure that anyone who needs medical care has the ability to receive it!

Thanks to your helping hands, we were able to provide the following items:

• Toilet paper-12 rolls
• 40 hand wipes
• Aspirin 132 count/2 bottles
• 11 boxes of bandages-510 total
• Clothing:
  • 1 Thermal shirt
  • 1 fleece pant
  • 3 mittens/gloves
  • 5 hats
  • 2 scarves
• 10 boxes Tissues-1188 count
• Food items:
  • Tea bags 22 count
  • 2 soups 38 ounces
  • 2 boxed mixes

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  November 2017:

  Interfaith Ministries provides economically disadvantaged people with short term assistance.  If you need a hand paying your electric bill, acquiring eyeglasses, collecting school supplies, or paying your rent, IFM is there to help.

  We partnered with Interfaith last year during our diaper drive, and collected literally hundreds of diapers of all sizes for them to distribute to their clients. This time around, we are doing a toilet paper drive — because let’s face it: if you have $5 left, you’re probably going to spend it on milk and bread instead of toilet paper.

   

  Here’s my personal story and why this drive is so important to me:

  I remember when I (Amber — the owner of Soma Massage Therapy) was a little girl, growing up with my little brother and my hard working, single mom. She was juggling college, two small kids, and a couple of jobs, and there were many days when we hardly had enough to eat. One thing we rarely had was toilet paper, because it was just too expensive for our tiny budget. As a result, we regularly used newspaper or rags to wipe ourselves with, and my tiny little bottom often had terrible rashes and sores on it due to the unsanitary and abrasive materials we used.

  When we DID have toilet paper, it was such a luxury that I remember hiding it in little wads in the bathroom so I could use it and give my poor bottom a break.

  I encourage you to give generously with this drive — this particular cause has a lot of personal meaning to me, and I’d love for some little kid in Denton County to be saved from having this same experience as I had as a child using the bathroom!

  Thanks to you, we collected 403 rolls of toilet paper this month! That’s a lot of happy butts in Denton County!

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  October 2017:

  First Refuge Ministries is our neighbor just up the street, and we’re so excited to sponsor them this month! First Refuge provides a food pantry, counseling, health services, and is the only FREE dental clinic in Denton County.

  Thanks to you, we collected the following items:
  • 3 notepads
  • 24 pens
  • 12 pencils
  • 1-40 oz hand soap
  • Toothpaste: 16 tubes or 43 ounces
  • Floss: 15 containers or 716.50 yards
  • 2 boxes of kleenex
  • 41 toothbrushes

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  September 2017:

  The City of Denton Fire Department is collecting items to distribute to first responders who are deployed to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

  Thanks to you, we were able to collect the following items for our hurricane relief efforts:

  • 91 bottles of water
  • 34 tampons
  • 17 adult incontinence products
  • 72 wipes
  • 28 infant diapers
  • 11 rolls of toilet paper
  • 164 Lysol wipes
  • Liquid soap 5 bottles 23 ounces
  • Hand Sanitizer 33.8 ounces
  • Spray bug repellant 46 ounces 6 cans
  • 78 snack bars
  • 12 jerky bags 36.5 ounces
  • Batteries-30 various sizes

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  August 2017:

  Fred Moore Day Nursery School is a non profit preschool and is the only sliding-scale preschool in Denton that accepts children as young as 6 weeks old. FMDNS is assembling “emergency packs” — so in the event of a Fire Drill or emergency evacuation, they will still have all the supplies necessary to ensure that their students are safe and well cared for.

  Thanks to you, Soma Massage Therapy was able to collect the following items for FMDNS’s “emergency packs”:

  • 10 flashlights
  • 36 batteries
  • 53 pens/pencils
  • 42 diapers
  • 3 toys/books
  • 200 bandages
  • 21 tissue packs
  • 3 boxes of snacks
  • 11 notepads

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  July 2017:

  Cumberland Presbyterian Children’s Home has helped abused and neglected children since 1904.

  They have the following programs:

  • Emergency Shelter for abused and neglected children
  • Residential cottage for girls
  • Residential cottage for siblings (to help keep them from being separated)
  • Single Parent Family low cost housing to prevent homelessness
  • Low cost counseling and parenting classes to prevent the cycle of abuse

  Their Emergency Shelter needs new clothing for the new residents who frequently arrive with

  only what they have on.

  Thanks to your helping hands, Soma Massage Therapy was able to collect the following items:

  • • 5 shirts
    • 38 pairs of socks
    • 27 pairs of undies
    • 4 undershirts
    • 2 small notepads

   

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  June 2017:

  Opening Doors International Services is recognized by the US Department of Justice and has been providing professional help and humanitarian services for families and individuals in North Texas since 2003.

  Opening Doors primarily does two things: providing awareness on the scourge of human trafficking, modern-day slavery, and helping people who would be great Americans become U.S. Citizens or legal residents.

  Thanks to you, we were able to collect:

  • 1300 pieces of copy paper, and
  • 3100 sticky notes!

  Thank you for your helping hands!

   

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  May 2017:

  The Denton Community Health Clinic was founded in November 2011 by Dr. Filippo Masciarelli and Alice Masciarelli  R.N.. Since the clinic’s inception over 2,500 individuals have been served.  Most people they serve pay a minimal amount for their care while about 20% contribute through insurance or self-pay.

  Thanks to you, we were able to collect the following items for DCHC:

  • 1950 pieces of copy paper
  • 580 band-aids

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  April 2017 —

  Our Daily Bread is a community soup kitchen located in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in downtown Denton that serves a free, nutritious lunch meal Monday through Friday to the hungry and homeless in Denton County and surrounding areas.

  Thanks to you, we were able to collect the following items for Our Daily Bread:

  • socks 14 pairs
  • 18 pounds of food
  • napkins 720 
  • cups 396 
  • feminine hygiene products 30 
  • pain reliever 308 tablets (6 bottles) 
  • toothbrushes- 9 
  • mouth wash- 11 bottles 
  • lip balm- 2
  • deodorant-14 containers
  • soap- 1 bar
  • shampoo & conditioner- 2 bottles 6 oz total
  • bug spray- 26 ounces; 4 bottles
  • sunscreen-2 bottles; 12 ounces 
  • cotton balls- 2 bags

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  March 2017 — Interfaith Ministries

  Interfaith Ministries serves over 3,000 people a year as the primary resource for emergency basic needs assistance in Northern Denton County with the goal of helping those people to become self-sufficient. They are supported by several area faith-based affiliates as well as individual donors, the United Way of Denton County, contracts, grant funding, and other special events.

  The staff at Interfaith report that many times, people come to their facility with the hard choice of spending their money on paying their utility bill, or buying diapers.
  

  Thanks to you, Soma Massage Therapy collected 302 diapers that were donated to Interfaith Ministries!

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  February 2017 — Denton County MHMR

  Denton County MHMR Center is a local Non-Profit Community Center specializing in the treatment of mental health, and servicing individuals in Denton County with a mental health diagnosis or a developmental disability diagnosis.  Denton County MHMR Center is designated as the local Mental Health and Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Authority for Denton County, Texas.

  They provide a multitude of services including a crisis hotline, out-patient psychiatric care, skills training, community support, home based services, and more.

  Thanks to you we were able to collect:

  • 30.6 lbs of nonperishable food
  • 29 Diapers
  • 3 packages of Feminine products
  • Personal hygiene products:
    • 6 sticks of deodorant
    • 4 bottles of shampoo or conditioner
    • 2 bottles of lotion
    • 4 bottles of body wash
    • 2 sticks of lip balm
    • 17 bars of soap
    • 23 toothbrushes
    • 17 tubes of toothpaste
    • 2 packages of floss

   

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  January 2017 – Refuge for Women

  As January is National Trafficking Awareness Month, we have partnered with Refuge for Women, a local non-profit providing a long-term safe home in Denton County. Refuge for Women is a 12-14 month resident program where those escaping the lives of sex trafficking can find healing, hope, and new life.

  92% of women caught in the sex industry want out, but feel they have nowhere to turn. Front-line rescue organizations can get them off the street and offer them short-term help. But short term care doesn’t provide the ongoing support, trauma therapy to help them deal with their past, and job skill training to give them a shot at starting over. Refuge for Women provides that missing link between rescue and recovery.

   

  Thanks to you, we were able to collect:

  • 24 new or gently used kitchen utensils (spatula, wooden spoons, funnels, etc)
  • 2 new or gently used twin-sized blankets
  • 2 hair dryers / 1 curling iron / 1 straightening iron
  • 5 new hair brushes
  • 21 bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or lotion
  • art supplies or stickers for art therapy (3 packages of colored pencils, 2 packages of markers, 2 packages of crayons, 2 pairs of scissors, and about 50 sheets of stickers)
  • feminine hygiene products (5 packages of sanitary pads or 138 total, and 1 box of tampons or 34 total)
  • 1 bottle of dish soap
  • 2 bottles of hand soap
  • 9 tubes of toothpaste, 19 toothbrushes, and 8 packages of dental floss
  • 8 sticks of women’s deodorant

  In addition we collected 5 bars of soap, a bottle of hair gel, a new package of cotton underwear (8 pairs), some Clinique toiletry bags with goodies inside, and literally dozens and dozens of little single-sized toiletry items like soap, shampoo, and lotion.

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  December 2016 – Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County

  The Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County is committed to a multidisciplinary response to child sexual abuse. Established in 1997, the agency coordinates with law enforcement, child protective services, medical and mental health professionals to help children and their non-offending family members seek justice and find healing.

  In an effort to protect Denton County’s children from sexual abuse, the center offers free training and community outreach programs designed how to help the public recognize and react responsibly to child abuse.

   Thanks to your generosity, Soma Massage Therapy was able to collect the following items:

  • 34 bottles of bubbles
  • 6 packages of construction paper
  • 5 sketch pads
  • 26 containers of Play doh
  • 7 boxes of Band Aids
  • 12 boxes of colored pencils
  • 14 packages of stickers
  • 41 writing journals

  AND a friendship bracelet crafting kit that wasn’t even on their wishlist but is a VERY good idea!  Good job, whoever that was!

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  November 2016 – Salvation Army of Denton County

  The Salvation Army of Denton is an emergency night shelter, food pantry, social service center, soup kitchen (KARE Kitchen), and church. Located North East of The University of North Texas and South East of Texas Woman’s University, The Salvation Army Denton addresses the needs of the homeless and working poor of Denton County.

  The shelter and KARE Kitchen are open 365-days a year regardless of rain, sleet, snow, sunshine, or holiday, and the food pantry is open twice a week to Denton County residents who are in need of assistance.

   

  Thanks to you, we collected over one hundred pounds of food for the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving baskets!  Here’s a breakdown:

   

  • Stuffing – 19 boxes
  • Instant Potatoes – 17 packages/boxes
  • Gravy – 11 cans/jars
  • Canned Vegetables, Sweet Potatoes, or Cranberries – 65 cans
  • Bisquik mix – 6 boxes
  • Grocery card to buy a turkey! – 0, but we did get a $5 donation!

  That totals 1645.6.5 oz, or 102.85 pounds of food!  Thank you so much!

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  October 2016 – Health Services of North Texas

  Health Services of North Texas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing excellent medical care for the entire family from newborns to grandparents including prenatal care, counseling services, as well as chronic and infectious disease care management.

  Thanks to you, we collected:

  • 35 tubes of toothpaste
  • 30 toothbrushes
  • 10 boxes of tissues
  • 8 bottles of hand sanitizer (58 oz. total)
  • 360 cough drops
  • 23 rolls of dental floss
  • 120 bandaids
  • 50 diapers
  • 3 bottles of mouthwash
  • 7 packages of sanitizing hand wipes (250 wipes total)
  • 4 packages of disinfecting wipes for surfaces (185 wipes total)
  • plus shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shower gel, and a fancy body mist from Bath & Body Works that weren’t even on our wish list! (yummy!)

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  September 2016 – Denton County Friends of the Family

  Denton County Friends of the Family provides care and support for those who have experienced domestic violence, rape, or sexual abuse.  They provide shelter, counseling, and prevention programs, and is the sole provider in Denton County of shelter and free outreach services to those who have been affected by relationship violence and/or sexual assault.

  Thanks to you, we collected:

  • Baby Monitor (2)
  • Professional attire (5 items)
  • Diapers (11 packages / 284 individual diapers)
  • Baby Formula (1 container / 12.4 oz)
  • Pads (2 boxes / 86 individual pads)
  • Tampons (5 boxes / 176 tampons)
  • Black hair care products (16 bottles / 146.25 total oz.)

   

  Miscellaneous items not on their wish list, but still very helpful:

  • Baby food or cereal (9 boxes or jars / 50 total oz.)
  • Childrens vitamins (24 packages)
  • Facial care products (5 bottles / 13 total oz.)
  • Shower gel (2 bottles / 36 oz.)
  • Lotion (1 bottle / 18 oz.)

   

  Thank you, everyone! Your generosity is amazing!