Want to chat with a celebrity? Raise $250 for a good cause!

[RMDave]

Just received a mailed parcel from HO: a burgundy apron with The Pampered Chef® and Round-Up from the Heart® logos stenciled on the front.It was their way of telling me that I am now a volunteer Food Bank Coordinator for the Feeding America® program.Yay! A worthy cause and I'll be bugging all of you to remind your customers to "Round Up" or face the possibility of me showing up at their front doors ... displaying both the apron and "attitude!"•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
I'm sure that everybody knows that if you raise $200 through trivet sales and “round-ups” between Sept. 1, 2009 and June 5, 2010, you'll receive a recorded congratulatory phone call from actor/producer David Arquette (aka Mr. Courtney Cox).Here's my offer, raise $250 through trivet and "round-ups" by June 30, 2010, and you'll receive a LIVE telephone call ... from Me! I assure you, it will be well worth your time and effort.
•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

 

[babywings76]

Wow! That's cool! I assume you volunteered to be a Food Bank Coordinator? I was intrigued by that idea when I heard it from HO. I wonder what all is involved? Do you have more details?

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

That's awesome Dave! Kudos for applying. There were no vacancies last year, and they teased me this year stating it was open. Turns out it wasn't after all.

 

[RMDave]

Well aside from wearing the apron and donating a day a month (minimally) to the local Food Bank, I also am supposed to run a fundraiser specifically for them AND present them with the Big Ol' Check at the end of the year.

And motivate ... Read the amended original post at the top of this page. Go for it .. you WANT to talk with me on the phone. I assure you.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Oh my, Dave - I just read your challenge for the round up campaign. Hilarious! Thanks for a great laugh!


(I'd much rather have a call from you than whatshisname.

 

[RMDave]

(I'd much rather have a call from you than whatshisname.

The day the pre-recorded phone-call was initially announced, a consultant friend said: "Why don't they just send us one of his CDs?"

She thought he was singer David Archuleta from American Idol.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

The day the pre-recorded phone-call was initially announced, a consultant friend said: "Why don't they just send us one of his CDs?"

She thought he was singer David Archuleta from American Idol.

Stop! Now you're making me laugh even more! I wonder how many people said "David Who?" when it was announced?

 

[RMDave]

For those who wonder about David Arquette:David James Arquette (born September 8, 1971) is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, fashion designer, and former professional wrestler. A member of the Arquette acting family, he first became known during the late 1990s after starring in several Hollywood films; including the Scream trilogy. He is set to star in the upcoming installment in the Scream series along with the original castmembers Courtney Cox Arquette (his wife) and Neve Campbell. He has since had several television roles, including playing "Jason Ventress" on ABC's In Case of Emergency. In addition to his acting career Arquette took a brief foray into professional wrestling in early 2000, appearing for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and becoming a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion; a booking decision which has been cited as being pivotal to the degradation of the title and the downfall of WCW.Arquette was born in a Subud commune in Winchester, Virginia, the son of Brenda "Mardi" Olivia (née Nowak), an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor. Arquette's paternal grandfather was comedian Cliff Arquette (aka Charlie Weaver). David Arquette's mother was Jewish, the daughter of a Holocaust refugee from Poland,[4] and Arquette's father was a convert to Islam and a descendant of explorer Meriwether Lewis (and is thus of partial Welsh descent). Arquette's siblings are actors Rosanna, Alexis, Richmond, and Patricia Arquette.Arquette married actress Courteney Cox on June 12, 1999. Their first child, a daughter named Coco Riley Arquette, was born on June 13, 2004. Jennifer Aniston (Cox's Friends co-star), is the baby's godmother.Arquette serves as Chair of the Entertainment Council for Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.
Arquette has appeared in a number of movies including 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as Benny) and 1994's Airheads (as Carter). He also did guest spots on television shows like Blossom (1992), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1992), Friends (1996).Arquette arguably achieved his biggest success in the horror/slasher film trilogy Scream as Dewey Riley. It was during the filming of the first film in 1996 that he first met his future-wife: Courteney Cox. Much like their characters, the couple married in 1999. Together they appeared in a 2003 advertisement for Coke. The same year they formed production company Coquette (both a portmanteau of their last names and a word meaning a flirty woman) and have produced a number of films and television series, including Daisy Does America, Dirt, and Cougar Town, the latter two starring Courtney Cox-Arquette.Arquette appeared in the Sega video game ESPN NFL 2K5, both voicing himself as a "celebrity adversary" and manager of his own team; the Los Angeles Locos, as well as appearing as an unlockable character in Season Mode. He also appeared in the 2001 EA video game SSX Tricky, as the voice of lead character Eddie.Arquette also starred alongside Jonathan Silverman and Kelly Hu in the 2007 ABC comedy series In Case of Emergency, which was canceled after one season after only airing 12 of its 13 episodes. Since then he has appeared in the 2008 film Hamlet 2 as Gary and is currently set to reprise his role as Dewey Riley in the latest Scream 4, again acting alongside his wife.

 

[pampchefsarah]

I know who David Arquette is, but a 'pre-recorded message' from any celebrity is not going to motivate me to do anything. However, a live call from Dave! I'm going to P3 right now to see where I stand.ETA: Um, yeah, I have a LONG way to go. Better get cracking.

 

[wadesgirl]

Um Dave, I already reached that a long time ago! You may owe me more than one phone call. I'm a sucker for any apron, but don't you have to be a director or above?

 

[cookingwithdot]

I ask EVERY customer if they would like to round up their orders ... no one has said NO yet! Such an easy thing to do!!

 

[RMDave]

I'm a sucker for any apron, but don't you have to be a director or above?

Not to be a Volunteer Food Bank Coordinator .. I think they took me because I was breathing and looking in the wrong direction when they were making their choice.

 

[RMDave]

I ask EVERY customer if they would like to round up their orders ... no one has said NO yet! Such an easy thing to do!!

I agree, Dot. Who is going to say "no" to feeding the homeless. Especially since the money stays in your own community (if not a neighboring one).

 

[pampchefsarah]

I have had people say 'no' to rounding up. Then again, I've had people add more then just the round up amount.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I have had people say 'no' to rounding up. Then again, I've had people add more then just the round up amount.

I've had lots of people say no to rounding up. I don't get it, but I'm pretty sure it's the area where I live.

 

[esavvymom]

I agree, Dot. Who is going to say "no" to feeding the homeless. Especially since the money stays in your own community (if not a neighboring one).

They wouldn't be JUST the homeless you're feeding...at least not in my area. The Food Bank provides foods to needy families, with home or not- at least here.

 

[RMDave]

They wouldn't be JUST the homeless you're feeding...at least not in my area. The Food Bank provides foods to needy families, with home or not- at least here.

You are correct Bobbi. In my area, the local food bank also provides for the frail and elderly. I don't believe anybody in need is turned away.

The "Round Up from the Heart" campaign is something I'm proud to be involved with.

 

[Sheila]

I'm bad & don't push it. But no one has ever been able to tell me where the money goes for those of us collecting on Military Bases overseas. So it's kind of hard to market that without being able to answer the question.So for the ones who meet your goal, Dave ... do they get a button or a ribbon?

(Sorry, that was my alter ego taking over there!

)

 

[NooraK]

This is what the FAQ on the RUFTH page on CC says:

All Round-Up donations received through the Round-Up from the Heart® (RUFTH) campaign are donated to Feeding America® affiliated food banks. Donations are made to the food bank closest to the Cooking Show host’s zip code. For each trivet sold, $2 is contributed to the Feeding America® national office.

My best guess then would be that if there isn't an affiliated food bank in the area, the donations would go to the national office.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

This is too funny and brilliant! Already making a difference Dave!

About 90% of the guests I ask to Round Up tell me no. Not sure why, but it's true and sad.

 

[wadesgirl]

This is too funny and brilliant! Already making a difference Dave!

About 90% of the guests I ask to Round Up tell me no. Not sure why, but it's true and sad.

That's a bummer, about 90% of mine do and 25% of them donate more than $1!

 

[NooraK]

This is too funny and brilliant! Already making a difference Dave!

About 90% of the guests I ask to Round Up tell me no. Not sure why, but it's true and sad.

How do you present the program during your demo? Since I use the DCB for almost every show, I also have the trivet out. It reminds me to talk about the program. I say something like this:

"Since PC is about food and cooking, it's only natural that they would support an important cause such as ending hunger. We hear all these stories about places all over the world where children go hungry, but the truth is that it happens right here at home, too. Feeding America is a wonderful organization that provides all kinds of different programs from soup kitchens to summer lunch programs to helping the elderly to providing emergency assistance.

Now, one thing I've learned about how food banks work is that your donations go much further than you would think. It's not like going to the grocery store and seeing what $1 will get you (which we all know really isn't much). A $1 donation will actually provide 10 pounds of food, much more than you or I could buy at Publix or Kroger.

We raise funds for the program by selling our trivets, which are beautiful, and $2 from the sale of each trivet goes to Feeding America. You can also round up your total on your order tonight, and your donations will go to our local Feeding America affiliate, The Atlanta Food Bank. Your donation is completely tax deductible, and you can round up as little or as much as you'd want to. I'll be asking you when we total up your order if you'd like to participate in the program."

Then, when I'm checking out my customers, I make a point to remember to ask them if they'd like to round up for the local food bank. When they say yes, I ask "How much would you like to round up?"

 

[RMDave]

Perfect, Noora ... I do tell people that I am going to ask them to round up so they expect it during check out. Look at my face. How can they say no to me? LOL

 

[cookinfletch]

I much prefer your challenge. I have so many people that say no- it's hard to believe, since it's less than a dollar!! I also like how Noora says it- how can anyone turn it down then?