– Sarah Goodman
 
Day 2: DonorsChoose
Today, Eastwick donated to a DonorsChoose project. It was our pleasure to place the final donation to completely fund a project giving math and science materials to curious kindergarteners at Cherry Chase Elementary School in Sunnyvale. DonorsChoose.org has created a space where public school teachers from across America post classroom project requests, ranging from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class. The neat thing about DonorsChoose.org is you can give any amount that inspires you towards any project – of which there are thousands! As a long time donor and supporter of DonorsChoose, I was inspired by the Cherry Chase commitment to the sciences and childhood curiosity and experimentation. Eastwick’s donation will help Cherry Chase purchase magnets, color paddles, shape sorting centers, eyedroppers and feel & discover science bags to help students in Ms. T’s kindergarten class develop an understanding of the world around them.

– Jesse Hamlin
 
Day 3: The Melt/FeelGood
Food – it’s nutritious, delicious, and a means of connecting and sharing with others. But we often take it for granted and how extensive of an impact it has on our lives. Today Eastwick’s San Francisco office made a trip over to The Melt, a natural, eco-friendly grilled cheese startup sprouting up in the Bay Area. Today was a two-part day of giving: to support The Melt, a venture we are big fans of, and to also round-up our purchase for FeelGood, a San Francisco-based social enterprise which strives to end hunger in our lifetime. This organization empowers college students to run their own on-campus gourmet grilled cheese delis. All of the profits from on-campus sales go to The Hunger Project or Choice Humanitarian, which both work to sustainably end world hunger. The most amazing thing about FeelGood is they are empowering and mobilizing a generation of passionate and thriving changemakers. I have been so fortunate to be a part of FeelGood both as a student and an alumnus and it’s truly inspiring to see The Melt and FeelGood’s partnership to round-up for a better, more sustainable world for everyone. Thank you to FeelGood and The Melt for your thoughtful partnership to empower hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Oh, and of course, for sharing delicious food with so many!

– Peggy Snider
 
Day 4: Hope’s Corner and Day Worker Center
Today’s gift of giving is one that is especially fun for us—shopping for Christmas gifts for children and teens from local families that are not in a position to afford them. We are helping to supply toys and gifts for a “store” that will be set up for day workers and Hope’s Corner – a joint program of Los Altos and Trinity United Methodist Churches that provides a free breakfast and sack lunch to people in need – families in Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Los Altos where parents can select one or two gifts per child. There’s nothing like a bunch of Eastwickers, carts in hand, running through Target and scooping up bikes, dollhouses and games, knowing they are going to kids who could really use them. To join us in volunteering, go to Hope Corner’s sign-up page.

– Barbara Bates
 
Day 5: The Sharks Foundation
On December 15, the Eastwick team piled aboard its sweet party bus and trundled down to HP Pavilion to watch our San Jose Sharks take on the Colorado Avalanche. And since both goaltenders were clearly in the gift-giving mood (Team Teal skated to a 5-4, come-from-behind win), we were inspired to give as well.

The Sharks Foundation, founded in 1994, is a Bay Area-based charitable organization that supports local youth, families in need, the advancement of hockey in our community, and even provides emergency aid. The organization has donated over $5 million to more than 109 local beneficiaries since its inception, and we’re proud to be part of that.

While we were there, we met up with five-time Emmy winner and Sharks television play-by-play man Randy Hahn for a quick photo op. Thanks, Randy! And Go Sharks!

– Joseph Beare
 
Day 6: Community Services Agency
In many ways Silicon Valley has a vibrant economy; however, we are not immune to the global recession. In the midst of plenty, jobs are shifting, savings are depleted and families struggle with making ends meet. Too often, basics like food can take a backseat to more pressing financial demands. Today, Eastwickers delivered bags of canned and packaged goods to the food pantry at Community Services Agency in Mountain View, a wonderful organization that provides a variety of social services to residents of our area. CSA brings food assistance in a grocery store-type environment, helping to fill an important resource gap so that people can feed their families and stay healthy in the face of overwhelming financial constraints or unexpected emergencies.

– Cathy Thompson
 
Day 7: Save Our Shores
For 20 years, Eastwick has had a front row seat to watching Silicon Valley’s best and brightest ideas grow into revolutionary technological movements — the personal computer, the Internet, and social networking, to name just a few — that have gone on to affect major change on a global scale. Today’s contribution is one geared toward another type of movement — one that our ongoing interaction with the Earth depends upon: Environmental protection. For the past 30 years, Save Our Shores has worked to take care of the California coastline through pollution prevention, advocacy and ocean awareness. I’ve volunteered with Save Our Shores since 2008 — the same year Eastwick began building its cleantech practice. Three years later, I’m proud to see Eastwick continuing to work hard for the betterment of our environment. Whether it be through beach cleanups, solar microinverter installations or LED lighting solutions, we’re proud to be a small part of the global shift toward a healthier planet.

– Emma Wolfe
 
Day 8: Angels for Hearts
Each holiday season, we look forward to cozying up by the fireplace, sharing comfort food with our loved ones and celebrating with our own traditions. For many, that picturesque scene won’t quite be a reality – especially for pediatric heart patients. Every year, Angels for Hearts works with three California hospitals to deliver personal holiday gifts to children in the cardiac wards. The organization supports pediatric heart patients through various events by helping them remember that, first and foremost, they are kids. Eastwick joined Angels for Hearts at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital’s Heart Center in Palo Alto today for its holiday gift delivery day. And what a delivery it was! We helped load all the gifts into numerous vehicles and unloaded them at the hospital. Once there, we wheeled the gifts through the hospital to the Child Life Specialists – people who, day in and day out, take care of the children in this ward. They were so appreciative of all that we had brought them because they knew how happy the kids were going to be come Christmas Day when they saw what Santa had brought them. A huge thank you to Angels for Hearts for hosting us today and for all that you do to brighten the lives of pediatric heart patients.

– Peggy Snider
 
Day 9: D-Rev: Design Revolution
As evidenced through our enthusiastic Twitter handle, Eastwick loves D-Rev. Nestled in downtown Palo Alto this non-profit tech incubator is designing world class products for developing countries. Throughout the year we donate our time to foster some conversation and attention for D-Rev, and this holiday season we stopped by to check out our favorite project, Brilliance. This product provides a low-cost solution for rural and public hospitals to treat jaundice, a disease that affects about three in five children. Brilliance is designed to be a versatile, high quality, low-footprint, easy to deploy device for hospitals.  Tests at Stanford School of Medicine show Brilliance to perform better than state-of-the-art phototherapy devices. As D-Rev begins moving this device to market, we at Eastwick are totally inspired by their commitment to the needs of the doctors, nurses, mothers and babies in need of the best product available, regardless of their numerous constraints (money, space, resources). Thank you D-Rev for the continually inspiring work you do – here’s to a fantastic, impactful 2012!

– Jesse Hamlin
 
Day 10: The Haven Family House
With the holidays in full swing, there’s an element of chaos that, if you’re anything like me, comes in the form of last minute gift wrapping, card signing and party attending. And while this flurry of activity feels important in the moment, putting these tasks onto paper magically reduces them into trivial, everyday “stuff.” How’s this for perspective? In 2010, the Shelter Network reported  that they provided assistance to over 865 homeless families – 1,700 children included. I am delighted to say that on the tenth day of giving, Eastwick made an in-person donation to The Haven Family House in Menlo Park, a facility within The Shelter Network, which is committed to providing support to homeless individuals and families in the San Francisco Peninsula. Not only does the organization fulfill basic living necessities like food and safe housing, but they also provide services (counseling and childcare among others) which support the re-establishment of self-sufficiency for a return to permanent housing. Upon speaking with a Haven Family House staff member, my colleagues and I learned that not only is their Menlo Park shelter at full capacity, but that they currently have 40 families waitlisted for entry into the program. I can say that I am inspired to be of more service, and I encourage you to grab a friend or fly solo, and get involved. A friendly face and a little time could make a world of difference in the life of a person in need. To learn more, please visit Shelter Network’s programs.

– Sian Blevins
 
Day 11: The Ronald McDonald House
Kids should have their parents by their side, especially when they’re sick. The Ronald McDonald house is a home for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Today, the Eastwick team made the short trip to Stanford to deliver a donation and holiday cookies to this home-away-from-home for forty-seven families. Forget sterile hospitals – the Ronald McDonald house is all about comfort, care, and above all, fun. Volunteer your time by sponsoring pizza and a movie night with the kids, donate an item on the Christmas wish list, or make a much-needed contribution. The support of the community is crucial. Learn more about the many ways that you can help here.

– Christina Farr
 
Day 12: Urban Sprouts
As we’ve already touched upon, healthy food is an important issue to us, no matter what time of the year. Today Eastwick visited Urban Sprouts, an organization that partners with San Francisco youth and their families to build eco-literacy, equity, wellness and community. The organization primarily works with local schools in under-served neighborhoods – like June Jordan School for Equity – to cultivate school gardens and teach students about healthy food. We love that Urban Sprouts is educating the next generation about what it means to have a healthy food and a healthy community.

– Peggy Snider