Let’s work together
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Dear Food Swap Family,
What a beautiful thing we built together in November. Thank you for showing up, for sharing, for being part of something that reminded our whole community what abundance looks like when we take care of each other. Over 1.5 tons of food moved in 4 hours to over 200 individuals, with just three weeks of planning. There were OVER 40 volunteers — what an incredible outpouring from the community!
We're doing it again — and this time, we're doubling down on the magic.
Mark your calendars for the weekend of December 20–21 because we have TWO events happening:
🍲 DECEMBER COMMUNITY FOOD SWAP — Winter Warmers Edition
Sunday, December 21 | 10am–2pm
Astoria Armory | 1636 Exchange St
Same format you know and love, plus:
• Coat drive (gently used coats welcome)
• For health & dignity: NEW socks, NEW undies, NEW underlayers, NEW warm hats
🎄 THRIFTMAS at the Brugh Building
Saturday & Sunday, December 20–21 | 11am–4pm
1162 Marine Drive
A free holiday celebration featuring:
• Make & take ornaments
• Community gift exchange (bring a gift, take a gift)
• Free shop
• Gift wrapping station
• Greeting card station — choose a card for your gifts
• Write to Our Neighbors — a special space to write cards to residents at local nursing homes
• Holiday music & cheer
COLLECTION BINS: DECEMBER 1–18
We're placing collection bins at participating businesses again for food and/or unwrapped gifts. Pickups happen any time a bin gets full, running through December 18.
Want to host a bin at your business? Let us know! We'd also love to add your business name or logo to our site with a link — because we want everyone to see how this happens: many hands making light work, everyone pitching in where they can.
Food donations go to pre-sort at the Armory. Gifts go to Steph for pre-sort, thanks to a very generous donation of storage and staging space from Roxy at Sleeper Coffee.
DONATIONS NEEDED FOR THRIFTMAS
We're collecting:
• Wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, and gift bags
• Greeting cards — we want cards representing different cultures and holidays so everyone in our community can find something that feels like theirs (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, secular/general holiday, Feliz Navidad, etc.)
• Regiftable items in new or like-new condition
A note on donations: This is a dignity event, not a chance to clear out garage sale cast-offs. Our guideline is "Ask yourself: Would I be proud to give this as a gift?" If yes, wonderful — bring it. If not, no worries. We have resources to refer for where to donate items we can't take, plus ideas for how to upcycle things at home into meaningful holiday gifts. Just ask!
HERE'S WHAT WE NEED
For the Food Swap: I'm confident we can replicate our November magic — that team ran so smoothly. If you volunteered last time and want to return to your role, just let me know you're in.
For Thriftmas: This is a brand new event. Here's what we're thinking, and Steph and I need a dedicated team of 10–12 people to make it happen. Steph will be our lead on sorting, but in order to make Thriftmas work, we have to have enough people committed for both days — for pre-set AND day-of operations. This isn't a "drop in if you can" situation — we need folks who can be there and own a role across the full two-day event. (Otherwise we will need to just pick one day.) We will also have the added benefit of being on the trolley line as people participate in the Uppertown Christmas Trolley Event (check it out!)
This is an extraordinary feat of community giving, and I am confident that we can do it.
Thriftmas roles we need to fill:
• Make & take ornament crafters — guide folks through super easy ornament-making (just glue, ribbon, simple supplies)
• Gift wrappers
• Door monitors
• Table monitors
• Greeters
• Sorters
• Carriers
• Floaters
We also need to borrow tables! If you're volunteering and have a card table or folding table we can use for the weekend, please let us know.
TEAM MEETING COMING SOON
If you're interested in being part of the Thriftmas crew, I'll be putting out a call for a team meeting in the next week or so — we can do Zoom, in-person, or hybrid so as many people as possible can make it. Stay tuned!
TO VOLUNTEER
Fill out the form at astoriaharvest.org
SPREAD THE WORD
Please share this with anyone who needs to know — a friend, neighbor, coworker, or community member. Forward it to any resource organization, social service agency, church, or group that serves folks who could benefit.
The more people who know, the more people we reach.
This is what community looks like. Not charity — mutual aid. Not pity — solidarity. We all have something to give, and we all have something we need.
Let's make December even more beautiful than November.
With gratitude,
Emily
P.S. — Know a local business that wants to host a bin, contribute supplies, or get involved? Send them my way!
P.P.S. — Posters and signage will be along shortly!
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Dear Neighbor,
I'm reaching out from Astoria Harvest to invite your business to be part of something special happening in our community this December.
In November, our first-ever Community Food Swap brought together over 40 volunteers who moved 1.5 tons of food to more than 200 neighbors in just 4 hours — with only three weeks of planning. It was a powerful demonstration of what's possible when our community comes together.
Now we're doing it again, bigger: the weekend of December 20–21, we're hosting both our December Food Swap (Winter Warmers Edition) and a brand new event called Thriftmas — a free holiday celebration with gift wrapping, ornament making, a community gift exchange, and more.
We'd love for your business to be involved. Here's how:
1. Donate Items
We're collecting:
For the Food Swap:
• Non-perishable food items
• Gently used coats
• NEW socks, underwear, underlayers, and warm hats (for health & dignity)
For Thriftmas:
• Wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, gift bags
• Greeting cards (bonus points for diverse/multicultural holiday cards!)
• Regiftable items in new or like-new condition
2. Host a Collection Bin
We're placing collection bins at participating businesses from December 1–18 for food and/or unwrapped gifts. We handle all the pickups — whenever a bin gets full, we come get it.
If you host a bin, we'd love to feature your business name and logo on our website with a link, so the community can see who's helping make this happen.
Why participate?
This isn't charity — it's mutual aid. Neighbors helping neighbors, with dignity at the center. Your participation helps us reach more people and shows that Astoria's business community cares.
Many hands make light work, and every contribution matters.
Interested?
Just reply to this email (emily@tinebristlecoastal.com) and let me know:
• What you'd like to donate, and/or
• If you'd like to host a collection bin (for food, gifts, or both)
I'm happy to answer any questions or stop by to chat in person.
Thank you for considering this. Together, we can make this holiday season a little brighter for everyone.
With gratitude,
Emily
Astoria Harvest