Bread + Butter Project

bread + butter spring break

2010-04-01T07:00:00.007-04:00

As we wrap up our 5-month partnerships with nonprofit food banks in each of the six New England states, the bread + butter project team is going on haitus to figure out what we want to do next. During the month of April, we'll be taking a break from our blog and e-store, and focusing our efforts on helping to raise money for Project Bread through the 2010 Walk for Hunger, the country's oldest continual pledge walk and the largest one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger. While we're away, we hope that you will continue to support the bread + butter project's mission by contributing to our walk team. Please check back frequently. You never know what we might do next...

Tom, Sue, Katie + Emma

P.S. While we're away, you can keep up with Sue on her blog, Parent Pill.

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bread + butter project contributes $2,400 to New England food banks

2010-03-31T07:00:00.005-04:00

The final numbers are in, and we are happy to report that the bread + butter project – with help from all of our friends, followers, and customers – will contribute $400 to each of our six New England food bank partners: Connecticut Food Bank, Good Shepherd Food-Bank, Greater Boston Food Bank, New Hampshire Food Bank, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and Vermont Foodbank.

The total contribution of $2,400 exceeds the commitment we made through the New England-wide expansion we announced last fall. At that time, we promised to give 50 percent of our profits from the sale of bread + butter products over a 5-month period to our partners. But profits don't come quickly to start-up businesses like ours. Most small businesses take 2-3 years to break even, and longer to start sharing their profits. But bread + butter isn’t like most businesses, and we promised to provide benefits to our nonprofit partners from the very beginning. So, when we looked at our sales results from November 2009 – March 2010, we knew we wanted to make an even bigger difference and decided to give 100 percent of our revenues to our partners. And, to get to a nice round number, we also provided each of our partners with a small gift from our family’s charitable giving account.

When we started the bread + butter project last August, our goal was to work together as a family to help hungry people, develop a sustainable business model, and find out what it takes to make a real difference. We have learned so much over the past several months, and with your help, we know that we are making a real difference for hungry people throughout the region. Thank you to all who have supported our project and encouraged us in our efforts.

Tom, Sue, Katie + Emma

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What's next for bread + butter?

2010-03-28T11:06:00.003-04:00

With only a few days left in March, and our partnerships with six New England food banks coming to a close, many of you are probably wondering what's next for the bread + butter project team. Be sure to check our blog this Wednesday, March 31, to see the final numbers and the amount of the contributions we'll make to our New England partners. And on Thursday, April 1, we'll reveal what's next for bread + butter. Stay tuned. It's going to be an exciting week!

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Another bread + butter video

2010-03-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a great lip-synch chair dance to the Newbeats' classic, "I like Bread and Butter." Enjoy!

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Happy Random Day!

2010-03-25T14:30:00.005-04:00

Today's search on YouTube brought up these two random kids, also known as bread + butter. Don't know who they are or where they are from, but their video reminds me a bit of an old video rental called Moron Movies that Sue and I saw in the '80's. Does anyone remember that one?

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Bounce, Flip, Boing!

2010-03-22T15:34:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone, Sue here again.

Here at the bread + butter headquarters we've acquired a new toy. That would be our 14-foot trampoline that now adorns our backyard and I'm quite certain is thrilling our neighbors with it's shiny metal bars, black netting and squeaky springs. Not exactly an esthetically pleasing addition to the landscape of the neighborhood. However, as you can well imagine, we have been very popular with the kids all over our street who will benefit as much as Katie & Emma on this one. Of course, the safety concerns are real so we have laid down some laws that will present some challenges but that I hope we can work out in some mutually beneficial way (as in no one gets hurt, no one sues us, everyone is happy)

As I was thinking about the trampoline, I couldn't help but draw a parallel to our bread + butter project in terms of the ups and downs. We have had great interest, lulls, spikes in sales, downturns, spikes in the kids enthusiasm, and then less enthusiasm as they get distracted by, well, normal kid stuff. It is a cycle but one that continues to test our commitment and drive and make us rethink how we do business. Which is a good thing.

Well I'm glad amid the political chaos of today's healthcare fallout we have the mindless distraction of Dancing with the Stars. We could probably all use it.

Have a great evening everyone. We'll get a picture posted of the girls on the trampoline in the coming days.

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One Giant Leap...

2010-03-18T21:09:00.005-04:00

Hey b & b'ers, Sue here.

As spring weather arrives and activities are in full swing, we are finding it more and more difficult to find the time to blog (as is evidenced by Katie's previous blog entitled "sleepy"). However, it doesn't mean that our project is not front of mind, just takes a little more gusto to drag our tired behinds to the computer to share with you.

Since last spring at this time I was undergoing radiation for pre-cancerous cells in my breast, this spring I am focused on really enjoying my friends, the nice weather, a good dinner out, a much anticipated weekend, a relaxing pedicure, a bike ride with my daughter, you get the idea. It's not always easy. As I have blogged in the past, I am an ultra Type A overachiever whose mind goes about 90 miles an hour while sleeping. I am not successful all the time, but I am making a little bit of progress and always reminding myself that no one really cares about the minutia except me. And it really doesn't matter all that much if the laundry isn't caught up (unless someone runs out of underwear), your floors aren't sparkling clean or you haven't chaperoned as many field trips as Sally's mom. Hey, I've even learned to let go of making the beds on the days that I work. That is a small step for man, a giant leap for my superego who thinks I need to be June Cleaver on a caffeine high.

Okay, time to watch The Office and wind down. Have a great night everyone. Thanks so much for following us. We appreciate it more than you know. (picture is of me and the girls in Ogunquit, Maine last summer)

Whether . Click "comments" below to add your thoughts or visit our SHOP

sleepy

2010-03-16T20:41:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone,
I'm sorry this is not a great post but I'm tired and it's rather late, will write more tommorow.
--
Peace out
BuTtEr
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bread + butter baby shower

2010-03-15T13:00:00.005-04:00

New baby coming this spring or summer? Skip the malls and gift registries. You can find beautiful bread + butter one piece t-shirts (with short or long sleeves) bibs, and receiving blankets for babies in our shop. And the bread + butter messenger bag can double as a diaper bag for cool moms and dads. Give a gift that helps feed hungry people and start a tradition of helping others at a very early age. Select the 'kids and babies' category from the pull-down menu at the top of our shop to see all of our products for little ones. No baby shower gifts needed? These items also make great additions to Easter baskets. Buy $50 worth and get free standard shipping when you enter coupon code SHIPPEDFREE at checkout.

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Why you should buy the bread + butter messenger bag: by Emma

2010-03-14T12:59:00.025-04:00

As part of our work to learn more about running a business, Emma had an assignment this week to write a convincing marketing message, focusing on the benefits of the bread + butter messenger bag. Read below and see how you think she did:

Are you looking for a nice trendy messenger bag? Well, your search is over! This bag features a BIG amount of space for anything like laptops, books, etc. It also features a buckle for safe keeping! Plus, you're helping with hunger at the same time and inspiring others to help when you're showing off this bag. So that's why you should order this trendy messenger bag today! Visit our SHOP to see the different colors.

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Free Shipping Through March 31

2010-03-13T08:36:00.006-05:00

In an effort to maximize the size of our donations to our New England nonprofit food bank partners, the bread + butter project is offering free standard shipping on all orders over $50 through the end of March.

Just enter coupon code SHIPPEDFREE at checkout.

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Still 30 Minutes or Less?

2010-03-11T17:09:00.005-05:00

Hey bread + butter fans!

Many of you may know that I work in the public relations industry. Perhaps that is why I am so fascinated with the news of late. On the one hand you have Toyota responding to a PR crisis - they are desperately trying to repair their sinking image and rebuild trust by pulling at consumer heartstrings "Thanks for your loyalty" and "Thanks for standing by us." On the other hand you have Dominos creating a PR crisis by bringing to our attention just how crappy everyone thinks their pizza is and crafting an honest message that acknowledges their weakness in the market: "We know our pizza tasted like cardboard but now we've made it better." Here's an interesting article about Dominos approach.

These stories have been a good lesson for our girls as we teach them about the importance of building a positive brand image, crisis management and the role of PR...they may not understand the industry jargon but the bread + butter project is teaching them business lessons that will serve them well as they apply these principles to future endeavors.

But I'm still fascinated with Dominos "let's promote our new pizza by admitting how crappy it used to be" approach. I have to give them high grades for gutsiness. And it has certainly garnered them a lot of attention. But what do you think: genius marketing maneuver or PR disaster? Weigh in by clicking "comments" below.

Enjoy your night everyone. Hey, why not order some pizza?

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Slippery When Wet

2010-03-10T14:50:00.005-05:00

Hi friends, Sue here!
I aplogize it's been a while since I've checked in. Why is it that we skip the things we enjoy most when life gets crazy? Seems odd but the mundane tasks that have to get done take precedence over the things that energize us and make us happy - like bread + butter!!

I made it back to the gym today after about a week away. However, I had a bit of an incident on my way in when I spilled a bottle of flavored water on my sweat pants before getting out of the car - in a most 'unfortunate' spot. So, rather than look like I wet my pants with blueberry pomegranite-smelling urine - I had to go home and change and begin again.

Just now, I created a mini flood in the bathroom when I was cleaning out a trash can and left the sink running by accident. (Sorry to tell you about it this way, honey!!) I think it's safe to say I should stay away from flames, knives and ladders today.

We've definitely turned a corner here in New England. The sun is out and you can just feel Spring. Anyway, I'm out of time at the moment as Katie & Emma will be arriving home from school momentarily. I will try and stay dry. Enjoy your day and remember we are extending 15% off any order over $35 in our store through March 12th in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Use code: MARCHSALE4

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A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of buttah

2010-03-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

If you remember this one, you are part of the original Sesame Street generation.

Congrats. Now get on down to the bread + butter e-store and repeat after me: A long-sleeve T, a sweatshirt, and a kid's apron. I'm just sayin...

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Don't miss the chance to help make a real difference here in New England

2010-03-08T19:53:00.007-05:00

The countdown is on! Our friends and followers have just over three weeks to help us maximize the bread + butter project's contributions to our 6 New England food bank partners. All orders placed by March 31 will be counted as part of our 5-month commitment to Connecticut Food Bank, Good Shepherd Food-Bank in Maine, Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts, New Hampshire Food Bank, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and Vermont Foodbank. Through our partnership, we've agreed to share 50% of our profits with these organizations, and the need for food and funding is greater than ever. If you'd like your purchase to help hungry people across New England, now is the time to place an order. If you are able to spread the word by sharing this message with others, we would certainly appreciate it. Thank you for your help.

-Tom, Sue, Katie and Emma

See background on our New England-wide partnership.

Check out Frequently Asked Questions about the bread + butter project.

Meet the bread + butter project team: Tom, Sue, Katie and Emma.

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baby loves bread + buttter

2010-03-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

And who could blame her with this awesome one piece tee shirt? We also have some that baby boys would love too. See the 3 color selections in our shop. Did you know that we also have long-sleeve tees for babies and sweatshirts for toddlers? Visit the shop and take a look around. You can sort items by selecting the kids and baby category from the pull-down menu at the top of the shop. These items make great gifts for baby showers. Get some today.

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bread + butter partner provides donation opportunities for jazz and hockey lovers in Maine

2010-03-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Our friends at the Good Shepherd Food-Bank are teaming up with the Portland Pirates for a food drive, and will benefit from an upcoming jazz concert. Find out more at the events page on their website.

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Helping Fill Bellies Hats are Here

2010-03-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Winter isn't over yet - at least not here in New England. Look cool while you keep warm in this new Helping Fill Bellies hat. It comes in 3 color combos and sells for less $15. (Black and Navy are the other colors, if you must know.) See them all in our shop. Seriously, who doesn't need a hat? Get one and make a difference today.

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bread + butter partner announces Mac & Cheese Challenge and partipates in PB Xpress Campaign

2010-03-05T20:41:00.016-05:00

Our friends at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank are busy with peanut butter and macaroni and cheese this month. Find out more about their involvement with the PB Xpress virtual food drive, and their partnership with Shaws and the Providence Bruins on the Mac & Cheese Challenge. Help them out, won't you?

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bread + butter project recommends b Postive Project

2010-03-03T20:19:00.005-05:00

As St. Patrick's day approaches, I want to give a shout out to our friends at the b Positive Project - a positive movement dedicated to inspire and motivate people to live their lives with a purpose. For Irish guys interested in a good long-sleeve T-shirt, I also want to recommend their limited edition b Irish shirt, which you can find on their product page. From now through March 14, sales of this shirt will benefit the Starlight Children's Foundation and will help send 100 ill children to Canobie Lake Amusement Park this spring. I ordered my b Irish shirt, received it in the mail today, and couldn't be happier. Nice shirt and good quality. I took their advice and ordered a size up, as the shirt runs small. I'm usually a size 40-42 suit size and I'm glad I ordered the XL T-shirt. All you ladies interested in a St. Patrick's Day T should check out the bread + butter shamrock specials that appear at the top of our shop. See our recent post for special savings.

-Tom

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Well I can't really think of a name for this post so here's one

2010-03-01T18:44:00.008-05:00

Hey butterers, Sue here.
After a trying weekend with both a power outage and a horrific sinus infection, I'm finally feeling better (thanks to some strong antibiotics). I'm off on Mondays and generally spend the day running around but forced myself to lower the bar for once and just rest and reset the power button. Okay, I didn't exactly rest - I did some PR work from home, laundry, brought the kids to dentist appointments, Katie to dance and now I'm home. But that's a really slow day. I'm sure you other moms - and dads - can relate. Going to work is always the easiest part of my day. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, after a lifetime of being an overachiever, I am desperately trying to be happy with mediocre. My new mantra is "it's good enough." Sometimes it just has to be.

I am working on pitching bread + butter to some new media outlets including Fetch with Ruff Ruffman on PBS (we'd make a great challenge for the Fetchers), the fourth hour of the Today show, etc. Our dream would be to have Ryan Seacrest wear our t-shirt on Idol - that would catapult us into the stratosphere but actually getting it to him is the challenge. The assistant to his agent's publicist might end up with it at best. It's a tough contact, even when you're in the PR business like I am.

Anyway, time for homework and showers and a new Two and a Half Men tonight (unless Charlie Sheen is still in rehab). We'll check back in tomorrow. Have a great night.

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Food No More

2010-02-28T20:58:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone,
So we had this GIANT power outage over the weekend and lost our power all day and all night. Our house got so cold that we had to sleep by the fireplace all night. Our fridge was starting to stink because the temperature was starting to drop. We started putting stuff outside to keep it cold, but unfortunately we lost almost all of our food. We were lucky enough to be able to replace all of it. But that made us think about if that happened to someone with less money, they may have not have been able to do that. They would have had to save to do a giant grocery shopping, even though it might be hard enough for them to pay an average grocery bill every week. It made us realize how fortunate we are to be able to replace our food so easily. Not everyone can do that.

P.S. Still taking members for the we appreciate South Dakota club!!!!
--
Katie
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bread + butter + green beer?

2010-02-27T17:06:00.008-05:00

Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in style with this NEW women's long sleeve V-neck tee shirt. It comes in black, white, and of course green. See them all in our shop. And just in time for the wearing O' the green, we have a St. Patrick's Day discount offer for 15% off all orders of $35 or more. Just enter coupon code MARCHSALE2 when you check out.

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Recognizing opportunity

2010-02-24T16:19:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone! Sue here...

Well, we spent a week in not-so-sunny not-so-warm Florida but had a great visit with my parents. I posted a picture of Tom and the girls that I took - you can see that we never made it out of our sweatshirts. Now we've got freezing rain and snow on the way here in New England. My sister is getting walloped up in Vermont with about a foot. I'm ready for summer myself.

Had some time off today so I did errands including my least favorite which is grocery shopping. When I remind myself that there are people who don't have the option because they can't afford food, it helps put things in perspective and I remind myself not to whine about opportunity. Also made it to the gym. Yup, gonna have arms like Kelly Ripa if it kills me - and it just might. I'm waiting for the day that I love to exercise but alas, it has yet to come.

Don't have much time today because I'm the gymnastics driver this week - 6 girls in the old Volvo wagon - fun times. Enjoy your night.

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Vote for a Champion Against Child Hunger

2010-02-22T20:24:00.018-05:00

At the end of last year, Katie and Emma were nominated for the ConAgra Foods Foundation's Champions Against Child Hunger Awards, in recognition of their work on the bread + butter project. Five finalists were selected. While Katie and Emma were not among the top five, we are so impressed by the finalists - all people who are working hard in their communities to help hungry people - and we want to encourage you to check them out and vote for your favorite nominee on-line. Visit the site, check out the five nominees, and cast your vote. Each vote provides a $1 contribution to Share our Strength - an organization focused on ending childhood hunger in America by 2015. Check out the site today and cast your vote before March 19. When you do, you'll help ConAgra Foods and Share Our Strength meet their goal of $100,000. Over the next few days, we'll reveal which finalists are being supported by different members of the bread + butter project team. My pick is Tom Ramsey, who is helping fill bellies in Austin, TX.

Want to make a difference closer to home? Purchase a bread + butter product from our e-store before the end of March, and you'll help support food banks in each of the six New England states.

-Tom

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What’s next for the bread + butter project? You tell us!

2010-02-21T07:54:00.009-05:00

As we approach the end of February, we have about five weeks left to help raise money for our New England food bank partners. And we need to decide what we’ll do next. Those of you who have been following us since August know that we started very locally, with a single food pantry partner – Pettengill House, Inc. of Salisbury, MA. In just eight weeks time, we were able to make a big contribution to this small organization. From there, we chose to expand regionally, and established partnerships with a large food bank partner in each of the six New England states. As a reminder, they are: Connecticut Food Bank, Good Shepherd Food-Bank, Greater Boston Food Bank, New Hampshire Food Bank, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and Vermont Foodbank. 50% of our profits from November 2009 through March 2010 will be shared equally by these partners, and we need your help to maximize the size of these contributions.

But we also need your input to help guide us going forward. When we established the bread + butter project last summer, we had a simple mission: To work together as a family to help hungry people, develop a sustainable business model, and find out what it takes to make a real difference. Seven months into it, we’ve had a lot of great experiences, good results to share, and with your help, we believe we are making a difference. But the question remains, what should we do next? Continue with a regional focus? Return to local? Target other areas? For now, we know that we want to keep our focus on helping feed US families, rather than going global and supporting international hunger organizations, but we have a lot of options. We’re open to your ideas, and we hope you’ll use the comment feature below to share your thoughts. Thanks.

-Tom, Sue, Katie + Emma

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Forgotten State No More!

2010-02-20T16:39:00.008-05:00

Hello people,
It's KATIE O. YO!!!! And today I have a question for all of you. You always hear about the popular states such as California and Florida, maybe Hawaii and Colorado too? Well you never ever EVER hear about some states such as... I don't know maybe...SOUTH DAKOTA!!!! Well it's not just a maybe for me because I simply never here about poor little South Dakota. South Dakota is an awesome state whose people deserve to be thought about. So I decided I would take action and form my own fan club; the We Appreciate South Dakota Fan Club!!!! Awesome right???? So here are the rules. To qualify for being in the We Apprecaite South Dakota Fan Club you must support South Dakota...yeah that's about it. So comment if you're interested in it and I'll write up a list of members. Thanks for participating in the We Appreciate South Dakota Fan Club!!!! Click "comments" below to add your thoughts or visit our SHOP

bread + butter + black eyed peas!

2010-02-17T18:04:00.009-05:00

YouTube is a wonderful place. There you can find all sorts of nice videos. Search bread and butter, and you might find a nice little promotion for our project, starring Katie and Emma, a black and white film of the New Beats, performing their hit song from the 1950's, or this rather random piece, featuring a singing piece of toast.

Whichever you like best, I hope all will inspire you to buy one of our products and help feed hungry people throughout New England. Tonight's a big night for the US Olympic team in many competitions, and to quote the Black Eyed Peas, I gotta feelin' that tonight's gonna be a good night.

Watch their video, cheer for the US, and then celebrate the medal-winning performances with the purchase of a bread + butter T-shirt. What could be better than that?

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The Love Isn't Over...but the Shirts Are Going Away!

2010-02-16T09:13:00.002-05:00

Okay bread + butterers, Sue here.

Hope you are still feeling the love even though V-Day is over. Yes, it's really true - the "Love Line" is being locked away...into the breadbox so to speak. The line will be retired on Friday so if you were thinking about purchasing one and helping some folks who really need it, don't wait!

It is winter vacation for the girls which gives even more meaning to "Let the Games Begin"...if you are a parent, you know what I'm talking about!! We'll share some pictures of our shananigans this weekend.

Having fun watching the Olympics - it's amazing how important 1/100th of a second can be to an Olympian. Amazing stuff. What dedication these athletes have - I think I'm a hero if I get on the treadmill at the climate-controlled gym and don't hurt myself going at the breakneck pace of a 15-minute mile.

Congrats to all the US athletes who have medaled and a special nod to our fellow New Englanders - Bode and company!

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bread + butter project food bank partner news

2010-02-15T09:45:00.005-05:00

Our friends at the Connecticut Food Bank are hosting a Virtual Food Drive. Did you know that the need for food assistance is, unfortunately, greater than it has ever been in Connecticut Food Bank’s history. This year, more than 390,000 Connecticut residents are struggling with hunger. Please consider making a donation to the drive. Your gift can help turn hunger into hope for hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut. For every dollar you contribute, more than 4 pounds of food is made available to those who might otherwise go without.
Contribute to the Virtual Food Drive today.

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Are you a bread + butter ambassador?

2010-02-12T19:17:00.005-05:00

So many of our friends and followers have asked us what they can do to support the bread + butter project, beyond buying our products. Back in November, Katie and Emma made a video that captures the power of bread + butter ambassadors, and reminds people of three things:

1. When you buy bread + butter, you help hungry people;

2. When you wear bread + butter, you show that you care;

3. When you share bread + butter, you help raise awareness.

Their video's call to action is SPREAD IT - the word, that is. Because our project relies heavily on web-based and relationship (word of mouth) promotion, we need every ambassador we can get. So what can you do? Follow us, Friend us, ReTweet us, Tell your friends, family members and co-workers. Get some bread + butter for yourself and consider giving products for special events like birthdays, etc.

What other ideas do you have? Are their additional things we can suggest to our ambassadors? How are you helping to SPREAD IT? Use the comment feature to let us know. Thanks.

-Tom

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2010-02-11T06:46:00.002-05:00

Hey bread & butterers...Sue here.

So it's Thursday morning. Tom is off to work and the girls are still asleep (but need to get up for school). On weekends they can rise with the sun, weekdays I have to wrestle them out of bed. I guess living for the weekends begins at birth. We can taste Feb vacation though as it's just a day away and we have some big plans that we'll share later, with pix of course!

Okay, so the big snowstorm that was supposed to hit here in the Northeast was a bust. We got a dusting rather than the 5-8" they were forecasting. You know you're from New England when you are disappointed not to be slammed with heavy wet snow, icy roads and a nail-biting commute.

I am off to work at Thomson today - that is my PR job that I really enjoy. Meeting with the bakery I represent - yum.

We'll be sending out some bread + butter shirts to some bloggers this weekend and will pitch some additional media. Sales in Jan have been slower than in December which is to be expected. Time to get it rolling again! Let us know if you can help. Any contacts, ideas, suggestions are always welcome. Just click comments below. Have a great Thursday everyone.
~S
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Ellen Should Wear B & B Shirt on Idol! (right?)

2010-02-10T18:06:00.003-05:00

Hello peeps,
Katie reporting for duty!
Ok back me up here. Who in the world would look better in a B&B shirt then the one and only ELLEN DEGENERES? (and no I'm not talking about you Joy) She would look just so downright fashion forward. Come on let's here it. ElLEN! ELLEN! ELLEN! ELLEN! Ms Degeneres please!! It's for a wonderful cause!! And anyone who has any sense at all (and watches American Idol) should know Ellen is a new judge and she totally rocks!! Well if your Ellen's wardrobe person or you have "connections" with her, please hook her up right now with one of our fabulous shirts. Well...that's kinda it.
SeE Ya
LoVe KaTiE

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Mascot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-09T19:19:00.012-05:00

Hi journeyers of the Internet, it's Emma!
Guess what I don't think you're going to guess... ok, ok I'll give you a hint - it has to do with the title of this post. Did you guess? Well if you didn't, it's too late cause I'm going to tell you anyway! The news is that we have our very first bread + butter mascot!!!!!

(I know, I know, big applause right.)

Coming from Emma you probably know that it's a MONKEY!!! If you don't know that, you don't know me (Aww, sad face) But...it's not just any old monkey. It's.......

UMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, she's my special pet monkey so now that you know the news I'm done writing for tonight...

Stay tuned for next time!!

bye

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Hunger in America 2010

2010-02-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week, Feeding America released its latest comprehensive report on hunger in America. This is the largest study of domestic hunger, providing comprehensive and statistically-valid data on the national organization's emergency food distribution system and the people Feeding America serves. If you don't know a lot about hunger issues in the US, consider the following:

•Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters.

•68 percent of pantries, 42 percent of soup kitchens, and 15 percent of emergency shelters rely solely on volunteers and have no paid staff.

•55 percent, are faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations; 33 percent are other types of nonprofit organizations.

Review the report's key findings, and think about what you can do to make a difference.

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Bread + Butter Meets Cake Boss!

2010-02-06T07:52:00.000-05:00

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The Agony of Defeat

2010-02-05T19:32:00.000-05:00

So it's official. The girls can ski circles around Tom & I. Sadly, our age is beginning to limit the stunts we can do...or are ability to buckle up our boots. This Saturday is the girls last lesson at Bradford with their school group. Here are some of my thoughts about skiing as a well...mature adult.

This Skier Still Has a Slight Edge

My husband and I used to ski before we had kids. In fact, we used to sleep in, take exotic vacations and go to the movies in the middle of the afternoon, but that’s not important now. Anyway, who needs a tropical get-away when you can take your whole family on a trip to an icy mountain in sub-zero temperatures for an afternoon of fun and pay more than you would for a week in the Caribbean?

Come on people, this is good quality family time. It’s all worth it, as long as you have stamina and really good circulation. I hadn’t been skiing in years but I discovered that you never forget how. It’s kind of like riding a bike, down a steep hill with no brakes. It’s the thrill that drives us to do it. (And sometimes the “après ski” part isn’t so bad either.)

Anyway, I’m being a bit facetious because I really do enjoy the sport. My daughters have already far exceeded my capabilities, and are not afraid to tell me that I stink, often and loudly. They were actually surprised – based on my history of extreme clumsiness – that I could even stand upright on skis.

It’s amazing how quickly children can learn new skills, and how hard adults can fall. Let me back up. As comfortable as I felt on skis after all these years, I still learned some very valuable lessons about the difference between skiing when you’re 45 versus skiing when you’re 21. I am happy to share some of my newfound wisdom with you:

1. Falling when you are 45 hurts a lot, even if you are completely stationary, on a flat surface and fall onto fresh powder. It might not look very impressive, but it feels like you’re the guy in the old ABC’s Wide World of Sports show who demonstrates “the agony of defeat.” Remember him?
2. Getting off the chair lift when you are in your 40s is a bit tricky. When you are 21, you simply glide off the chair in one smooth, effortless motion that requires very little thought. When you are older, it’s more of a pre-determined heaving of your body that requires much effort and maybe a silent prayer. You do not always make it.
3. If you call to your children from the chair lift while they are having a lesson, they will not acknowledge you or admit to knowing you. Ever. Waving your poles will not help. When you are 21, you can’t recall if children are even allowed on the mountain, but you can recall when the bar opens.
4. Your children will spend a good part of the day chortling wildly as you struggle to maintain your dignity. They will make fun of your hat, your goggles, and your reference to the “snow plow,” which is now called the “pizza wedge.” No one makes fun of you when you are 21 because you are perfect and charming and good-looking, and there is no one to dispute that fact.
5. When you are in college, you can ski for three days straight and feel great the next day. When you are in your 40s, you can ski for three hours and feel like hurling yourself out a window the next day; if you had the strength to open it.
6. When you are young, tumbling half-way down the slope and losing a ski is freakishly amusing and might mean missing class on Monday. When you are 45, the same scenario is just freakish and amounts to a week of missed appointments and being placed on short-term disability.

The moral of the story here is that everything we did when we were younger is still possible, as long as we take the necessary precautions and invest in some supplemental life insurance. Skiing is still great fun, especially if you stay at a resort that has a spa. That way you can soak your aching joints at the end of the day over a glass of expensive champagne.

Okay, despite my cynical ranting, I still enjoy a good clean run. Perhaps I can’t perform a back-scratching aerial while rocketing down some double diamond terrain, but I still have a bit of an edge. That much I’m certain of.

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bread + butter food bank partner news

2010-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

What does an international hair and modeling competition have to do with the bread + butter project? Good question. The answer is that this event is one of our nonprofit food bank partner's biggest fundraisers. If you've been thinking about how you can help the New Hampshire Food Bank, this is a great opportunity. Find out more on their website. Can't make it to Manchester on April 22? You can still help the New Hampshire Food Bank and our other food bank partners when you buy a bread + butter product. All purchases from November 2009 through March 2010 help fill bellies throughout New England.

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Our Funny Valentines

2010-02-03T20:59:00.004-05:00

Back by popular demand...we've got video diary #2 starring Katie & Emma. We captured the girls making some Valentines for their classes. Fun stuff!

So, there you have it. Support our project if you can or just follow our journey on this blog. We are so glad to have you along. You are helping us make a difference.

By the way, bread + butter products are very cozy undergarments for skiing according to Katie & Em. Stay tuned tomorrow for my thoughts on skiing when you are 45 versus 21. Yeah...

Night night b & b'ers.

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An Alarming Situation

2010-02-02T20:51:00.006-05:00

Afer a "challenging" morning getting the girls off to school, I have vowed that from this day forward, I will no longer be the one to wake them up for school. The party is over: They will have to use their alarm clocks and I will hide somewhere with my coffee until they can do something other than snarl. Here is an excerpt from a column I wrote on the subject. I'm sure many of you can relate. We have the same issues here at bread + butter as every other family out there. How do you deal with school mornings? Let us know! Also stay tuned for another video diary tomorrow!!
~Sue

Here’s a question for you: If given the choice, would you rather be awakened by the gentle caress of someone slowly nudging you out of your peaceful slumber or by the abrupt and deafening blare of Lil’ Wayne or Ghostface Killa that literally shakes you vertical? I’ll give you a minute…and yes, there really is a rapper named Ghostface who is apparently part of the Wu-Tang Clan. I don’t know how or why I know that.

Here’s the ironic part of the whole thing: I like it. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Lil' Wayne has practically saved my sanity in some bizarre twist of fate. Before he came along, I was the mean mother who actually tried to wake my kids up with kind words and gestures of affection. That worked about as well as Obama trying to help Martha Coakley’s bid for the senate seat.

So I bring it back to the alarming situation at hand. And believe me there’s nothing wrong with a little Jay-Z in the morning if it avoids this conversation.

Me: What’s wrong?
Daughter: There’s a lump in my hair!
Me: Do you want me to put braids in your hair? A pony? Help you brush it out?
Daughter: No, you’ll make it worse. It looks awful and it’s all your fault!
Me: But I haven’t touched your hair.
Daughter: I hate my hair (throwing brush) and I’m not going to school looking like a freak!

I’ll bet many of you have similar conversations if you have girls and I’m quite certain there is a boy version of the “evil lump” that is equally enjoyable. Who doesn’t like to have hateful accusations hurled at them before they’ve had their first cup of coffee? It definitely prepares you for anything else the day may bring like a short stint in a torture chamber or an afternoon in a guillotine.

But the alarm can save you from a disastrous first hour, even if the rest of the day is still a crapshoot. The key is to stay clear for at least the first 20 minutes, which gives your kids some time to be nasty and hideous without your witnessing it. By the time you emerge, they have transformed into fairly decent human beings who might even smile at you if you offer to make them some warm Toaster Strudel.

It’s not a perfect solution by any means. My kids will still spit toothpaste at each other, write things like “poop head” on each other’s sandwich bags and try to skip out on brushing their teeth if they can get away with it. But it’s definitely better than when I was dodging airborne hairbrushes.

The moral of this story is to keep an open mind. Pop stars can be our friends after all. I’ve learned to embrace the masterful artistry of Kei$ha. Tik Tok, Tik Tok…

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Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy...

2010-02-01T18:39:00.005-05:00

Hey all you b & b followers - Happy Monday. So we had fun watching the Grammy Awards last night. I thought the Elton John/Lady Ga Ga performance was sheer genuius. Also enjoyed the spinning Pink number. Beyonce looked beautiful, as did Taylor Swift. Katy Perry is just...yuck. Sorry but there is something so pretentious and annoying about her. Emma has a crush on Justin Bieber - he was so cute but the pairing with Kei$ha was sort of...odd (Tik Tok, Tik Tok). Anyway, enough of my novice review.

Had the day off today and got a lot done. Went to the gym, the dentist and got my 9-year-old Volvo inspected - and it passed! Hey, I love my car and it's paid for so I'm not giving that sucker up until I absolutely have to. Plus it's the family pig mobile and it has the scars to prove it. There is something endearing about that.

I am thinking about pitching the Today show for their TodayMoms segment. Don't you think bread + butter would be a great feature for that? Of course it would! I also connected with a GREAT fashion mom blogger who is going to feature us on her site. Check it out at momgenerations.com. Thanks Audrey!

Okay, dinner is burning, Katie is home from ballet and I think it's time for me to check out. Don't forget to scroll down and view our first video diary. We got great positive response from that so we plan to do more. Also, don't forget to order you LOVE line shirt cuz they will only be available for a couple more weeks!!

Have a great night everyone.
Sue

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bread + butter food bank partner news

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our friends at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank are getting ready for this year's "Timeless" Taste of the Flower Show, coming up on Wednesday, February 17th at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Throughout the evening, you will have the opportunity to sample delicious specialties created by some of Rhode Island's Top Chefs. For more information, including a list of participating restaurants, wineries and breweries, and to purchase tickets, click here.

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Not Ready for Prime Time

2010-01-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

The first of our video diaries! I admit, I'm a bit of a novice at this sort of thing so hopefully we can improve them over time. We just thought it would be a fun way to communicate with you in a more personal way. Will try to get Katie, Emma (and their friend Rachel who is over today) to make one next. Don't forget that distressed hoodies are $8 off right now and there is free shipping through Feb 10 with code FEBSALE6. Enjoy the rest of your weekend b & b fans!!
~Sue

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Take $8 Off Select Distressed Hoodies This Weekend

2010-01-30T07:32:00.005-05:00

This frigid weekend is a great time to buy a warm and cozy bread + butter junior's distressed hoodie. And we're having a sale on two of our most popular color combos. You can take $8 off the regular price of the chocolate hoodie with neon pink logo and signature or the pink hoodie with silver grey logo and signature. Visit our shop and get either one this weekend for just $34.18 when you enter coupon code COLOR2010 (for the U.S.) or CADCOLOR2010 (for Canada). Act fast. This offer is only good until February 1, 2010.

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Weekend is a State of Mind

2010-01-28T19:16:00.005-05:00

I'm starting my weekend this very moment - despite what the calendar says. Thursday Smursday. Weekend mode is a state of mind. And we deserve it based on the fact that we all had to watch Nancy Pelosi during the President's speech last night, who I'm convinced is a cardboard cutout, with her plastic, insincere gestures. I don't care if you are a Democrat or a Republican, that woman is just plain unlikeable. I sort of wish I could put her in a room with Amy Winehouse and Little Wayne. Oh, that would be entertaining. But I digress, so sorry.

The girls are excited to be going to their friend Annie Kate's birthday party tomorrow night (you'll never guess what we got her for a b-day gift, okay you can probably guess) Tom and I are going to have a date night. A rare opportunity to just be with each other for a couple of hours and have a nice dinner and talk about something other than how to delete the 257 episode of iCarly off the DVR. Adult talk, adult time, adult drinks. Wa-hoo.

So...we are thinking of logging some video diaries of our families adventures but didn't know if that would interest all of you. Thoughts? Just some silly random stuff. Some to do with bread + butter and some that just showcase who we are. Would love to hear your thoughts on that. ~Sue

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Bread + butter announces Golden Sticks

2010-01-26T19:50:00.015-05:00

Hello people,
It's Katie. Today I will be giving out mini awards. I've decided to name them the Golden Stick Awards (as in butter, get it?).

Okay here goes (drum roll please) Our first award is for best commenter... and it goes to...RACHEL!!!
Congratulations!!! You are dedicated to the blog, comment frequently, and help us spread the word. Rachel is our awesome little intern. (and takes very good care of our fish.)

Our next award is for the fan who keeps us in check and makes sure we are always on our toes and providing updates each and every day. And the best keep-in-check award goes to...TAYLOR S.!!! Thanks Taylor, if we miss a day you let us know. What would we do without you?

And finally, the Golden Stick for the best vacation endorsement goes to the Virginia Lane gang. You rock!

More awards will be going out soon so if you do something awesome for us you may see your name up next time. Thanks again to everyone who helps us out!!

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Striving to Underachieve

2010-01-26T17:06:00.004-05:00

Hi gang, I believe it's Katie's turn to blog but she is next door playing with her friend Julia and Emma is off to gymnastics so that leaves yours truly - Again! I could wait and have Kate blog later tonight but I thought I would take advantage of a quiet house to write down some thoughts. (Okay, there is a teeny weeny glass of wine involved too but a girl needs to relax, right?)

Speaking of relaxing, I've never been very good at it. I have always been a type A personality - times 10. And it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, well, you get a lot done, you "achieve" things. But on the other hand, you are constantly looking to achieve the next thing which means you sometimes forget to just relax and celebrate where you are now.

Sometimes I think we are all running like hamsters on a wheel with no real end in sight. You know what I mean? Anyway, I'm trying like heck to be a little more of an underachiever so I can just enjoy the present. I've been wracking my brain trying to bring bread + butter to the next level but maybe we're okay right here for today. You have all been so incredibly supportive and I know how many other deserving causes there are out there right now, especially with the devastation in Haiti. Thanks everyone for helping us be where we are...right now.

~Sue
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Rainy Days and Mondays

2010-01-25T15:44:00.005-05:00

Today is raining AND it's Monday...kind of a drag. However, another new order for one of our LOVE line shirts came in and that helped to lift my spirits. This is that yucky time of year in New England when we are all craving sun and warm temps and outdoor activities. We are headed to Florida in February to visit my parents. A heated pool, outdoor bar and a broken-in pair of flip flops (or as my niece Siobhan says, "ship shops") should do the trick.

I'm heading into Boston with my boss tonight for a seminar about reaching Mommy bloggers. Hey, I'm a mommy blogger!! But heck, I have a lot I could learn so I'm looking forward to it. Tom is on duty for the night, picking up from ballet, dinner, homework, etc. If we are very lucky and the stars are aligned, perhaps we can get our friend Katie to write a post for tomorrow. No promises though. She has a very busy texting schedule.

Okay time to go get into some "work" clothes. Have a great night.
~Sue
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bread + butter loves Hats for Hunger

2010-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

10 year old Montpelier Vermont native Andrew Castle started his own company, HatsForHunger.com, in an effort to eliminate hunger and change the world. Like the bread + butter project, HatsForHunger is helping raise money for the Vermont Foodbank. Andrew's story is very similar to Katie and Emma's. His interest in hunger issues began with Heifer International, and now he is working to make a difference in his community. Great job, Andrew. Keep up the good work. Watch his video and check out his website and buy a hat. Don't need a hat? The bread + butter project has lots of other clothing items that help support food banks throughout New England.

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brunch this weekend helps feed hungry Bostonians

2010-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Our partners at the Greater Boston Food Bank want to remind you that this weekend brings a perfect opportunity to help support their Super Hunger Month activities, including brunch at some of Boston's top restaurants. Super Hunger Brunch is Super Hunger Month’s crown-jewel as hundreds of individuals take advantage of the generosity and creativity of Boston’s most dedicated restaurants that donate their time, food, fine services, and 100% of their proceeds to offer an exclusive brunch to benefit The Greater Boston Food Bank this Saturday and Sunday. Learn more and make a reservation on the Super Hunger Brunch website.

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bread + butter mobile?

2010-01-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

In addition to my day job and work on bread + butter, I’ve been spending too much time in recent weeks thinking about my next vehicle. Now that both O’Rourke family vehicles are wholly owned and paid in full, I should be enjoying the precious few months sans car loan payments and socking away more money in the 529 college savings accounts. Instead, I’m convinced that each new day will be the day my glamorous 2004 Subaru Legacy sedan will kick the bucket, leaving me in urgent need of a replacement vehicle, and forcing me to pay too much for a stupid car I don’t like. Not that I’ve been there before...

So I’ve begun the search. On one hand, I feel very fortunate that for the first time in my life, I can think about getting something a bit nicer than my typical basic commuter car. On the other hand, I’m overwhelmed with the number of choices and features available to me. While I’m determined to not wander aimlessly throughout dealer lots, the many websites that are designed to help me compare and contrast different makes, models, features and accessories leave me dazed and confused, and no closer to a decision. I’m not a gear-head. I know I want something safe and reliable, but do I need a navigation system and satellite radio? How much torque does a guy like me really need, and what exactly is payload anyway? And, while I’ve been focused primarily on mid-sized German and Japanese sedans, I’ve recently had the strange and uncontrollable urge to investigate GMC trucks. Just this morning, while shaving, I said to my reflection in the mirror, “I’m Tom O’Rourke. I live in Newburyport. And I drive a truck.” I am from Massachusetts after all. But I digress.

Having purchased many lemons over the years, I’m determined to get it right this time, but I’m limited by my history of being frugal. I paid $100 for my first Buick, which was two different colors, and lasted me two years. Not a bad return on investment. That same year, my little brother paid $150 for a skateboard. Maybe I’ll get a car that will help promote our business – the bread and butter mobile. It could be shaped like a loaf of Rye or a baguette, and would probably be a tax write-off. But it might not come with limited slip differential or an interior active charcoal air filter. Wish me luck. I’m off to another multi-hour series of searches on Vehix, Edumunds, and Cars.com…

-Tom

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In the Wild, There is No Health Care (and other random thoughts)

2010-01-21T18:39:00.005-05:00

Hey all, Sue here
Poor Tom is feeling all achey today so we are crossing our fingers that he isn't coming down with something. (No offense but you know how men are when they are sick...I'm just saying.)To make matters worse, he is shopping for a new car which is probably his least favorite pasttime, well, besides watching anything starring Angela Lansbury. He will lament about his car buying troubles in a separate post this week.

Katie didn't get another callback for her "Fetch with Ruff Ruffman" audition (a PBS show produced here in Boston). I have to say that she handled the disappointment quite well. Hey, you can't win if you don't try. Ask Scott Brown.

We are gaining followers and fans on Facebook and Twitter every day. I hope you will help us to build our fan base even more and spread the word about bread + butter and what we are trying to do to help food banks across the country. If you haven't checked out our new LOVE line, what are you waiting for? Valentines Day is right around the corner. Order now and get free shipping (use code FEBSALE3 at check out.

Okay, so I am off tomorrow and looking forward to getting a haircut, even though with thick, curly hair, it never EVER looks any different. I wake up the next day and "bam" I am once again Nancy Bradford (you remember Eight is Enough, right?) I am exhausted and looking forward to plopping down on the couch to enjoy a new episode of The Office...since this is a timely topic, let's remember Dwight's view of healthcare from season 1: "In the wild, there is no health care. In the wild, health care is, 'Ow, I hurt my leg. I can't run. A lion eats me. I'm dead.' Well, I'm not dead. I'm the lion. You're dead."
Gotta love him. Good night everyone!

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Emma's original song for bread + butter; Listen up!

2010-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

As promised yesterday, here is Emma's original song. We are so proud of our girls' thoughtfulness and willingness to put themselves out there for our brand and for a wonderful cause. Who knew they would write original songs and be willing to record them and publish them on the Internet? Coming from someone who mouths the words to hymns in church, on those rare occasions when we make it, this is indeed impressive. Great job, Emma. I encourage all of our followers to take a listen and then to heed Emma's final words: Do it (make a purchase that is)!

-Tom

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A voice like butter on a biscuit...(or emma sings for her bread)

2010-01-18T18:24:00.011-05:00

Well fans, we've decided that we are going to share more of ourselves with you. That means we want you to get to know us better while still focusing on our efforts to grow the bread + butter brand. We talked over dinner tonight and we think you need to have a better idea of who we are as individuals and the "inner" workings of our family. So...we need to be willing to be pretty vulnerable - sharing the good, the bad and the "I-can't-believe-I'm-going-to-publish-this" stuff.

Emma is our first brave soul who is willing to share something with you tonight. In just the past half hour or so she wrote a quote and a song (Just to be clear, I will NEVER be singing for you and trust me, you should be relieved. If you ever heard my Karoake rendition of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" many moons ago you would understand.) Okay, I'll turn it over to my 10-year-old baby girl.

Hi peoples, It's Emma! I wanted to show you my quote and song that I wrote. This is the quote:

Don't be the loser who sits on the couch, be the winner who is online giving something and getting something!

And here is the song:

give something
get something
learn something
enjoy something

to be continued...

check back tommorow and see the whole song and a video of me singing it!!!!!!!!!!!

toodles

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bread + butter launches new "LOVE" line

2010-01-16T17:26:00.003-05:00

Hello b & b fans, Sue here.
We are really super excited because today is the day!! We are launching our brand new LOVE LINE which is here just in time for Valentine's Day. (That's me at left in my new shirt that arrived today!) Guys, looking for something special for her? This is the answer. A stylish shirt that reflects the sentiment of the day AND gives something back to some pretty needy folks. How can you do better than that?

WAIT!! You CAN do better. Now through February 10th, we will give you FREE SHIPPING! Yup, free shipping. Share this site with your friends and make a guy's day. Ditch the flowers and chocolate - they don't last. This is a gift that just keeps on giving!! At checkout, use promotional code:
FEBSALE3 = US
CADFEBSALE3 = Canada

So...what are you waiting for? Click any of the shirts at the top of this page and you'll be in our store. Happy Valentine's Day!!

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bread + butter has our first actor endorsement!

2010-01-15T09:16:00.005-05:00

Here at b & b headquarters we are SO excited to announce our first actor endorsement! That's right, Caitlin Dwyer, who will appear with Mark Wahlberg in "The Fighter" later this year is a bread + butter fan. She LOVES our products and we couldn't be happier. Hey look, she's wearing Emma's favorite green distressed hoodie! One of our most popular products!

We also included a picture of Caitlin and Mark Wahlberg at the wrap party of the film - very cool! We are looking forward to the movie which is already getting a lot of buzz. Thanks for your support Caitlin and don't forget to spread the word among all those actor types out there! People with high visibility can do a lot to help us sell shirts and feed more hungry families across America.

Happy Friday everyone. Our new Valentine's Line will be coming out THIS WEEKEND. Check back often. ~Sue

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5th and Counting - More Hope and Help for the New Year

2010-01-13T07:15:00.001-05:00

We asked all of our New England partners to provide some post-holiday comments. See what Greater Boston Food Bank has to say about Hope and Help for the New Year.

“More than 83,000 people benefit from the stable supply of nutritious food that The Greater Boston Food Bank distributes each and every week. We do this every week every month of the year because hunger does not go away once the holidays are over. And this year, as you can imagine, the need for food is great because of a lackluster economy that has a lot of families struggling to make ends meet,” says Sarah Christensen, Acting Director of Development. “We also know that during the colder winter months more people are forced to choose between heating their homes and paying for food, so we have declared January Super Hunger Month to raise awareness and money to help fight hunger in our community. For more information about this year’s activities and how you can get involved in the fight against hunger visit www.superhungermonth.org.”

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"Fetch" a few bread + butter shirts and help feed a family

2010-01-12T18:52:00.004-05:00

Hey all you b & b fans...It's amazing - our fans our growing, our followers are growing but our shirts have had a little lull in the action these past couple of weeks. We know, everyone is a bit broke after the holidays but please remember that bread + butter make great birthday gifts and they are perfect for that "I-just-want-a-cool-new-shirt-that-makes-a-real-statement" purchase. Our food bank partners tell us that the need is still great after the holidays. Help us keep the momentum going.

Good news, Katie got a call back from the casting company for the PBS show "Fetch with Ruff Ruffman." Although Emma did not, she was a great sport and so supportive of Katie. We were so proud of how she handled the disappointment. What a great kid. About 2,000 kids tried out and they called back 240. We head back to Boston tomorrow for Katie's 2nd audition so keep us in your thoughts. Should be great fun!

On a much lighter note, American Idol premieres tonight and that is a huge guilty pleasure here at the O'Rourke household. The bread & butter team will be glued beginning at 8pm. We just can't help ourselves. Are you fans too?

Have a great night. Will try to get one of the girls to check in tomorrow.
~Sue
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See what NH Food Bank has to say about Hope + Help for a New Year

2010-01-11T20:29:00.005-05:00

Thanks to our partners at NH Food Bank for providing this quote for the 4th installment in our Hope + Help for the New Year series of blog posts. Check our prior posts for the previous 3 and stay tuned for a few more.

“The New Hampshire Food Bank would like to thank everyone that helped by donating to make the holidays brighter for so many hungry individuals in our state. The holiday season always brings a sense of benevolence to people and despite the troubled economy, this year was no exception. However, when the holidays pass, unfortunately the issue of hunger remains. We hope that we can keep the spirit going throughout the year, so that we may continue to feed more than 80,000 people that need our help.” – Melanie Gosselin, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank

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Fetch with bread + butter...and other stupid random silly stuff

2010-01-10T13:22:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone, Sue here.
Happy Sunday. We just got back from bringing the girls to open audtions for the PBS show "Fetch with Ruff Ruffman" in Boston. For those of you in my generation, it's sort of like a modern day Zoom. We should know by Tuesday whether either of them get a call back. Keep your fingers crossed!

We are watching the Patriots game and then we have a 40th birthday party. Happy Birthday Mindy! The girls also had their first day of skiing yesterday with the ski program they're in. A busy - but fun - weekend.

So, Katie and her friend Dana started a Web site called "Stupid Random Silly Stuff". Should we be concerned since that Web site is getting more interest from the girls at the moment than this project? Nah, it's kids being kids. It's actually pretty clever.

We expect to have the new V-day line of shirts out by the end of this week. Stay tuned and remember...buy a shirt, feed a family. Go Pats.

P.S. Emma created a new poll (in the right hand column), through which you can vote for your favorite bread + butter blogger. Pick your favorite today. Use the comment feature below to explain your choice. Visit our SHOP

hope + help for a new year #3

2010-01-09T09:43:00.007-05:00

Another seasonal update from another one of the bread + butter project's nonprofit partners...

“This season, in spite of a troubled economy and high unemployment, Rhode Islanders generously rallied together to make the holidays brighter for thousands of their neighbors in need. As we begin a new year, and enter the cold winter months, we at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank hope for the continued support of the community as we work to put food on the table of those who otherwise may go without. Sadly, hunger has no offseason.” - Andrew Schiff, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank

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Bread + butter guest blogger Dana weighs in!

2010-01-08T17:31:00.006-05:00

Hi Guys!
It's Dana (one of Katie's friends). I just got a sneekpeek at the upcomming line of clothing and you are gonna LOOOVE it! (I know I did). IT REALLY ROCKS! I have a feeling that even people who arent really into fashion are going to love it anyway. I'm not supposed to tell you any more but I gave you a few hints! Lets see if you can figure it out! <3
BYE!

Oh wait, our quote of the day that we made up today:

"Don't be the candle wax that slowly melts away; be the everlasting flame of beauty and strength that never dies!"
-Dana

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More Hope and Help for the New Year - Vermont Foodbank Weighs in

2010-01-07T19:00:00.008-05:00

This is the second in our series of post-holiday comments from our nonprofit food bank partners.

“Vermonters have stepped up in a big way to support the work of the Vermont Foodbank this holiday season, and we could not be more grateful for this. Yet we ask you to please remember that hunger is a year-round problem in our communities. Nearly 40% of the Vermont Foodbank’s clients cite having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities and heating fuel. Twenty-eight percent report choosing between paying for food and paying for medicine and medical care. With your assistance we can ease the financial burden for those we serve by helping them to provide healthy meals for their families.” - John Sayles, CEO, Vermont Foodbank.

Check out yesterday's post from the Maine. Use the "comments" feature below to add your thoughts on hunger in New England and Hope and Help for the New Year. Visit our SHOP

Hope and Help for the New Year; Thoughts from bread + butter's food bank partners

2010-01-06T21:41:00.006-05:00

Now that the winter holidays are behind us, and as we look forward to a new year, the bread + butter project asked its six New England food bank partners to send us their thoughts on the theme of "Hope and Help for the New Year." Our friends in Maine were the first to respond.

“Good Shepherd Food-Bank is grateful to our donors who helped to make this holiday season a holiday without hunger for many in our state. We hope that throughout the year, those that can, will continue to support the Food-Bank as we work to provide food to the more than 175,000 Mainers that do not know where their next meal will come from.” - Rick Small, Executive Director, Good Shepherd Food-Bank.

Please click on the "comments" feature below to add your thoughts on hunger in New England and Hope and Help for the New Year. Visit our SHOP

bread + butter helps feed hungry families, one shirt at a time

2010-01-05T11:33:00.008-05:00

Latest news from the "Wicked Local Parents" website:

Instead of changing the channel, two sisters decided to change the world. bread + butter helps feed hungry families, one shirt at a time
By Karin Conrad

Short on cash, a woman in a Walgreens TV ad faces an agonizing choice: paying for food or her prescription drugs. For most, the scene is just another ad, but Katie O’Rourke, 12, was moved to tears by the woman’s suffering. Instead of changing the channel, she and her sister, Emma, 10, decided they would change the world. Sitting in the living room of their Newburyport home, Katie and Emma turned to their mom, Sue Tabb, for advice on what they could do to help people struggling to put food on the table. They could have done what many families do – donate canned goods or write a check – but they had more ambitious ideas. “Mom said we could do something instead of nothing,” says Katie. So, they brainstormed and decided to design clothing, sell it on the Internet and donate some of the profits to organizations helping feed the hungry. Within days, the girls and their mom, along with dad, Tom O’Rourke, had put their heads and talents together to launch their new business.

As a family, they came up with a business plan, including a name reflecting the project’s emphasis on basic necessities – bread + butter - and a logo. As a way to document and share their experience, they also decided to write a family blog about the project for the first 365 days. They located a printer to put their project name and logo on clothing, designed a Web site, and, in September, the girls officially registered their business at Newburyport City Hall. Through donating half their profits from online sales of their sweatshirts, tees, totes and other products to food banks, bread + butter has already had a significant impact. Currently, the project partners with food banks in all six New England states. The family hopes to expand nationally in 2010 and, at some point, even internationally.

Read the full story.

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bread + butter enters twitter madness

2010-01-04T23:26:00.005-05:00

Okay, I am officially obsessed. Trying to learn more about tweeting, twibbons, re-tweets, tweet-up, twits, and too many other twicks to even mention. Wow, now I know what people mean - you can spend hours learning how to navigate and effectively manage this stuff!! But it's fun too. If you are not following bread + butter, what are you waiting for? This is going to be just too darn good to miss.

Hint about our new t-shirt line coming out: We think you will love it. Yeah, that's the clue. More tomorrow.

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A very thoughtful gift; Thanks, Abbey!

2010-01-03T09:02:00.006-05:00

One of the nicest gifts I received this holiday season was from a work colleague, who knew about the bread + butter project and our family's interest in helping feed hungry people. She gave me a Feed 100 bag from FEED Projects, and organization that is working to market and sell as many FEED bags as possible and to FEED and educate the world's 400 million hungry children. I visited their website this morning, and they have some great stuff, including videos like this one that describes their work. Check it out! Want to help fight hunger on a more local level? Remember that all purchases of bread + butter products help feed hungry people in New England!

-Tom

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This bread + butter girl tabling the resolutions

2010-01-02T08:36:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year bread + butter fans! I hope you enjoyed the past week of festivities. Here we are facing a weekend of taking down Christmas decorations, catching up on homework and maybe squeezing in a little tubing or a movie. I thought I would take this opportunity to share a column I wrote last year about resolutions that still rings pretty true for me. I hope you enjoy it. Check back tomorrow for some new "limited time only" bread + butter products. It's snowing here in Newburyport, MA!
~Sue
----------------------
Ah, good old January is here. A month when we start fresh, forgetting all those disastrous decisions we’ve made, mounting debt we’ve accumulated and filthy habits we’ve acquired. A time when we lie to ourselves that the new year ahead will be different; we will exercise more, eat healthier, and write that novel we know is inside us somewhere. We will buy that gratitude journal that Oprah insists we need, and spend our evenings chronicling what we are thankful for rather than watching those silly reality shows like Big Brother and Mama’s Boy.

Snap out of it!

If you’re anything like me, the likelihood of any of that happening is about the same as seeing Angelina Jolie eat a pastrami sandwich. So just relax in the knowledge that you are among friends in your synthetic, superficial existence. In fact, this year, I’m reveling in my ability to face the ugly truth head on. I will be no better this year than in past years; in fact, odds are that I’ll be just a little worse. Let’s face it, there are episodes of Sex and the City still worth watching; good wines that have yet to be tasted, and plenty of people just begging to be mocked. There are offensive jokes and little white lies that need to be told. And there is plenty of chocolate to be eaten.

So I will vow to be simply who I am this year because, after forty-and-a-few years, it is unlikely that I can affect any real lasting change. Imagine Donald Trump spending a holiday in a soup kitchen or Regis Philbin not talking about himself incessantly? Yes, these would be welcome changes but almost creepy due to their sheer improbability. So I figure, why scare the people who love me by going to the gym, eating fiber or learning a second language?

If I keep my standards preposterously low, they will not be forced to adapt to the new and improved me. I’m doing this for my family (and for Angelina, who can take the good deed award for adopting 27 more children).

Now, in true David Letterman style, I will state the top 10 reasons you should avoid making any resolutions this year. However, since coming up with 10 reasons would be far too taxing a goal, I will lower the bar and provide just seven – less writing for me, less reading for you. It’s really a win/win situation.

Refusing to make any resolutions will:

•Save you the embarrassment of being laughed at you when you unveil the newest plan for how you will attain your financial freedom…in 10 days or less.

•Help you avoid being accountable for your bad behavior. Hey, you didn’t promise a rose garden.

•Start a new trend – the slacker resolutionists. It has a nice ring to it.

•Save a tree; think of the paper you’ll spare by not writing down any goals. Be sure not to speak them aloud either…or even think about them.

•Spare you the time and agony of reading those self help books like “Eat, Pray, Love” and “The Secret.” Self-Discovery. Awakening. Acceptance. (Blah. Blah. And Blah.)

•Help others understand “tis always better to underpromise and overdeliver.” Promising absolutely nothing is a surefire way to beat expectations.

•And finally…show the world that you are comfortable in your own skin – even if it just covers up your lazy, no good, do nothing body.

Don’t you feel better now, knowing there are a whole lot of us out there that do not aspire to greatness? I mean, who needs to learn German or publish a book; there are plenty of us that are thrilled when we find a good parking spot, get that perfect cup of coffee or have another parent tell us that our kid is well mannered. Does this make us bad people?

In these crazy, uncertain times, I resolve only to be a good person. If I am successful at that, anything else – splitting an atom, winning a Pulitzer Prize, running a marathon – is all gravy. And if that makes me a slacker, well maybe I can live with that.

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bread + butter team welcomes a new year of possibilities!

2009-12-30T23:30:00.005-05:00

Hey friends, Sue here. Wow, it's 11:31pm and we are just getting home from a nice holiday dinner with some of my work colleagues. It was a great time, very relaxed with some good conversation and a ton of laughs. Laughing is awesome. It's probably the one thing that rejuvenates me the most.

It's hard to believe that it's New Year's Eve tomorrow. We are very excited to welcome a new year and we are confident that 2010 will bring even more opportunities and growth for the bread + butter brand. We are pleased with the progress we have made in our first four months. We are always so encouraged by our supporters and we are thrilled to be seeing more and more b & b products out there!

Remember, on January 1st we will unveil some new and exciting "limited time" designs that will be available during the month of January only. Stay tuned. More tomorrow. Time for mama to hit the hay. Night!

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7 Reasons You Should Own a Bread + Butter Shirt!

2009-12-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

7. They are extremely hip and stylish (according to Katie who is an expert in matters of fashion)
6. They are great conversation starters at parties. What is bread + butter anyway? That's your cue to help spread the word.
5. You'll be a trend-setter. Soon all of the super cool people will be wearing bread + butter and you can say you were among the first.
4. Unlike Abercrombie and Hollister, which are loud and dark and have have murals of half-naked teenagers that scare me on the walls (it's Sue writing this one of course), the bread + butter e-store is bright and cheery with no offensive pictures.
3. They look and feel good, cover more of your body, and are more affordable than the aforementioned mall store shirts.
2. They come in cool colors like pomegranate and chocolate - good looking and yummy!
And the number one reason....

1. Every sale benefits food banks that help feed hungry Americans.

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Bread + Butter Measures Hunger; New England Hungrier Than You'd Think

2009-12-28T07:00:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone. It's Emma. Today, Dad and I found a map of New England states and researched the percentage of hunger in each one. The way they measure hunger is by food insecurity. We made a table that shows the percent of low and very low food security from highest to lowest; Maine is the hungriest in New England and Massachusetts is the least.

We also found out that the hungriest state in the US is Mississippi with 17.4%. The least hungry US state is North Dakota with 6.9%. You can find more information about food insecurity in America on the USDA website.

toodles!!!!!!

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Bread + Butter Junior Cap Sleeve Tees for Under $20...Seriously?

2009-12-27T19:04:00.004-05:00

Why not ring in the New Year wearing a stylish bread + butter junior cap sleeve tee? We just SLASHED the price on one of our BEST-SELLING ITEMS to under $20! But only until January 3rd so don't wait. Remember that when you buy a bread + butter tee, you are helping to fight hunger in your own community and beyond. So feel good about making a difference through our brand and still get a very cool shirt that will be a great conversation piece. Help us spread the word: Buy a shirt, feed a family.

Random question of the day: Which bread + butter team member can hula hoop while playing the flute?

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Organic Hoodies all the Rage...but Supplies are Limited!

2009-12-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Like the bread + butter women's organic long-sleeve hooded T-shirt? Better act fast, because this item is being discontinued, sizes are limited, and they won't be available after January 5. It comes in two color combinations (blue with yellow logo or cream with magenta logo) and is available at the strange price of $22.33. One additional warning: The navy and light blue versions of the similar, and even more popular, junior's long sleeve hooded T-shirt are also being discontinued! The other colors are staying, but if you want a blue one, now is the time to order.

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A cool surprise on Christmas

2009-12-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Guess what? On Christmas, Uncle Jeff came to our house and googled bread and butter, and we found out that we are featured on the Girls' Life website, which is huge! Check it out. How cool is that? We've also just been added to Share Our Strength's blogger community list, which we hope will drive more traffic to our website - and more sales.

Don't forget to send us your photos wearing bread + butter to win a free shirt (see yesterday's post for details), and get ready for the bread + butter post-holiday sale. We haven't figured out what it will be yet, but stay tuned for more details.

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bread + butter under the tree?

2009-12-25T09:39:00.010-05:00

Merry Christmas, bread + butter followers and fans! Did you find a bread + butter sweatshirt under your Christmas Tree this year? Did Santa stuff one of our cap sleeve T's in your stocking? Did you get one of our fleece scarves for Hanukkah? As you know we love posting pictures of our customers wearing bread + butter apparel. Email your pics to us at info@breadandbutterproject.com. We'll post them on our blog under our 'get your bread + butter on' feature. The 5th person to send us a picture will receive a free short or long sleeve bread + butter T-shirt of their choice, so be sure to include a return email address!

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Chirstmas Eve & Countdown to End Hunger

2009-12-24T09:06:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!! Good news, Katie is feeling better so we are on the upswing. Just in time for the festivities. We are heading to a party at our neighbors after church tonight. Then the gang comes to us tomorrow. The girls are so excited. I love seeing the holiday through their eyes. Warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. Enjoy!!

A group of generous donors in Rhode Island is helping one of our nonprofit food bank partners this holiday season by creating the End Hunger Challenge Fund.
Now through December 31, the End Hunger Challenge will match gifts to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank - up to a total of $25,000. What a great way to make a difference. Did you know that each month, more than 50,000 people in Rhode Island need help getting food. Of these people, nearly one-third are children. That’s almost 14,000 kids. You can also help Rhode Island Community Food Bank reach its goal of collecting 250,000 pounds of food by the end of December as part of the holiday meal drive. They've already collected more than 185,000 pounds! Find out more on their website.

And remember, all bread + butter project sales from November 2009 through March 2010 will benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and our other nonprofit food bank partners throughout New England.

Merry Christmas Eve!

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Poor Katie!

2009-12-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hey b & b fans, it's Sue. As I sit to write to you I realize that it is now just two days until Christmas. Emma is absolutely off-the-walls excited. She has been bouncing out of bed every morning, frantically doing the countdown. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve Eve, Mom!" (in my face, at 6am) Katie has been sidelined with a bad case of strep throat and tonsils the size of golf balls. Our poor baby is on antiobiotics but still feeling pretty miserable. We are crossing our fingers that she turns a corner tonight since she's been on the medication for 48 hours now. I hate to see my kids sick, as does every parent. At least we are not traveling since we host Christmas. We'll keep you posted.

The rest of us are well except that I am still in a state of disbelief that another birthday has come and gone. How can I be 45? Seems hard to imagine but you can't argue the numbers. I thought I would take this opportunity to share a column I wrote last year about the merry event. (I am a freelance columnist in what little spare time I have!) Click here to read.

The orders for bread + butter products have been great these past couple of months, thank you to all who have supported us. Please remember that the need continues well after the holidays are over. Keep spreading the word about us!

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It's Better to Give Than Receive

2009-12-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

Just in time for Christmas, we found this inspirational story on the Good Shepherd Food-Bank's website. 7 year-old Sophia received a letter from the Food-Bank, asking for her help in feeding the hungry children in Maine, and when her parents got home from work she told them that she wanted to give $50 to the Food-Bank. Her parents explained that $50 was a lot of money but Sophia insisted. Sophia had been saving her money for a toy that she wanted but decided that she would rather help feed the hungry children. Way to go Sophia! You're making a difference and setting a great example for other kids. Find more good news - and ways to help - on the Good Shepherd Food-Bank's website.

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Get Ready for Super Hunger Month

2009-12-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

With only a few weeks left in December, it's time to start planning for the new year, and we hope that you'll make the Greater Boston Food Bank's Super Hunger Month part of your new year's plans. Every January, restaurants from the greater Boston community come together to fight hunger in a menu of ways. Through the Super Hunger Chef Challenge, Super Hunger Online Auction and Super Hunger Brunch you too can join in the fight against hunger in our community. Or you can create a Super Hunger on Your Own event to support the Food Bank. Find out more at the Super Hunger Month website. And remember, all bread + butter project sales from November 2009 through March 2010 will benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank and our other nonprofit partners throughout New England.

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A few of our favorite comments

2009-12-20T07:00:00.005-05:00

Since launching the bread + butter project in August, we've received lots of positive comments from customers and visitors to our blog. Today, we'd like to share a few of them with you. In no particular order, here they are:

"I think you girls are doing something pretty remarkable. Keep up the good work."

"i LUUUUUUUUUUUV the new products! so many awesome colors!!!!!!"

"It has been amazing following your blog and the progress Bread & Butter has made. Sue,you & Tom must be so proud. Wishing you continued success!"

"We are excited to be part of such a fantastic project! Thank you for thinking of us and for your incredible dedication in the fight to end hunger."

"I think this is a great idea! And I love that the whole family is involved. I look forward to seeing it grow and prosper over the year."

"I always look forward to reading my daily Bread and Butter project posting! When I do I like to play a game to figure out if I can tell who the author is. Usually the girls announce themselves, but Sue and Tom not so much! I was absolutely sure Sue had written today's comments. But I was clearly wrong. Nice job guys!"

"Hi Guys, I just got my shirt. It is exactly what I wanted ...size and color. Well, let's be honest it is not the size I wanted, but size 2 wouldn't fit. LOL It is so comfy. I have recently heard that food pantries need cash more than canned goods. They can use the cash to get better deals i.e. whole sale prices where we can't get as good a deal. A cash gift goes farther. So you guys are on the right track."

"Hi O'Rourke Family, So great to see that all of you are working together as a family. You have inspired me!! Love the quality of the t-shirts. I ordered the long-sleeve and love it!! Love the Emma and Katie stick figure logo."

"What an awesome idea!!! I think you will inspire many to do something good for someone else! A great way to pay it forward!! Much luck to all of you!"

And one of our most recent comments: "...Oh, I could go on Katie...but then I would be rambling and boring all those who read your comments. Somehow, though, I don't think I would bore them, because I bet they think you are pretty wonderful too. However, just to be on the safe side, I'll stop... You and Emma have made the world a better place and I thank you for that... Keep up the good work. I'll continue to support this worthy cause, so that means I will be doing it for years to come. As far as I can see, this is going to be around for quite a while."

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Making News in New Hampshire

2009-12-19T08:06:00.009-05:00

As promised, we are posting a link to the girls' interview on WMUR-TV yesterday. They did a great job and are becoming seasoned spokespersons for the bread + butter project. Thanks to everyone at channel 9 for helping us promote our work, and to everyone in New Hampshire who has visited our site and purchased one of our products since this story ran last night. We've seen a big spike in visits to our blog in the past 24 hours, and we hope that many of our visitors will become fans of the bread + butter project on facebook or find a way to help us spread the word. Remember, when you buy bread + butter, you help feed the hungry, when you wear bread + butter, you show that you care. When you share bread + butter, you help raise awareness.

Have a question? Check out our FAQs. Want to see our clothing line?
VISIT OUR SHOP! Meet the bread + butter project team: Tom, Sue, Katie and Emma.

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A Good Day

2009-12-18T21:51:00.002-05:00

Today the girls taped an interview for WMUR, the ABC affiliate in Manchester, NH and did a great job. We should be able to post that video clip tomorrow so check back!! We ended the day having dinner with some great friends of ours - there were 5 families and we all have girls so there are 11 girls in all. Yup, pure madness but fun. A big snowstorm on the way for tomorrow. Hard to say if we'll get a dusting or several feet. Gotta love New England!! We'll post more in the AM. Bedtime!
~Sue
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LAST OF ALL LAST CHANCES!!!!

2009-12-16T20:42:00.006-05:00

Greetings fellows of the earth,
Just for the record... I know, the picture is gorgeous!! Anyway since I'm sure you are just begging to know what Katie the inquisitive is here to tell you, I won't strain you any longer. So guess what? Tommorow is in fact the last and last of all last days to get a fantabulous B&B shirt (via standard shipping) here before CHRISTMAS!! THAT'S DECEMBER 17TH - GOT IT? So don't drag yourself and go through all the trouble of going to Abercrombie or Aeropostale... simply click the distressed hoodie and you are done. Simple as that.
HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Please ignore the Aeropostale sweatshirt I'm wearing in the picture, it's before we created the B&B distressed hoodie. GOSH ease up would ya!!

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Get your bread + butter on at the Golden Gate!

2009-12-15T19:00:00.000-05:00

Despite our current focus on helping food banks in New England, these happy customers show that bread + butter has national appeal. Nice sweatshirts, ladies! We love seeing pictures of people wearing our products. Send us your favorites and we'll be happy to post them on our blog. Want to see more happy customers? Just enter the words 'get your bread + butter on' into the search box at the bottom of the right-hand column. And don't forget to order your bread + butter holiday gifts by December 17 in order to ensure delivery in time for Christmas!

Random question of the day: Do any of our followers in Massachusetts read Parents and Kids Magazine? We were interviewed for a story and believe it is running in the December hard-copy edition, but haven't seen it yet, as it is not available in our immediate area. We'd love to see the article, so let us know if you've seen it. You can find complimentary copies of Parents and Kids Magazine at hundreds of locations (mainly south and west of Boston). Thanks for your help!

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You say tomato, I say tom-ah-to

2009-12-14T22:14:00.009-05:00

We're turning our attention to the Granite State this week, and focusing our efforts on how we can help the NH Food Bank - as well as our other New England partners - not only in December, but over the next several months. Did you know that NH Food Bank is calling December Canned Tomato Month? That means, you can host your own food drive, with a focus on canned tomato products, and help thousands of people in need. Don't have time to pull together a food drive of your own? Find more ways to support NH Food Bank on their website, or purchase a bread + butter product from now through the end of March 2010. And, stay tuned to WMUR-TV later this week for an interview with Katie and Emma, where you can learn more about the bread + butter project's partnership with this great organization.

Random question of the day: In which NH town did bread + butter project team members, Tom and Sue live from 1996 - 2003? Use the "comments" feature below to register your guess. Visit our SHOP

SPECIAL9

2009-12-12T15:21:00.004-05:00

Now through Tues (12/15) - Use code SPECIAL9 at checkout and get 20% off your order of $35 or more! Shop, save, feed a family. Cool!

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Never finished!

2009-12-12T10:40:00.007-05:00

Every year I think I'm finished with my Christmas shopping and every year there are about a hundred little gifts that I leave until the end that wind up taking up the majority of my time and budget. Does that happen to you? Yankee swaps, hostess gifts, Secret Santa, and on and on. So off I go again today to "finish" up. One great advantage about shopping this year thought has been the opportunity to give a bread + butter product because we feel so strongly about what our brand stands for and we are proud of how far we have come. The orders are still coming in steadily and our women's long-sleeve organic tee and junior's distressed hoodie are leading the way in terms of popularity. We'll keep you posted.

Guess what? Another TV station is interested in interviewing the girls! This time in New Hampshire. We are so thrilled to give the NH Food Bank a little extra exposure and hope that no matter what state you live in, you'll consider bread + butter as a gift or for yourself - knowing that it will help feed some families.

Kids are off to a party tonight so Tom and I get a few hours for a little date night. A nice treat this time of year when we are all so crazed. I hope you are all having a great weekend. Good luck with the decorating, shopping, baking, etc. Don't forget to check back with us as often as you can.

~Sue

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Katie's longest post ever - Raise your voices!

2009-12-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

For the past 24 hours, I've realized what a privilege it is to have a voice. In our school, we have a program called the VOW OF SILENCE. We do this to raise awareness for the children in India, who don't have a voice. Not literally, but if these child laborers accidentally say one negative thing about laboring or complain, they are beaten or severely hurt. For example, in some cases, a man comes to your village and promises to take your child, feed them, give them an education (which many children don't have) and give your family $12 dollars. Then they basically give you none of what they promised, very little food, hide you in a terrible conditioned factory, and the smaller your fingers are, the longer you are useful to them. On top of that, you are chained to your machine, beaten if you make a mistake. No stretch time whatsoever.

In the book I’m reading, a boy named Iqbal escaped from this when he was 10, and by the time he was 12, he was only as tall and weighed as much as a normal 6 year-old – half the size he should be. He learned 6 years of schooling in 2 years in America. Before he escaped to America, he started parades in Pakistan and started telling people what was really happening to many children. Some police officers would go to inspect factories to inspect for child labor, but were threatened, or bribed with money, to cover it up. Some families would still sell one child, even if they knew they were to be labored because they were so poor. The children in his 6th grade classroom asked Iqbal’s why he would go back if he knew he was in danger, and he said, "Because I have to finish what I started." when he returned to Pakistan, he continued to tell stories about his years of child laboring, beginning at the age of 4. But some people found out, and before he could tell anyone else, he was shot in front of his grandmother’s house. This still goes on today, and if you think it's hard not to speak for a day, some children are at risk of their lives if they speak in their country.

Through my school’s project, the money collected will go to a center in India that gives children their voices back. If you are as bothered by this as I am, please think about what you can do to help.

If you’d like to take action and help hungry Americans right here in New England, please consider buying one of our products so that you can make a difference closer to home.

Loose your voice for a day and let a child speak for a lifetime. If you have a voice, think carefully about how you use it.

-Katie

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The sound of silence

2009-12-10T20:55:00.002-05:00

It's quiet tonight in the bread + butter project household. One of our more vocal team members is out with friends, celebrating her birthday (29 again), and another is taking a vow of silence. Tune in tomorrow for more news on that. In the meantime, peruse our streamlined product line, and see who on your holiday shopping list might be a good match for bread + butter.

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What does it look like to make a real difference?

2009-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture that we think illustrates what we're all about at bread + butter - working together as a family to help hungry people, develop a sustainable business model, and find out what it takes to make a real difference. This photo was taken on the day before Thanksgiving, when we delivered our first contribution to our first nonprofit partner, Pettengill House, Inc. in Salisbury, MA. What a great day! Thanks to everyone who made it possible.

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A poetic response

2009-12-09T17:36:00.003-05:00

An anonymous reader (and writer) responded to our post below with the following:

Emma Emma is the bread,
Helping people to be fed.
Hunger Hunger everywhere,
Help show that you care.
Bread + Butter you should wear!!

Nice work, Anonymous. We like it!

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We Finally Hear from Emma!

2009-12-08T16:44:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone it's me Emma. I just wrote this poem about bread + butter for the site. I hope you like it.

Buy
Reach out
End up helping
Add it to your Christmas list
Do something
+help out
Boys and girls
U can do it!
Take action
T-shirts
Emma, Katie, Tom, and Sue's project
Rock on!

p.s. bread + butter clothes are great as Christmas gifts.

Check out the poem I wrote about our first partner, Pettengill House, Inc. Use the comment feature below to submit one of your own, using the word HUNGER, and we'll post our favorites.

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Take 20% off Toddler Hooded Sweatshirts - and more!

2009-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

What's cuter than this sweatshirt? It comes in a bunch of cool colors for your little boys and girls. And, we're running a promotion through December 15 that will allow you to take 20% off these sweatshirts and other bread + butter products when you place an order totaling $35 or more. How does it work? Simply place the items you want to buy in your shopping cart. Make sure the total is $35 or greater, and then add one of the following items and related coupon code when you process your order:

Add a Kid's Long Sleeve T and use code 12DAYS1
Add a Kid's Apron and use code 12DAYS2
Add a Junior's AA Long Sleeve Hooded T and use code 12DAYS3
Add a Messenger Bag and use code 12DAYS4
Add a Jersey Scarf and use code 12DAYS5
Add a Men's, Women's, Kid's or Toddler Hooded Sweatshirt and use code 12DAYS7
Add a Men's AA Long Sleeve T and use code 12DAYS9

It's that easy, and it will make your toddlers merry and bright this holiday season.

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Buy my boxers, while you still can!

2009-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

As we continue to refine our product line-up, we're thinking about retiring the bread + butter boxers. Since we first introduced them in September (read that post), they haven't exactly been a top seller, but I really like them and still believe they could take off. Sue says they must go. What do you think? The red ones would be great for Valentine's Day, right? If you agree with me, act now. I think I am losing this battle.

-Tom

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What's product rationalization, Dad?

2009-12-06T09:00:00.013-05:00

As the title of this post suggests, I need to use simpler language when talking with Katie and Emma about our business. Sue says it better. "We have too many things in our shop; people get overwhelmed and leave the site without ordering." I think she's right, and so do some of our current and potential customers. This morning, we reduced our total number of products from 168 to 131, and at the same time added some new ones, including men's sweatshirts. Don't worry. You can still find many of your favorites. For those customers who know what they're looking for, but don't know where to find it, we suggest using the pull-down menu that appears at the top of our e-store under the shop tab. It will allow you to sort all of the products by category: men, women, kids and babies, etc.

Now for some really exciting news. We're running a promotion through December 15 that will allow you to take 20% off of some of our most popular products when you place an order of $35 or more. How does it work? Simply place the items you want to buy in your shopping cart. Make sure the total is $35 or greater, and then add one of the following items and enter the related coupon code when you process your order:

Add a Kid's Long Sleeve T and use coupon code 12DAYS1
Add a Kid's Apron and use coupon code 12DAYS2
Add a Junior's AA Long Sleeve Hooded T and use coupon code 12DAYS3
Add a Messenger Bag and use coupon code 12DAYS4
Add a Jersey Scarf and use coupon code 12DAYS5
Add a Men's, Women's, Kid's or Toddler Hooded Sweatshirt and use coupon code 12DAYS7
Add a Men's AA Long Sleeve T and use coupon code 12DAYS9

Find them all in our newly 'rationalized' SHOP. Only one coupon code can be applied with each order.

-Tom

Best Sellers, Birthdays and...(ahem) Busted!

2009-12-05T06:32:00.010-05:00

Good morning everyone and thanks to Taylor S. for kicking us in the bum and bringing to our attention that we didn't blog yesterday - although we kind of sort of were counting the Fox clip as a blog but no excuses. Here I am (It's Sue) at 6:30 on a Saturday morning writing to all of you who are kind enough to support our project and who are good enough to check in with us every day. We now have hundreds of folks visiting us from ALL OVER THE WORLD! Welcome to b & b fans in Germany, Belguim, Mexico, U.K. and Malaysia - glad to have you on board!!

The orders have been coming in very quickly these last few days which means larger checks for our food pantry partners. Again, we are reviewing the most popular products and will retire some of our others (but not before we give you the chance to order), other products will be available on a limited time basis and our best sellers will stay put. Currently our best sellers are:

Women's Organic Long Sleeve Hooded Tee
Adult Tie Dye Tee
Kids Long Sleeve Tee
Women's Long Sleeve Tee
Junior Distressed Hoodie Sweatshirt

A busy weekend here at b & b headquarters. Katie is performing in "The 12 Days of Christmas," Emma is going to a birthday party for her friend Olivia - Happy Birthday honey! (My birthday is this month as well!) In between all that, we need to answer emails, check on orders, and field requests to have our two new stars appear on some other television programs. Ah, then there is finishing the Christmas shopping and I haven't yet ordered our holiday cards. Nothing much to do. Oh, we are going to get our first SNOW fall here in the Boston area today!! Enjoy your Saturday and don't forget to visit our shop!

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An important milestone

2009-12-03T07:00:00.010-05:00

At a recent communications industry seminar on social media, I learned that most blogs are abandoned and put to death by their creators after only 3 months. Having launched the bread + butter project (including our blog and e-store) in mid-August, we now have more than 3 months under our belt, and are still going strong. Has it been a challenge to keep up with the commitment of providing new content each day? Yes. Are we still excited and motivated by our mission? You bet. As Sue mentioned in her last post, we're also working to understand how additional tools like Twitter and facebook can strengthen our efforts.

For those of you who are new to our blog, we hope you'll check out some of things we've tried and written about over the past 3+ months in our archives. We also hope you'll offer us suggestions on the blog and the e-store.

On the e-store, some of our followers have suggested that we actually have too many products, and that we should remove some of them. We're taking this advice to heart, and are considering retiring a number of items and introducing new products on a seasonal basis. Does that sound right to you? Please let us know what you think. And if there is an item you've been thinking about ordering, now is a good time to act. It may not be there tomorrow. Check out all of the products in our e-store, and use the pull-down menu under the shop tab at the top of the page to sort by category (men, women, kids, accessories, etc.) We also invite newcomers to get to know the bread + butter project team: Tom, Sue, Katie and Emma.

-Tom

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Tweeting and TVing!

2009-12-02T10:44:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone. Happy Wednesday. I'm feeling a little pressed for time these days as there are so many things we want to do to promote the bread + butter project but our jobs and school and everyday life seem too often to get in the way!

I think TWITTER will be a great tool for us to get quick updates out to our fans in addition to our posts. We just signed up so click the "follow us" button at right and become a b & b follower. We'd also appreciate you retweeting any updates to your followers so we can reach as many people as possible. Thanks!

Katie and Emma are VERY excited about their appearance on Fox 25 Morning News here in Boston tomorrow morning at 8:35am. If you don't live in this area, we'll post a link to the segment once it's online. We did some practice runs last night and some role playing. I think they are pretty prepared - it's amazing how easily they can speak about the project and our mission. I think their passion comes through. I can't wait to see them in action!!

Don't forget to order your bread + butter products by TOMORROW latest to take advantage of our 25% off sale on purchases of $40 or more. Use promo code CYBER49.

Enjoy the rest of your day. After work, I'll be at a tech rehearsal with Katie. She is performing in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" this weekend. Busy. Busy. More later.
~Sue
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Back by Popular Demand

2009-12-01T06:34:00.003-05:00

Hello b & b fans,

I wish I could say that I'm back by popular demand (since bread + butter aka Katie & Emma are still asnooze in their warm beds) but alas, it is our 25% off sale. It has been so popular that we have decided to extend it through this THURSDAY. Imagine being able to make a difference in someone's life simply by buying a shirt. You really can. Just make a minimum purchase of $40 and voila - you've crossed something off that holiday list AND done something remarkably kind. Beginning today, please use promo code CYBER49 to receive your discounted price.

I'm back to work today but feeling so good since this project has really taken shape over these last couple of weeks. Thank you. You have all been a large part of that and we hope you will check in every day to follow our progress!

Our next goal is to make a fun music video to put on youtube and on our web site so we can continue to spread the word and reach new audiences. We are not the most technically savvy family so this will be a challenge. Anyone who is interested in donating their expertise and lives in the Boston area, contact us at info@breadandbutterproject.com.

I can smell Christmas this morning in my house (it may be due to our GIANT 12-foot Rockafeller tree that Tom insisted on!). The girls are excited to start their advent calendars. It's amazing how happy these tiny little chocolates make them. It's sort of like when the kids enjoy the $3 puzzle you got at Target more than the $300 Barbie jeep on Christmas morning. Hard to figure.

Wait, she's here everyone. It's Katie!!! Hi katie here, I just wanted to let you know that you can see what has been going on at the North Pole and what Santa has been working on, additionally you can see how many, days, hours, minutes, and seconds there are left until Christmas. So to get into the Christmas spirit visit www.noradsanta.org and a new Christmas game will be unlocked every day that's related to what Santa's doing that day. So check it out and go under the kids countdown for endless fun until Christmas!

Enjoy your Tuesday and do something remarkable today.
~Your crazy bread + butter team.

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It's Cyyyyyyyber Monday!!

2009-11-30T07:04:00.005-05:00

Hey b & b fans...
Yes, it's Cyber Monday, and what does that mean? Well, nothing unless you take advantage of all the great deals on the net today. Remember this is the LAST day to enjoy 25% off bread + butter products with a minimum order of $40. Just use CYBER39 at checkout. Hint: tweens and teens LOVE the distressed hoodie. And most importantly, every sale benefits food banks who are in desperate need with the increased number of people who need assistance.

So, it's Monday and that means back to school and work after a long weekend for most of us. I have to say that since I work Tues-Thurs there is a part of me that hears a choir of angels singing as the bus pulls away. I love having my house to myself, even though I have to clean it, do laundry, run errands and pick up all the leftover Christmas boxes strewn about.

Did I mention I'm having trouble walking up the stairs today? Yeah, thought I'd be a hero and run rather than walk on the treadmill yesterday. That's working out well for me.

We have a television interview with FOX on Thursday so we need to prep the kids - they will be the only ones interviewed since this project was their inspiration. They are excited, especially since they will miss the first couple of hours of school. Hey, kids will be kids. And by the way, isn't it there turn to blog???? Good thing they're so damn cute.

More tomorrow of course. And hey, comment or write to us...won't you? We love hearing from you. info@breadandbutterproject.com or just click the green "comments below. Visit our SHOP