Waffles for Hope
Donation protected
Waffles for Hope has served waffles for free while raising money for charity since 2011. To keep going, and expand, we need your help!
Who I Am and Why I Need Your Help
My name is Alexander Olson, and I run charity events called Waffles For Hope. We go to other, larger events (typically Anime Conventions), and serve fresh waffles for free to the people there, while raising money for charity. For our first seven years, I was able to finance the events personally, but now we need your help to keep going and to expand.
Over the last two years we've operated at Anime Detour and given away 2,000 fresh delicious Belgian waffles, and raised $7,000 for Child's Play Charity, who give toys and games to children in hospitals.
For the first time ever we're running more than one event in the year! We hope to run the Waffle Room about four conventions per year. There are other incredible causes that could really use our help, specifically domestic abuse shelters for terribly underserved populations.
What These Funds Will Do
Your generosity will expand the Waffle Room, feeding people for free while raising money for charity.
- We operate out of a hotel room; more nights stay let us operate for longer, serving 80 waffles per hour for about 4 hours per night we're at the hotel, which costs ~$150.00 per night.
- We also need waffle mix, plates, forks, knives, and napkins, which cost ~$0.33 per person served.
- We love to provide toppings as well to keep things fun and delicious - syrup, butter, jam, Nutella, peanut butter, chocolate chips, whipped cream, etc, which can cost $0.20 to $0.50 per person served, depending on how luxurious we go.
- Supply acquisitions help us to run the room properly, improve our operation, and advertise the room at the convention. Things like drop cloths, extension cords, serving containers, signage, and bins. We typically see about $50 per event in necessary supplies, $50 in potential signage, and an $100 in possible improvement acquisitions.
- Supplies for my staff help us to stay nourished and upbeat while we run the room. Water, energy bars, beverages, etc to keep my staff of 4-6 alive through the experience, costs about $50.
- Lastly, we want to provide donation incentives to generous people who donate a certain amount or more at events. These include buttons, art prints, Golden Waffles (golden leather waffles), and whatever other goodies we can get our hands on to give away. The sky is the limit here, and historically donations increase by 5x-10x what we spend on incentives.
Your help will also allow us to run the Waffle Room with 100% of proceeds collected at the events going directly to the charity that we're promoting. I estimate that each event costs $1200-$2000, and provides $6,000-$11,000 in total value to all parties.
When The Funds Are Needed
May 22nd, in time for Animinneapolis 2019, or shortly thereafter. We are presently in a situation for that convention to operate for 8 hours with basic supplies (waffles, tableware, and syrup). Any further funds will go toward hosting the room at Anime Detour 2020, and likely Animinneapolis 2020 and Convergence 2020 as well.
Spreading the Love
The waffle room started as just another convention room party, and has grown into something beautiful. Youths and adults at conventions getting some real food without getting gouged by crazy hotel pricing and helping sick kids. We've informed hundreds of people about the existence of Child's Play Charity, and want to continue to provide tangible hope to as many as we can.
The generosity and the love fills my heart to the bursting point every event. This will be one more reason I'm overwhelmed to the point of tears. Thank you so much for reading, for coming to the page.
To Those Who Can Give More
While few are in a position to go above and beyond, sometimes some of us are looking for something to give to. I would be happy to work out a special way to say thanks, whether that is a custom artwork, making waffles for you and friends/family at your home, or catering your event. Graduation Party season is around the corner. Imagine how 100 fresh waffles would improve your event (Must be in or very near the Twin Cities MN area). This site's reward features have been removed, so figuring this out could be a little complicated, but I'm more than happy to figure things out.
Who I Am and Why I Need Your Help
My name is Alexander Olson, and I run charity events called Waffles For Hope. We go to other, larger events (typically Anime Conventions), and serve fresh waffles for free to the people there, while raising money for charity. For our first seven years, I was able to finance the events personally, but now we need your help to keep going and to expand.
Over the last two years we've operated at Anime Detour and given away 2,000 fresh delicious Belgian waffles, and raised $7,000 for Child's Play Charity, who give toys and games to children in hospitals.
For the first time ever we're running more than one event in the year! We hope to run the Waffle Room about four conventions per year. There are other incredible causes that could really use our help, specifically domestic abuse shelters for terribly underserved populations.
What These Funds Will Do
Your generosity will expand the Waffle Room, feeding people for free while raising money for charity.
- We operate out of a hotel room; more nights stay let us operate for longer, serving 80 waffles per hour for about 4 hours per night we're at the hotel, which costs ~$150.00 per night.
- We also need waffle mix, plates, forks, knives, and napkins, which cost ~$0.33 per person served.
- We love to provide toppings as well to keep things fun and delicious - syrup, butter, jam, Nutella, peanut butter, chocolate chips, whipped cream, etc, which can cost $0.20 to $0.50 per person served, depending on how luxurious we go.
- Supply acquisitions help us to run the room properly, improve our operation, and advertise the room at the convention. Things like drop cloths, extension cords, serving containers, signage, and bins. We typically see about $50 per event in necessary supplies, $50 in potential signage, and an $100 in possible improvement acquisitions.
- Supplies for my staff help us to stay nourished and upbeat while we run the room. Water, energy bars, beverages, etc to keep my staff of 4-6 alive through the experience, costs about $50.
- Lastly, we want to provide donation incentives to generous people who donate a certain amount or more at events. These include buttons, art prints, Golden Waffles (golden leather waffles), and whatever other goodies we can get our hands on to give away. The sky is the limit here, and historically donations increase by 5x-10x what we spend on incentives.
Your help will also allow us to run the Waffle Room with 100% of proceeds collected at the events going directly to the charity that we're promoting. I estimate that each event costs $1200-$2000, and provides $6,000-$11,000 in total value to all parties.
When The Funds Are Needed
May 22nd, in time for Animinneapolis 2019, or shortly thereafter. We are presently in a situation for that convention to operate for 8 hours with basic supplies (waffles, tableware, and syrup). Any further funds will go toward hosting the room at Anime Detour 2020, and likely Animinneapolis 2020 and Convergence 2020 as well.
Spreading the Love
The waffle room started as just another convention room party, and has grown into something beautiful. Youths and adults at conventions getting some real food without getting gouged by crazy hotel pricing and helping sick kids. We've informed hundreds of people about the existence of Child's Play Charity, and want to continue to provide tangible hope to as many as we can.
The generosity and the love fills my heart to the bursting point every event. This will be one more reason I'm overwhelmed to the point of tears. Thank you so much for reading, for coming to the page.
To Those Who Can Give More
While few are in a position to go above and beyond, sometimes some of us are looking for something to give to. I would be happy to work out a special way to say thanks, whether that is a custom artwork, making waffles for you and friends/family at your home, or catering your event. Graduation Party season is around the corner. Imagine how 100 fresh waffles would improve your event (Must be in or very near the Twin Cities MN area). This site's reward features have been removed, so figuring this out could be a little complicated, but I'm more than happy to figure things out.
Organizer
Alexander Olson
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
