Hi, I’m Scott James, founder of Sandwich Party Sunday. Here’s some info that might be useful about who we are and what we do. You can reach me any time at 323-378-9136.
Timeline:
- The first Sandwich Party Sunday was January 14th, 2018 in Hollywood, CA.
- The first Sandwich Party Sunday in Rhode Island was August 5th at Script’s Cafe in Warwick.
- The second Rhode Island location will be at Cellucci’s Martial Arts & Fitness starting October 28th.
Origin:
My friend Ashley gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere else to go. She had the idea to feed some people in our neighborhood on Easter of 2012.
The first official sandwich party happened because I was organizing a bowling night and we weren’t sure how much it would end up costing per-person so I asked everyone to round up and agreed to buy food for people in my neighborhood with any money left over. I ended up with $125 so I recruited a couple friends.
Before we started we thought hard about how to make this into something that addresses the root of the problem rather than just a band-aid. We decided that we were not giving handouts and that what we were doing was taking care of each other in our community. That was the beginning of Sandwich Party Sunday.
Concept:
The idea is to make it as appealing as possible for regular people to do good and for them to have the experience of making a difference. We’re building a network, a community and a family across the country and around the world. I see it as an organic movement that will take shape as we become connected to more people and more resources.
People in Rhode Island:
My friend Matt Fearns was in addiction recovery and was looking to be involved in something meaningful. He took up the cause to bring Sandwich Party Sunday to Rhode Island. He doesn’t mind talking about his addiction/recovery process and I think it’s inspiring.
Michael Cellucci of Cellucci’s Martial Arts & Fitness is the leader of Sandwich Party Sunday in Rhode Island and is a respected leader in his community.
Robert Hanna is filming a documentary about Sandwich Party Sunday as part of a larger series called “Why“. He has a good understanding of what we do and what we’re working to accomplish and has played an important roll in helping us grow by shooting video and photos and connecting us with great people.
Food Donors:
Our donors have been awesome. We don’t have 501c3 status yet, so there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to write off their donations but they’ve been more than generous.
Arcadia Pizza – Larry Buonfoglio
The Backyard Food Co. – Loubnen Sukkar
There’s also a man named Arthur Rosaki who donates about 30 loaves of bread a week. We’d love to give him some public love, but he seems to shy away from it.
Donations:
We’re accepting donations at: sandwichpartysunday.com/donate
Future Plans:
The first sandwich party in Atlanta will be held on November 25th. We’re planning for two more cities but haven’t announced them yet.
For more info, please see the ‘info’ tab in the top menu.
Thank you!