Give to Game

Dragon's Lair

2012-01-30T16:32:00.003-06:00

Dragon's Lair has sighed on for a fourth year as one of our sponsors. I will be making the trek up "north" to pick up the donation next week!

A word about our sponsor:

If you haven't been to Dragon's Lair in awhile (or at all), you should check them out. They're on Burnet Road just north of 2222 in Austin. They have a huge selection of board games and plenty of demo copies if you are interested in trying some out. They also sell mini's and comics and other fun geeky stuff. Check out theirevents calendar.

Hours:
Monday 10:00 AM 12:00 AM
Tuesday 10:00 AM 12:00 AM
Wednesday 9:00 AM 12:00 AM
Thursday 10:00 AM 12:00 AM
Friday 10:00 AM 12:00 AM
Saturday 10:00 AM 12:00 AM
Sunday 12:00 PM 7:00 PM

Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare

Great Hall Games

2012-01-30T16:25:00.003-06:00

I just spoke with Beka over at Great Hall Games, and they have agreed to sign on as sponsors for this years Give to Game. This will be the fourth year that they have sponsored the event.

A word about our sponsor:

Great Hall Games sells a variety of board games, mini's, puzzles and lovey game bits and dice. They hold lots of different events during the year as well as a weekly open gaming night on Fridays. If you haven't checked them out, I highly suggest it!

5501 North Lamar, Suite A-135
Austin, Texas, 78751

ACROSS FROM U HAUL
1 block south of the Lamar & Koenig/2222 light
Map

Open 7 Days a week!
Store Hours & Events
512-505-0055

First Sponsor for 2012 G2G

2012-01-17T21:23:00.007-06:00

A big shout out of thanks to our first sponsor for 2012, Tribe Comics and Games! They are an awesome store and do a lot to give back to the community. Their support has helped raise $12,000 for various local charities including ours. This year they are going to give customers the option of saying, "keep the change", this money will be set aside to be gifted to local charities. Check out their blog article if you want more information about their good works [Blog post].

A word about our sponsor...

Tribe Comics and Games:
If you haven't heard, south Austin has a comic and game store! If you haven't been there yet, you should go check them out, pronto!
Location:2919 Manchaca Rd, Suite 102,Austin, TX 78704

Hours:

Monday	11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Tuesday	11:00 am - 7:00 pm
Wednesday	10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Thursday - Friday	11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday	Noon - 5:00 pm

On Twitter,blog, Facebook, and Yelp.

G2G 2012

2011-12-14T10:35:00.005-06:00

Mark Your Calendars!

We have set the dates for the 2012 edition of Give to Game and this year we have decided to do it for two days. So save the dates of April 13th-14th. This year the event will benefit the Bastrop County Food Pantry. The County of Bastrop was hard hit by the fires this fall and the Food Pantry has seen an increase in request for services. Stay tuned in for more information as it becomes available. Lets make the fourth annual G2G the best yet.

Keep in the know by Liking us/ Following us:
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Thank You!

2011-09-17T15:17:00.002-05:00

A big thank you to all who gave to this special edition G2G, benefiting the victims of the Bastrop County wild fires. We collected approximately 15 bags of groceries and $375! Funds and food will be taken to the Bastrop County Food Pantry to assist in helping victims of the Bastrop fires.

IMPROMPTU GIVE TO GAME

2011-09-12T07:55:00.004-05:00

Impromptu Give to Game Benefiting the Bastrop County Food Pantry
In an effort to assist individuals and families that have been affected by the wild fires in Bastrop we will be holding a scaled down Give to Game on September 16th at 6pm. It will be an open board gaming event held at the same location (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall 4622 S Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78745).

We ask that you donate any or all of the following:
1) Non-perishable food
2) First aid items
3) Formula
4) Diapers

5) Monetary Donation

Items will be donated to the Bastrop County Food Pantry. You can also make a check out to the Bastrop County Food Pantry.

Please spread the word to the gaming community!

Third Annual Give to Game in Photos

2011-04-13T14:21:00.004-05:00

Group Gaming

Concession Stand

Food

Door Prizes

More gaming

SUCCESS!

2011-04-11T08:25:00.002-05:00

Give to Game was a great success! We made $2758 and collected 385 lbs of food, which will translate into 14,348 meals for individuals and families experiencing hunger in Central TX. We had a record breaking 83 participants this year! We are very thankful to our sponsors and to the board gaming community who came out to make a big difference in the lives of thousands of hungry Texans. We hope that this trend continues and that next year is another record breaker.

If you attended this years event, please let us know if there is anything you would like to stay the same or change for next year.

Thanks again!

Ps:Pictures will be posted soon.

Schedule

2011-04-08T15:28:00.003-05:00

Here is the schedule for Give to Game:

10:00am - Doors open, silent auction starts
Around Noon - Holy Cross will be offering lunch (sandwiches, drinks). Donations accepted.
Around Dinner - Holy Cross will be offering dinner (sandwiches, drinks). Donations accepted.
7:00pm - Silent auction closes, you can pay for your won games
7:30pm - Raffle drawings
7:35pm - Live auction starts
8:00pm - Live auction wraps up
Midnight - Doors Close

See you tomorrow!

More Donations!

2011-04-06T14:13:00.003-05:00

My friend Betty donated a whopping 50+ games for our door prize table this year. With that I can pretty much guarantee that everyone who shows up will go home with a free game! Yay!

Also, for you Heroscape fans, my friend John donated a couple large base sets and lots of expansions. These will be going into the silent auction. Remember, Heroscape is now out of print - so use this opportunity to pick the game up while you can!

See you in a couple days!

What to Bring

2011-04-04T08:35:00.003-05:00

Give to Game is less than a week away! I thought I'd let you know what to bring along with you:

#1. Food

If you plan on bringing a grocery bag of food for admission, get your paper bag ready and start filling it up! I went through my pantry already and was able to fill a bag with no problem.

Not sure what to give? The most requested items by the food bank are:

Canned meats like tuna, stew and chili (pop-tops preferred)
Canned vegetables
Pasta, pasta sauce
Beans
Rice
Healthy cereals
Peanut butter
Baby food
Baby formula

#2. Cash

If you plan on paying $20 at the door, then you'll need cash. You also have the silent auction, live auction, raffle, lunch, and dinner to worry about!

#3. Checkbook

Yes, I know we live in the digital age and checks are old-fashioned. However, having some checks handy will let you bid on items without worrying about how much cash you have in your pocket.

#4. Games

There will be a game library that anyone can use, as well as many other gamers bringing their own games. You can also bring your favorite games from your own collection.

#5. A Friend

The more people that come to the event, the more successful it will be. So if you have a co-worker, friend, or family member who wants to help a good cause, bring them along and I can guarantee they will have a good time!

A Game to Give?

2011-03-31T12:33:00.002-05:00

One of the cool things about Give to Game is that people are so willing to help out by donating games. All of the local game stores that we've contacted have been very generous in donating game for our auctions. We also get local gamers wanting to donate some games because they want to help out. For example, my friend Christopher just donated a new copy of Mord im Arosa for us to put in the silent auction. If you are interested in donating some boardgames, contact us at givetogame@gmail.com or just bring them to the event and let us know. We'd like to limit the auction to the number of items we currently have, but we are always looking for games for our door prize table or for the auction next year. Thanks!

Online Donation

2011-03-30T09:56:00.004-05:00

I was checking out the online donation site for Give to Game at the Capital Area Food Bank's website. It looks like a few people have already pre-registered! You can see their names scroll by. If you'd like to pre-register, just donate $15 or more through that page and that's it - we'll know who you are at the door. Of course, you can still give $20 at the door or donate one grocery bag of food. See you there!

Library

2011-03-29T12:50:00.004-05:00

Give to Game will have a game library that will be available for all attendees. You can feel free to take out and play any of the games. We will be on hand to explain the rules if you need help, or to scrounge up some players. A list of the games found in the library can be found here. Of course, feel free to bring your own games, or request games that you'd like to play.

This year Ian Cooper was tasked with selecting the games for the library from both of our collections. He did a good job of selecting a variety of good games from light to heavy, from short to long. I'm in the process of packing up the games I am lending and it looks like I'm going to need a few more boxes...

Silent Auction

2011-03-28T09:33:00.003-05:00

At this year's Give to Game, we'll be having a silent auction. We have around 25 games for you to place your bids on during the downtime between playing games. The games were donated by our sponsors Tribe Comics, Great Hall Games, Dragon's Lair, Rio Grande, Thought Hammer, and Michael McCarthy.

The silent auction will start when Give to Game opens at 10:00 am. During that time you can browse through the items and place bids on their auction slips.

Bidding will close at 7:00 pm. At that point, you can come by to see if you won. We will be accepting cash and checks (made out to The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas). Make sure you are prepared! There are a lot of cool things to bid on so having a checkbook comes in really handy!

Give to Game 2011- Austin, TX No Ship Math Trade

2011-03-13T13:39:00.001-05:00

This years Give to Game will include a Board Game Geek Math trade. Follow link for more information.

Thank you Michael!

2011-03-08T09:57:00.004-06:00

Michael McCarthy, a local artist, has agreed to donate some of his work for Give to Game! He is going to be donating 8 etched glasses for our silent auction. Check out his work on Board Game Geek:Click Here.

Get the Word Out!

2011-02-27T14:46:00.004-06:00

I have created a flier for anyone interested in posting about the event at their school, work, or wherever you think someone may be interested. If fliers are too low-tech, you can always like us on facebook to show your support.

Give to Game 2011 Flier

Rio Grande Games!

2011-02-13T12:34:00.003-06:00

This year Dan and I decided to branch out and ask for sponsorship outside of our local realm. I got the official e-mail this weekend that Rio Grande Games will be donating 4 of their hottest games for the Give to Game auction! Here is the catch, the games they have donated need to have their oppening bid in the auction be at MSRP. It is important for Mr. Tummelson that the person bidding for the game be "donating" as well. Let me know what you think about this in the comments of this post.

About Rio Grande Games,
In case you are unfamiliar with Rio Grande here is their history off of wiki,

" In 1995, Jay Tummelson began working for Mayfair Games. At that time, Mayfair had begun to import German-style board games for sale, without doing any localization. Tummelson first suggested that they incorporate an English translation, and then that they completely localize the game for American audiences. Tummelson acquired the rights for Detroit/Cleveland Grand Prix, Manhattan, Modern Art, Streetcar, and The Settlers of Catan, which were published together in 1996.

One part of the localization process was to create original art and components. Tummelson thought that a better solution would be to use the same artwork and components as the originals and to share the cost of printing with the European publishers, as well. In 1998, he founded Rio Grande Games to take that approach.^[1]^[2]

Since then, Rio Grande Games has published over 350 games and has had a significant effect on board gaming in the United States.^[3]

The most popular of the games published by Rio Grande Games are Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, Lost Cities, Power Grid, Bohnanza, and Race for the Galaxy^[4]. More recently, Rio Grande Games has begun publishing its own games and has even begun licensing its games to partners in other countries wanting to localize the games in their local languages. Thus, Race for the Galaxy will soon be seen in Chinese, Korean, and others, as well as its original English, French, and German."[Source: Wikipedia]

Get Ready For Give To Game!

2011-01-25T09:44:00.006-06:00

Give to Game is a board gaming event in Austin, Texas, whose goal is to collect food and raise funds for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Come join us for a day of open gaming and a chance to win some great door prizes! Last year we raised over $1600 and over 300 lbs. of food, so come out and help us beat that goal!

Date & Place
The event takes place on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 10:00 AM to Midnight at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on 4622 S Lamar Blvd Austin, Texas.

Admission
Admission to the event is either one grocery bag of non-perishable food or a donation of $20 at the door (or $15 if you register online). You can register online, on our Capital Area Food Bank virtual fund drive and make a donation of $15 or more (you'll have to enter the amount) and you'll be all set. if you have any questions, email us at givetogame@gmail.com

Games
We will be providing a library of games from our collection for anyone to play, but feel free to bring your own games! If you haven't played anything beyond Monopoly and Sorry, then you are in for a treat. There has been an explosion in the quantity and quality of board gaming world in the last 15 years. Don't worry if you don't know how to play, because there will be plenty of friendly folks on hand to help out and teach you. Come on down and have some fun!

Food & Drinks
There will be drinks and snacks available for a small donation.

Door Prizes
Last year, everyone who came was able to go home with a free game as a door prize. We're in the process of trying to do the same again this year!

Auctions and Other Events
There will be a silent auction and SHORT live auction. We will also have one raffle item.

Volunteer:
If you would like to help with the event please contact Kelly at givetogame@gmail.com

Give to Game Pictures!

2010-05-09T16:02:00.005-05:00

It took me awhile, but I finally have pictures from the event!!

Giving the food and money to CAFB

300lbs of food!!

Group shot

Jonathan was an awesome auctioneer!

Raffle:

Being interviewed by fox news @ Tribe Comics

Live Auction

Success!

2010-04-11T16:31:00.007-05:00

Yesterdays event was a lot of fun and more importantly It was an enormous success. We more than doubled what we brought in last year. Initial estimates show that we raised over $1600 and about 300lbs of food!!! We also doubled our attendance with 60 people participating this year! We will be updating soon with the final tally and pictures from the event! So stay tuned!

All of this could not have been possible without the help of our sponsors and volunteers--THANK YOU!!!!

In case you missed out on giving, you can still give through our virtual drive on the Capital Area Food Bank's website. Click HERE. Please consider this charity in your giving this year as they have seen a 40% increase in request for services. They are currently serving 48,000 people a week, 41% of which are children.

A big thank you to those who gave of your time, talents and funds!!! We hope to see you all there next year. We already have some fun, new and exciting ideas stewing.

Pre-registration is now CLOSED!

2010-04-09T14:16:00.000-05:00

Pre-registration on our virtual drive is now closed. You may gain admittance to the event tomorrow by paying $20 at the door or by bringing a grocery bag of non-perishable food items. See you all tomorrow!!!

Fox Morning News Segments

2010-04-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the link to the interview of me with Fox newscaster, Nick.

Newscast Video link

What Should I Donate?

2010-04-08T15:49:00.002-05:00

If you plan on donating one grocery bag of food to your admission, you may be wondering what you should give. There are more details on the admission page, but here is how I filled my bag from last year:

1 Box of Cereal
1 Bag of Rice
1 Bag of Noodles
1 Peanut Butter
1 Baby Food
1 Can of Spaghetti Sauce
2 Cans of Black Beans
2 Cans of Green Beans
2 Cans of Pork and Beans
2 Cans of Mixed Vegetables
2 Cans of Tuna

This can be used as a guideline for what we're expecting, though feel free to contribute whatever non-perishable food items you want. The more you give, the more needy families you'll be helping out.

Give to Game on Fox 7

2010-04-08T14:30:00.000-05:00

This morning my co-organizer and wife Kelly was supposed to appear on Fox 7 in a segment promoting Give to Game, but it was bumped. The good news is that they are going to try to do it Friday morning. The segments will be live and take place at one of our sponsors, Tribe Comics & Games. So, tune in tomorrow morning at 7:10, 7:40, and 8:10.

Give to Game 2010 Library

2010-04-07T09:14:00.003-05:00

I have created a list of games that I will be bringing to Give to Game for the library. I tried to pick a good variety from my collection. Last year, a lot of people brought their own games, so between the library and those games, there will be definitely not be a shortage of things to play. Get ready to play!

Only Four More Days!

2010-04-06T16:15:00.002-05:00

Time is flying. I have been very busy this week. I got the key for the building - always a good thing. I printed off the tags for the auction items as well as the rules. Last night I was preparing the raffle items and their ticket boxes. There are eight lots of games that you can enter to win (one of them is a mystery box). I'll be heading over to CAFB to pick up the food boxes to we have a place to store our grocery bags. Still lots to do!

One thing you can do is make sure to let everyone know that it is this Saturday! Clear your schedules and get ready to play some games.

Last Days of Thought Hammer Deal

2010-04-01T08:22:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that the deadline for ordering games with the special deal from Thought Hammer is this Monday (the 5th). Here's why you should order:

You will get free shipping to Give to Game no matter how few games you purchase.
%5 of the total sales will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.

For more details, see our Thought Hammer Special Deal page.

Fireside Games Donates!

2010-03-31T08:41:00.004-05:00

Justin De Witt from Fireside Games has just donated a copy of Castle Panic for the auction! If you haven't played it, it's a really fun cooperative board game where you and your friends try to hold back invaders from destroying your castle. Thanks Justin!

Tribe Comics and Games Donates!

2010-03-30T09:38:00.003-05:00

Tribe Comics and Games, the new game store in South Austin, has donated a copy of The Tower of Mystery for our auction. Thanks Tribe! Our sponsor list is growing and it is great to see the gamers of Austin coming together!

The Game Auction

2010-03-29T09:28:00.003-05:00

We will be having a game auction this year again at Give to Game. Last year we had a lot of fun with it, and we hope to have even more this year since it will be a regular auction (instead of a silent one). You won't have to feel bad if you overbid because all money collected from the auction will go directly to the Capital Area Food Bank. I have just finished making a list of auction items. You can browse this list here:

Give to Game 2010 Auction Preview

The auction will start at 7:00pm and should last about an hour. Depending on how fast it goes and how many people are clamoring to bid, we may add more.

During the day of the event, up until the auction starts, each of the items will be available to examine and purchase. There will be a "Buy it now" listed on all of the auction games. This is for people who can't stay for the auction, or people who just want to make sure nobody else steals it from them at the auction.

Hope to see you there! And make sure to bring some cash!

What Did Dingus Bring Us?

2010-03-25T08:41:00.004-05:00

So Betty Dingus did it again! She donated around 60 more games!!! I had to cram it all in my car just to get it home. I just got through sorting them out last night, and still can't believe it. It went across the spectrum from Fortress America to Dungeon Twister. There are a lot of out-of-print games that I know a lot of people would love to get their hands on. I still need to sort out which will go in the auction and which will go in raffles. I'll post more info soon.

I can't stress enough that you need to remember to bring some cash to the event! There will be plenty of opportunities to get some great games!

Same Location, Different Building

2010-03-19T14:39:00.003-05:00

Last year Give to Game was held in a building behind Holy Cross Lutheran Church. It worked out great for us, and we are very grateful that they let us use it. We couldn't have run the event without it!

Although we will still be on the same grounds, this year we will be having it in a different building, the Fellowship Hall. I just found out about this today, but it turns out that this is a good thing (except for the now out-of-date fliers we handed out). The open space is much bigger and there are a lot more tables.

View Give To Game in a larger map

We'll have signs to direct you to the right building just in case you get lost.

Only three weeks away!

A Generous Donation

2010-03-18T08:19:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday night, I met with Betty Dingus at Austin Pizza to pick up some games she bought for Give to Game. We got to her car and started transferring box after box after box. I was stunned! Then she said that I didn't need to reimburse her, and that the event could have them for free! That was mighty generous! She ended up donating around 35 brand new games! This should make the door prize table a lot more interesting, and it goes a long way toward out goal of letting everyone go home with a game.

Thanks Betty!

If you have a game (new or used) that you would like to donate to Give to Game, just bring it along and let us know. We can put it in the auction, raffle, or just as a door prize - whichever you want.

One Month Countdown

2010-03-11T08:35:00.004-06:00

Only one more month until Give to Game! (Actually, it was one month yesterday)

We're slowly getting things ready. I picked up some games from Great Hall on Friday. It was a very generous donation! Thanks again Great Hall! After sorting things out, we have a good number of door prizes, raffles items, and auction items.

Speaking of auctions, this year we're going to have an old-fashioned auction. Last year's silent auction was fun, but I think it would be better for the cause to have a called out one. I asked Jonathan Grabert if he would help out this year and call the auction. I've only experienced his auction abilities in board game situations, but he gets my seal of approval. As we get closer to the event, I'll be posting a list of auction items.

New Sponsor: Great Hall Games

2010-03-03T12:40:00.003-06:00

Great Hall Games is going to sponsor us again this year by donating some games. Last year they helped us out tremendously by donating a lot of games and puzzles for door prizes and auctions. Thank you Great Hall! I'll post more info after I pick them up.

Spread the Word!

2010-03-01T09:04:00.003-06:00

This year's flier is available for download. Please feel free to download it and post it anywhere you think gamers might gather. Hand it out to your game group. Post it at your school. Find a bulletin board and stick it up!

Click here to download the Give to Game flier.

Picking Up a Donation

2010-02-16T08:46:00.005-06:00

I took a trip to Dragon's Lair last night and picked up their donations to Give to Game. They donated a $20 gift certificate to their store and some games. Initially, I was only expecting to get one game, but I was surprised to receive two!

The first game donated is Change Horses. I haven't played this one, but it looks interesting. Its a a horse racing game where you secretly own a horse. At the end of the game, the the player that bet on the last place horse wins.

The second game donated is Age of Gods. This is a game where you are playing as ancient gods who are helping their chosen tribes conquer the land. Sounds like fun!

Thanks Dragon's Lair! Look for a chance to win these at Give to Game!

Dragon's Lair Donates!

2010-02-15T08:48:00.003-06:00

Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy is going to sponsor us again this year! They'll be donating a game as well as a gift certificate to their store. We're still in the process of planning out how these goodies will be sorted out, but expect an auction, raffle, or some other fun event.

If you haven't been to Dragon's Lair in awhile (or at all), you should check them out. They're on Burnet Road just north of 2222 in Austin. They have a huge selection of board games and plenty of demo copies if you are interested in trying some out. (They are even having a sale going on now) On Monday nights, they have open gaming so if you're looking for someplace to play all of those board games, that's a good place to find players.

Thank you Dragon's Lair!

Thought Hammer's Helping Out Again!

2010-02-12T08:45:00.005-06:00

We asked Thought Hammer, the Austin-based online board game store, if they'd like to help out again this year, and they emphatically said yes! This year they're going to be doing something a bit different and very awesome! Here's the deal...

Thought Hammer "Give to Game" Special

If you place an order with Thought Hammer by April 5th, 2010 and use a special coupon code, you can get free shipping to the Give to Game event. On top of that, a donation of 5% of the total sales from this deal will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

Here are the Details:

The order cutoff date is the end of the day on Monday, April 5th, 2010.
In the shipping section, just put your normal address and check "Add to existing order" if the order is less than $100, and in the comments section, put "This is for Give to Game".
Use the coupon code TH_GTG_10 in the discount coupon section.
The shipping will be free, but all games will be delivered to the event. Again, you won't receive your games until they are handed out on Saturday, April 10th, at Give to Game. Do not use this deal if you don't plan on attending.
If you order anything that is backordered or pre-ordered, and
it does not show up by Monday April 5th, then it won't ship with the other
games, and they will cancel it and refund you the money.
If you have any questions, contact us or Thought Hammer and we'll get it sorted out.

[EDIT: You need to check "Add to existing order" if the order is less than $100]

2010-02-08T08:18:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again! Give to Game is coming!

Give to Game is a board gaming event in Austin, Texas, whose goal is to collect food and raise funds for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Come join us for a day of open gaming and a chance to win some great door prizes! Last year we raised over $800 and over 250 lbs. of food, so come out and help us beat that goal!

Date & Place
The event takes place on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 10:00 AM to Midnight at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on 4622 S Lamar Blvd Austin, Texas.

Admission
Admission to the event is either one grocery bag of non-perishable food or a donation of $20 at the door (or $15 if you register online). To register online, visit our Capital Area Food Bank page and make a donation of $15 or more (you'll have to enter the amount) and you'll be all set. if you have any questions, email us at givetogame@gmail.com

Games
We will be providing a library of games from our collection for anyone to play, but feel free to bring your own games! If you haven't played anything beyond Monopoly and Sorry, then you are in for a treat. There has been an explosion in the quantity and quality of board gaming world in the last 15 years. Don't worry if you don't know how to play, because there will be plenty of friendly folks on hand to help out and teach you. Come on down and have some fun!

Food & Drinks
There will be drinks and snacks available for a small donation.

Door Prizes
Last year, everyone who came was able to go home with a free game as a door prize. We're in the process of trying to do the same again this year!

Auctions and Other Events
Last year we had a silent auction that was a lot of fun, and this year we are going to try something similar. There will also be a special game swap that is in the works.

More Info to Come Soon...

Give to Game Pictures

2009-04-28T12:19:00.005-05:00

Food! A total of 250lbs of food was collected!

The Game Library

People Playing Games

Silent Auction

Prize Table (later in the afternoon)

Give to Game was a Success!

2009-04-27T10:24:00.001-05:00

Even though there were a few hiccups along the way, Give to Game was a great success! We collected two big bins full of food for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Through the admission, silent auction, snack sales, and raffle, we were able to collect more money than our goal:

$800!!

Thanks to all of you who made this event a success! I'd like to especially thank Great Hall Games and Dragon's Lair for their door prize and silent auction donations. A big thanks to Thought Hammer for donating some big ticket items to the silent auction and for the gift certificates! And a big thanks to all who donated games: Mike Chapel, Mark Hamzy, and Brent Cunningham.

We plan on trying this again next year!

(Pictures to come soon)

Tomorrow is Give to Game!

2009-04-24T08:42:00.002-05:00

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I'll be hauling over the games and setting up tonight. The doors open at 10:00 am tomorrow, but feel free to come at any time.

Things you should bring:

Your admission: either groceries or $20 (or $10 if you registered)
Any games that you would like to play.
Extra money for the silent auction and raffle.
Some friends! Everyone is welcome!

Schedule:

10:00 AM - Give to Game begins!
Throughout the day - Door prizes will given out.
8:00 PM - Silent Auction Closes.
8:30 PM - Thought Hammer Raffle.
Midnight - Give to Game concludes.

Event Location:

Holy Cross Lutheran Church
(At the building in the back)
4622 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78745

(Parking areas are highlighted)

View Give To Game in a larger map

Game Library

2009-04-21T23:12:00.003-05:00

I have posted a list of games on boardgamegeek.com that I will be including in the game library.

You can add to the list any game you plan on bringing. You can also use it to let people know what you might be interested in playing.

Dragon's Lair Donates

2009-04-21T20:33:00.003-05:00

Dragon's Lair, Austin's comic and game store, will donating some games, Monty Python Fluxx and Rorschach Inkblot Party Game, to be given out as door prizes! Thank you Dragon's Lair!

Event Location

2009-04-20T10:23:00.003-05:00

It turns out Google Street View has a nice shot of the building where Give to Game will take place (however, ignore the address that appears). This is a building that Holy Cross Lutheran Church is letting us use for the day. Outside, it doesn't look like much, but inside is a big open space perfect for boardgaming!

View Larger Map

Silent Auction Rules

2009-04-19T20:40:00.003-05:00

Kelly and I went over the details for the silent auction today, just to make sure we had everything written down and decided beforehand. Our biggest point of contention was the last item in the rules: You must be present to win. In the end we decided that there would be the potential for headaches if we had to track people down, mail items, wait for payment, etc.

Bidding starts at 10:00 AM and closes at 8:00 PM.
Shortly before the bidding closes, there will be a 'last call' for bids.
All bids must be higher than the previous bid and be in increments of $1.00.
If the current bid is at or below the “Buy Now” price, you may take the bid slip to Dan or Kelly, and buy the item for that amount.
You must be present and have the payment in hand at the close of the auction to win an item. If you are not present at the close of the auction and you have the highest bid, the item will be verbally auctioned off starting with the second highest bid.

Auction Preview

2009-04-14T13:46:00.004-05:00

Give to Game is less than two weeks away! Here is a sneak preview of some of the items that will be available in the silent auction:

Stonehenge
Freya's Folly
Neuland
Race the Wind
Feudo
Warangel Card Game
Don't Break the Bank
Puzzle Collection - Cerebral Rings, Illusions, Scrambled Egg, Super Nova
Cineplexity
Modern Art
Beowulf - The Movie Boardgame
1992 Box Set Dungeons & Dragons Trading Cards
Nottingham
Jericho

Thanks to Great Hall Games, Dan Manfredini, and Brent Cunningham for donating these games!

To learn more information about these games, check out this list on boardgamegeek.com.

Grocery Bag of Food

2009-04-10T12:35:00.015-05:00

It is getting close to the 25th, so I thought I would talk about what kind of food donations we are requesting for admission. The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas has some nice guidelines to go by, so here they are:

Types of Food to Donate:

Healthy non-perishable food
Items with intact, un-opened, consumer or commercial packaging
Items with non-breakable packaging (no glass please)
Food within the expiration date on the packaging

Most-Requested Items:

Canned meats like tuna, stew and chili (pop-tops preferred)
Canned vegetables
Pasta & pasta sauce
Beans
Rice
Healthy cereals
Peanut butter
Baby food
Baby formula

So, with the most-requested list in mind, I went out and filled up my paper grocery bag (pictured above) with one or more of those most-requested items.

Here is how I filled my bag:

1 Box of Cereal
1 Bag of Rice
1 Bag of Noodles
1 Peanut Butter
1 Baby Food
1 Can of Spaghetti Sauce
2 Cans of Black Beans
2 Cans of Green Beans
2 Cans of Pork and Beans
2 Cans of Mixed Vegetables
2 Cans of Tuna

This can be used as a guideline for what we're expecting, though feel free to contribute whatever non-perishable food items you want.

Follow the Can

2009-04-06T10:46:00.004-05:00

If you decide to donate food at Give To Game for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, where exactly will it go? Watch this video to follow the entire process from your pantry to those in need.

After being checked for safety and quality, the Food Bank distributes your food donation to one or more of the 355 Partner Agencies across 21 Central Texas counties. Partner Agencies including soup kitchens, pantries and shelters then provide food to hungry Central Texans.

Silent Auction

2009-03-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

We've decided to hold a silent game auction at Give to Game! All money collected from this auction will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

So, how will the silent auction work? There will be a table with several games and puzzles on display for auction. Each item in the auction will have a bidding sheet with the item name and description. If you are interested in the item, you can sign your name and increase the bid amount (in increments of one dollar). We will give a warning leading up to it, but at 8:00 pm the bidding will close. Since this is for charity, some wiggle room will be given if there are any last minute bidding wars. With some luck and some clever bidding, you could go home with some new games!

You can make the auction a success by bidding on the games so make sure to bring some extra spending money. You can also help out by donating games if you'd like. We would be happy to receive them. Just drop us an email at givetogame@gmail.com to let us know.

See you there, and happy bidding!

Thought Hammer Gives

2009-03-23T10:20:00.003-05:00

The giving continues! I just found out that Thought Hammer, the online board game retailer based here in Austin, is donating two $25 gift certificates for their online store. If you aren't familiar with Thought Hammer, check out their website and you'll find a world of boardgames at great prices. You might even want to check out how you would spend that gift certificate if you are lucky enough to win one. Remember, you have a chance to win one of these gift certificates (as well as many other prizes) just by attending. So, spread the word: Give to Game!

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas Intro

2009-03-18T09:15:00.003-05:00

So, what is the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas? Well according to their mission statement:

The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger.

The food bank provides weekly food distribution to more than 355 Partner Agencies and disaster relief, conducts several programs that serve hungry Central Texans. All programs are free of charge.

The Partner Education program works to educate partner distribution agencies to ensure access to serviced by underserved people and areas.
The Choices program offers education classed to help individuals and families make good food choices.
The Food Stamp Outreach and Education program helps assist individuals and families to apply for food stamps.
The Fresh Food for Families program helps to provide 3,600 families a month with over 10,000 lbs of fresh produce.
The Kids Cafe program provides 35,000 meals a month to 2,800 children in need at their 31 Kid's Cafe locations.
The Healthy Options program for the Elderly (HOPE) program provides seniors on a fixed income with a months supply of staple grocerys.
The Regional Food Delivery program provides more than 150,000 lbs of perishable packaged foods to 121 partner agencies in outlying areas.
The Central Texas Food Rescue program provides partner agencies with fresh foods from local retailers that would otherwise be thrown out.
Wheels of Sharing Mobile Food Pantry program; which provides fresh foods to remote locations in Central Texas where no food pantry is available.
The Food Bank also participates in two partner programs: Texas Fresh Approach and Texas Second Chance. Both of these programs work with inmates who learn to grow and distribute food.

They do a lot of good work and are needed even more in this current economy as many families are struggling. We hope that you are able to come out on April 25th and give to this worthy cause. See you there!

Great Haul!

2009-03-17T09:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I stopped by Great Hall Games to pick up some donations for Give To Game. Beka, one of the owners, led me out to her car where the games were. As it turns out, I was helping her out because they had been taking up space in her car trunk for quite some time and she wanted that space back. To my amazement, she was able to give me a trunk load of board games and puzzles! After I transferred those games to my car, we went inside, and she had another stack of games waiting for me! And if that wasn't more than enough, she hand picked some games on the clearance rack to add to the pile. I was amazed! I am very grateful at the generosity of Great Hall Games for their support. All of the games donated will be given out as door prizes or will be auctioned off in a silent auction (I'll let you know more about that in a future post).

Welcome!

2009-03-12T14:11:00.003-05:00

Give to Game is a board gaming event in Austin, Texas, whose goal is to collect food and raise funds for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Come join us for a day of open gaming and a chance to win some great door prizes!

Date & Place
The event takes place on April 25, 2009 from 10:00 AM to Midnight at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on 4622 S Lamar Blvd Austin, Texas.

Admission
Admission to the event is either one grocery bag of non-perishable food or a donation of $20 (or $10 if you register by April 18th). To register, send an email to givetogame@gmail.com and let us know that you plan on attending. Registration is not required, but it does help us out.

Games
We will be providing a library of games from our collection for anyone to play, but feel free to bring your own games!

Food & Drinks
There will be drinks and snacks available for a small donation.

Door Prizes
So far, we have about 20 board games that are going to be given out as door prizes, but look for that number to go up as we move closer to the event.

More Info to Come Soon...

Give to Game

Dragon's Lair

Great Hall Games

First Sponsor for 2012 G2G

G2G 2012

Thank You!

IMPROMPTU GIVE TO GAME

Third Annual Give to Game in Photos

SUCCESS!

Schedule

More Donations!

What to Bring

A Game to Give?

Online Donation

Library

Silent Auction

Give to Game 2011- Austin, TX No Ship Math Trade

Thank you Michael!

Get the Word Out!

Rio Grande Games!

Sponsors

Get Ready For Give To Game!

Give to Game Pictures!

Success!

Pre-registration is now CLOSED!

Fox Morning News Segments

What Should I Donate?

Give to Game on Fox 7

Give to Game 2010 Library

Only Four More Days!

Last Days of Thought Hammer Deal

Fireside Games Donates!

Tribe Comics and Games Donates!

The Game Auction

What Did Dingus Bring Us?

Same Location, Different Building

A Generous Donation

One Month Countdown

New Sponsor: Great Hall Games

Spread the Word!

Picking Up a Donation

Dragon's Lair Donates!

Thought Hammer's Helping Out Again!

Give to Game Pictures

Give to Game was a Success!

Tomorrow is Give to Game!

Game Library

Dragon's Lair Donates

Event Location

Silent Auction Rules

Auction Preview

Grocery Bag of Food

Follow the Can

Silent Auction

Thought Hammer Gives

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas Intro

Great Haul!

Welcome!