The Impact of Giving 

Give to Game 2012 was a great success! We had 106 people attend, we collected 337 pounds of food and $3,069. This donation translates into 6,408 meals for hungry Bastrop County residents. This donation comes at  the perfect time for the Food Pantry, which sees a reduction in donations during the summer months. Tresha, the Executive Director, pointed out to us yesterday how many of their shelves are bare. This donation will make a very large impact on the Pantry and the community as a whole. According to Tresha, Bastrop is seeing an increase in the number of homeless people in the community due to the fires. The need is great and continues to grow. When you do your giving this year please remember the Bastrop County Food Pantry.  

As we close out this years Give to Game, I would like to thank our sponsors both big and small as well as everyone who came to the event and gave! Thank you for helping us have another successful event. We look forward to seeing you all next year!  

Delivering the Food and Funds collected through Give to Game 2012

Preliminary Results

Drum ROLL! We had 106 attendees this year (compared to 83 last year). Our grand total of funds collected through admission, raffle and silent auction is $3,049 (compared to $2758 last year)! We wont know how many lbs of food until I deliver it to Bastrop this week so stay tuned for more information.

Missing Game Piece

Please contact me if this missing game piece belongs to you. (GivetogameATgmail.com)

Saturday Evening Photos 

Pictures of Saturday Afternoon:

Pictures from Friday Night

By Request: Nearby ATM Locations 

Bank of America ATM 2101 West Ben White Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

Ben White Shell 2125 West Ben White Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

Chase ATM 2300 West Ben White Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

Wells Fargo Bank 3949 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

Citibank 3508 South Lamar Boulevard #100, Austin, TX 78704
Bank of America ATM 3001 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78704

Schedule

Today starts Give to Game 2012!! So here's the schedule:

Friday:

5:00 PM - Doors Open, Library Opens, Kitchen Opens (sandwiches, chips, drinks, etc.)
8:00 PM - Raffle 1 Drawing
11:00PM- Kitchen Closes
Midnight - Raffle 2 Drawing
1:00 AM - Door Close

Saturday:

9:00 AM - Doors Open, Library Opens, Kitchen Opens
4:00 PM - Raffle 3 Drawing
8:00 PM - Raffle 4 Drawing, Silent Auction Closes - Winners are Announced shortly after
8:30 PM - Door Prize Games for Sale!
11:00PM- Kitchen Closes
1:00 AM - Give to Game 2012 is Over!

And as always, open gaming the whole way through!

See you there!

Who is the Bastrop County Food Pantry and what do they do?The mission of the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry & Support Center is to serve Bastrop County residents going through periods of transition by providing emergency food assistance, education and support.

The Food Pantry does this by assisting low income Bastrop County residents (individuals, families, older adults, handicapped and the homeless) through periods of transition by providing emergency food assistance, education and support services. They are committed to more than just supplying food to those in need, they also help individuals and families take steps toward healthy change. They provide access to the following: exercise, nutrition and financial education classes; and emergency food and financial assistance (rent and utilities).

Hunger is a real and palpable problem for our community and we would like to do our part to help hungry families in Central Texas. The latest census data shows that Central Texas has 366,292 people living in poverty, one quarter of which are children under the age of 18. The Capital Area Food Bank reports that a total of 300,000 different people a year receive food assistance services at some point in time during the year . Over the last three years we have raised over $5,158 and 935 lbs of food, which has helped approximately 26,000 hungry Central Texan's  get nutritious food.  

This year we have decided to reach out to one specific area of Central Texas, Bastrop County. During the month of September devastating wild fires destroyed 1,500 homes—displacing thousands of Bastrop residence. Poor insurance or lack of insurance has left many families with nothing. Many of the families turned to the Bastrop County Food Pantry for assistance causing a large increase in request for services. Before the fires 17% of the County residents were considered at-risk of hunger.  The fires have caused more families to be at-risk. These families need your help. Every dollar raised and every bag of food collected will be going directly to the Bastrop County Food Pantry.  Please give and give generously at our event.


For more information on hunger and poverty in Central Texas visit the Food Bank's Hunger is Unacceptable website. 


To learn about the Food Pantry and all the wonderful services they provide visit their website.

Silent Auction Rules & Another Preview

The silent auction this year will have a lot of games and other goodies. The way it works is simple. There will be a display of auction items and each item or lot will have an auction slip. Just place your bid and if on Saturday at 8:00 pm you have the highest bid, you are the winner. We will be accepting cash or check (made out the the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry). You do not need to be present to win, but please make arrangements if it looks like you won't be there and might win.

Das Buch

The preview for today is The Settlers of Catan: The Book. If that title doesn't sound familiar, it is because this game was only published in the German language as Das Buch. This version comes with an English translation of the rules included. The game comes unpunched and according to the prices I see on eBay, it looks to be quite valuable. So, what is this game? It is actually a book with 15 expansions for Settlers of Catan!! Those expansions are:

1. The Atoll
2. The Bermuda Triangle
3. Catan Express
4. El Dorado
5. The Explorers
6. The Fleets
7. The Colonies
8. The Great Race
9. The Treasure Hunters
10. The Specialists
11. The Storm Tides
12. Transport Settlers
13. The World of Catan
14. Westward
15. The Desert Riders

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!

Auction Preview: Western Lot

The next item in the auction preview is actually a group of items - the Western Lot. This includes very popular Homesteaders (donated Dragon's Lair), The Good The Bad and the Munchkin (donated by Will Schoonover), Six Gun, and a Texas dice bag. Winner takes all! We decided to do some lots this year because of feedback from past attendees. A lot of people were interested in items they couldn't get elsewhere, or non-game items that were game related. So look for more of these this year. Some of these items are stand alone (like the dice tray), the others will be included in lots.

Western Lot

Auction Preview: Canal Mania

Did you know that we have a small sampling of games that you can bid on right now? Over on boardgamegeek.com, our good friend Christiopher Fritel has set up an online auction for some great boardgames. Just like the other Give to Game events, all of the money raised from the online auction will benefit the Bastrop County Emergency Food Bank. The online auction closes this Sunday night, so now's your chance to help out even if you can't make it to the event. If you can make it, you'll pay no shipping cost and be able to pick up the game (and play it) at the event!

Online Auction - Canal Mania - Donated by Great Hall Games

Auction Preview: Talisman

Next up in the auction preview is Talisman: Fourth Edition! Grant Johnson has not only donated a brand new copy of the game, but he has also painted all of the figures. Thank you Grant! If you have ever painted minis, you know it is time consuming but well worth the effort. Now is your chance to to have a full color Wizard, Warrior, and all the rest without having to pick up a paint brush. Just remember to bring a bag of gold coins to the event so you can bid (though we prefer cash or checks).

Painted Talisman Figures

More Donations!

Marc Majcher has donated several copies of his game Fluffy Bunny Tea Party to Give to Game! The game is all about being ridiculously polite to the very players who are serving you game-losing desserts. Try to maintain your composure while doing this and maintaining your role as a bunny at a tea party!

Additionally, I just picked up a big game donation from Betty Dingus. Betty has donated to the past three Give to Games and has helped make the door prize table as awesome as it is. With this donation, I'm pretty confident that everyone will get to take home a game from the door prize table just for attending. Thank you Betty!

Auction Preview: Crokinole Board

The next item in the auction preview is this hand-made Crokinole board donated (and built) by Kevin Harrington. Wouldn't that look great on your gaming table? I'm sure this item will have many bids placed on it, so as a reminder please have funds on hand to have your chance at acquiring this and many other auction items. We will accept cash and checks (though I'm sure we will have a map on hand to the nearest ATM) and all money from the auction will go directly to the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry.

Crokinole Board

Auction Preview: Dice Tray

It's less than two weeks until Give to Game! So with that in mind, I've decided to post some previews of auction items as we get closer to the event. Last year I put together some dice trays and the winners seemed to really enjoy them, so this year I thought I'd do the same. I gave it a test run last night with Memoir '44 and it worked very well. It's got nice angled sides so everyone can see the result, and the bottom is padded with felt to imbue your dice with only the best form of luck.

Dice Tray of Luckiness

Crokinole donation!

Have you ever wanted a Crokinole board of your very own? Well, you're in luck! Kevin Harrington has just generously donated a hand-made board for the Give to Game auction. These boards can be pretty expensive especially with shipping costs, so now's your chance to own one and help the community at the same time. We will have it on display at the event so we can all try it out before the auction closes.

Thanks, Kevin!

Give to Game 2012: Press

Check out the latest article written about Give to Game by a local gaming blogger: Article

On-line pre-auction

We've decided to extend the normal auction at the con and put some of the games up on BGG for anyone to bid on - we'll still have plenty of auction items that will only be available to bid on at the actual event. Click here to check out the games that we have posted up for auctions.

Weasel Pants Productions

We would like to thank Weasel Pants Productions for agreeing to be a sponsor for 2012 Give to Game. They will be donating some games and artwork. If you haven’t checked them out head on over to their:

Website

Facebook

Wonkos Toys and Games

Thank you, Wonkos, for being a sponsor for this year’s Give to Game! If you haven’t been to their store in North Austin, I suggest heading over and checking them out.

LOCATION:13776 Highway 183 Suite 116 Austin, TX 78750

(between the Tan-it-all and O'Reilly's in the Anderson Mill / HEB shopping center.)

PHONE: (512) 335-1000

EMAIL: info@wonkos.com

WEBSITE:http://www.wonkos.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Wonkos

STORE HOURS:

11:00AM - 9PM or later Tuesday through Saturday
Sundays 12AM - 6PM

The following events take place on their given day/weekend of each month.

MAGIC: THE GATHERING - ALARMINGLY FORMAL TOURNAMENTS - Friday's they do FNM. Starting June 10th they will be doing FNM TWICE on Fridays! 1st will start promptly at 7pm and the 2nd will begin soon as we have 8 or more for the alternate format. You will see Mondern, Draft and Mini-Master in October.

Look forward to our Pre-release and release parties!

Warhammer 40k - Every Thursday for mini's day they skirmish with 40k and Fantasy too.

Epic Board Game Day - Usually the 3rd Saturday of the month.

Geek Game Night League - Every Wednesday Night starting around 7pm. League play currently on hold, so come on out to have some fun and play one of our library games, or bring your favorite and teach a few new friends how to play.

CAR WARS! - They have begun the ground work for a resurgence of Car Wars in Austin. Lots of interest in this classic Steve Jackson game. We'll be taking suggestions for league days..

Dragon's Lair

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

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

Follow us on Twitter!

First Sponsor for 2012 G2G

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.