e-Waste Recycling Event Fundraiser in Temecula, CA on 4/20

Relevant Women's Ministry is hosting an e-waste fundraiser with Temecula Recycling in honor of Earth day. It is an opportunity for us to recycle, give back and get rid of some junk in our homes. Items acceptable include: TV's & Computers LCD Monitors, Plasma DevicesCell phones & Telephones Printers & Scanners Keyboards, Mouses, Trackball External Hard Drives Stereos & Speakers MP3 & Cassette players Gaming Systems And all other electronic breakage. Items do NOT need to be in working condition and you can drop off any time from 9am to 3pm on this day. * It's time to spring clean! Please tell your friends and neighbors about this event. ** We need a few volunteers to help as well. Please contact Crossroads and leave a message for AnDrea Ortiz. The church's number is 951-695-1123. (Office is closed on all Fridays.) Event location is 26090 Ynez Rd, Temecula, CA. An 8'x3' banner will be placed on the busy intersection of Ynez and Winchester Roads from 4/5 until 4/21. Editing on 4/7 to include the goals, purposes, and the mission statement.   Our main mission is: Women Pursuing a Relevant Relationship with God, One Another, and Their Community.  Our goals are to: Reach out to women and be a RELEVANT FORCE in our community.   The purposes for our fundraiser is:  Project Hope - to help aid those victims involved in human trafficking; Teen Challenge - to help young women break free from drug addiction and give them an opportunity to gain life and work skills to have a better chance for a better future; single moms within our church group and in our community; Birth Choice of Temecula; local and cross country missions trips;  Royal Family Kids Camp - providing a summer camp for foster children; and finally to put on a conference open to the public to further God's kingdom by reaching out to the unsaved.  A Relevant Relationship With Our Community . . . Christ's love compels us to reach out to those in our community and those in need.

Local Shout-out: Pizzeria Venti

On Tuesday of last week, I met up with local Tweeps #smmtv at a new restaurant.

We all had the privilege of speaking with the owner, Frank Shaffer, first hand about his pizzeria venture. He owns Pizzeria Venti in Temecula with his wife, Diane. They've been opened for two months.  Frank said that he was tired of retirement (imagine that!) and said he was ready for a new adventure. So they looked into this small franchise (there are currently 13 franchises opened with another 9 coming soon in various states) by visiting another one and really liked the way the food tasted and the atmosphere. Frank is a "NY Italian" and he likes his food a certain way - HIS way! =) His family (parents) are from the outside of Sicily so his tastes have been shaped the right way!

Frank is in the red shirt. He's hands-on.

Their menu encompasses a nice range of Italian items like thin crust pizza, calzones, and pasta. They also offer 5 or 6 different salads (individual or a shareable item), beer and of course, vino (wine). 

Frank said that some ingredients are imported from the Tuscan region of Italy so that the food has a truly authentic feel and taste. As far as produce, he and his wife, support local farmers by visiting the Farmer's Market on average about once a week buying ingredients like peaches, lettuce and other items that spoil quickly. Other items that have a longer shelf life like apples and pasta he orders from a distributor for the franchise. 

A big bonus is that this restaurant has been selected as the pilot program for the iPad menu roll out they plan to do in the near future. A group of photographers were present to capture every single item on the menu to feature it as a "at your fingertip" ordering from your table. Customers will have an opportunity to order at the register or sitting down and ordering from their table and paying as well. Convenience at its finest! Don't worry though, the hospitality is high on the scale. You will still feel like part of the family. The staff took care of removing empty plates and asking us if we needed anything on a regular basis. To me, having lived in Italy, it felt like a true Italian restaurant atmosphere. In Italy, there is no rush to leaving any restaurant. Once you're there, you're like family! Many great memories are shared around the "dinner" table in an Italian family/setting. 

I enjoyed a 4"x8" slice of garlic broccoli pizza and shared their fresh apple salad with my friend @edecristo (find her on Twitter) and a piccolo (small) serving of hazelnut gelato. Thank you friend for treating me to an awesome lunch with your #smmtv group. I'm happy to be a part of a local Tweet Up but I'm happier supporting a locally ran and owned business. 

If you're in the Temecula Valley, do stop in and see Frank and Diane Shaffer at Pizzeria Venti. Ask to be added to their e-mailing list so that you can receive their specials. Buon Appetito!!

For more information on the Pizzeria Venti franchise: Visit http://www.pizzeriaventi.com/locations.asp.