Help A Mother Out is a wonderful organization that provides diapers to families in need. Diapers, which are so essential, are not provided by other agencies, governmental or private, that help the needy. In addition to other fundraising efforts, HAMO hosts a fundraising tea every year.
This year's tea was held at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in downtown San Francisco. We arrived at 10:00 to pick up our name tags, and were treated to bottomless mimosas, which continued to be poured during the tea, which began at 10:30. Afternoon tea makes an intriguing brunch. Dan Kelly, Director of Planning of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, was presented with the Community Impact Award, and a video was shown, presenting three mothers whose lives were changed by the gift of diapers.
Seating was assigned, but the Eventbrite registration form asked who invited us, so Mel (remember Mel's Daily Cuppa?) and I, and our two guests, all sat together. The tables were set with a three-tier tea tray, with sandwiches, fruit and scones, so there were no growling stomachs waiting for the waiters to get to their table.
The program was emceed, as usual, by Kristen Sze of ABC News. She did something a little different this year: She held a live auction of a behind-the-scenes tour of her workplace, which raised $1,000 for HAMO.
This year's tea was held at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in downtown San Francisco. We arrived at 10:00 to pick up our name tags, and were treated to bottomless mimosas, which continued to be poured during the tea, which began at 10:30. Afternoon tea makes an intriguing brunch. Dan Kelly, Director of Planning of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, was presented with the Community Impact Award, and a video was shown, presenting three mothers whose lives were changed by the gift of diapers.
Seating was assigned, but the Eventbrite registration form asked who invited us, so Mel (remember Mel's Daily Cuppa?) and I, and our two guests, all sat together. The tables were set with a three-tier tea tray, with sandwiches, fruit and scones, so there were no growling stomachs waiting for the waiters to get to their table.
The program was emceed, as usual, by Kristen Sze of ABC News. She did something a little different this year: She held a live auction of a behind-the-scenes tour of her workplace, which raised $1,000 for HAMO.
Condiments were on the table. There were three sets of everything on the table, so no one had to resort to a "boardinghouse reach."
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| Close-up of the food |
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| Close-up of the condiments |
And refill the mimosa pitchers when necessary.
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| The mimosas kept flowing throughout the tea |
A generous assortment of desserts followed the savories. The whole service was generous. Despite the fact that our table included two men, there were a few sandwiches and desserts left over.
The format of this tea varies from year to year, but it is always elegant, and supports a good cause.
On my way to the bus after the tea, I was offered a t-shirt in return for having my picture taken with a pair of Beats by Dre headphones. They were draped around my neck, so they didn't have to be sanitized after each wearer, but it wasn't a very popular promotion. I checked their Facebook feed later and discovered that I appeared to be their only taker for the day.
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| #beatsbyDre |
