This is our story!
How Rustic Love started...
Founded in Vienna, VA in the pandemic summer of 2020, our fundraiser started with the Davila family and a neighbor using some scrap wood to make rustic wooden heart signs in the backyard as a small fundraiser for a local organization who helped feed local food-insecure families. Over the course of the first three months, more families joined, with 9 kids, ages 5th-10th grade working together on the original portion of the Rustic Love sign project.
The story continues...
Scouts, hockey teams, ice cream shop employees, school clubs and hundreds of individual children and families took on waves of sign building for this project. The hearts and the spirit of philanthropy in our community continue! Other collaborations continue to blossom with area businesses, including a co-branded t-shirt with Ben & Jerry's, a co-branded wine with Vienna Vintner, a collaborative beer with Caboose Brewing Company, heart charms in gold and silver from Achikian Goldsmiths, our own candle at the historic Freeman Store on Church St. and so much more!
Where we are today...
We continue to have monthly builds and sign pop-up sales and have donated to more than 17 local organizations that help the food-insecure, including school food pantries. Children and families in our community are working together to help with food-insecurity in their own neighborhoods. We welcome all donations, company matches and business co-marketing opportunities to widen the scope of our organization's reach. Our EIN is 85-3938433.
Together, Rustic Love Vienna sign makers have made more than 5000 signs and raised more than $300,000! We can't wait to do more!
THE ORIGINAL CREW
Starting in June 2020, this original crew of 9 built signs all summer and started off a movement of love and kindness in our town!
STATESMEN HELPING HANDS
A local group of high schoolers started their own volunteer organization, recruited members and have built hundreds of signs to raise money for the Foodies!
Eagle Scouts
Local Boy Scouts Nicholas Montalto and Owen Coleman led their Eagle Projects by managing teams of Rustic Love volunteers to help build signs to help our mission.
GIRL SCOUT TROOP 5986
A local girl scout troop made up of high schoolers made more than 60 signs as a group philanthropic effort.
NOVA Labs
A local makerspace put together a group of volunteers, including a local high school robotics team, and produced 200 signs in one day. This was part of Nova Labs philanthropic business mission.
Ben & Jerry's Vienna
Our local Ben & Jerry's brought a team for multiple sign builds totaling more than 300 signs, just in time for our holiday pop-up. They also generously pledged to match donations up to $2000 at the sale. Amazing community support!
Reston Raiders
A local hockey team made up of boys in middle and high school, worked with their parents to create a flight of signs they pre-sold in team colors.
Oakton Pantry
The Oakton High School Food Pantry club has worked on multiple projects with us, building signs in Oakton High School burgundy and gold and selling them to their school community.
Green Hedges School
A rotating team of volunteers spent the summer and fall helping with hundreds of ornaments and yard signs. We could not have achieved everything we have without their outreach and support!
Superstar Volunteers
A rotating team of volunteers spent the summer and fall helping with hundreds of ornaments and yard signs. We could not have achieved everything we have without their outreach and support!