The Announcement

[oakenguy]

(Feel free to spread this around)

I have a small dog. This small dog has diabetes and Cushing's Disease. As a result of this, I have vet bills. HUGE vet bills. $2600 for the three days he just spent in critical care, added to the "normal" cost of his treatments.

Now, it goes against all my rural New England instincts to ask for money. And I'm not certified to sell my chocolates commercially.

However, I think I've found something that works:


The First (and Hopefully Last) Toby T. Chien "Insulin Costs WHAT Now?" Pledge Drive



Do you like small fuzzy animals? Do you like high-quality gourmet chocolates? By helping one, you can enjoy the other!

As a thank you for your donation to the Toby T. Chien "Sixteen Dollars for a Bandage??" Pledge Drive (we're still working on the name), a gift box of gourmet truffles of your choice will be delivered to your door! (Directly, if you're in the Greater Boston area; by mail, otherwise*). A donation of $15 gets you a 6-piece assortment; a $25 donation earns a 12-piece box; $35 garners a 20-piece box, and any donation larger than that...well, we'll negotiate something special! ALL money raised will go directly to Toby's medical bills.





I've been making truffles since '97 using a simple principle: "If the flavor rush makes my pupils dilate, it's good". I use the best Ghirardelli dark chocolate, make each piece by hand, and take pride in the fact that I've never served a piece that was more than 48 hours old.

Our Current Selection (edit: please note that, by request, we can substitute milk or white chocolate for the dark chocolate):

(Tis a Gift to be) Simple: A dark chocolate truffle rolled in cocoa powder. Our basic building block.

Chambourdy: The Simple truffle with Chambourd added for a little kick and the taste of raspberry.

Bzzz: A truffle made with coffee liqueur, coated in a mixture of cocoa powder and espresso powder. Efficacious!

The Foresthouse Crunch: A truffle with cashews and pecans, coated in powdered sugar.

Mint Zowie: Mint liqueur and chunks of peppermint make this the 'shamrock shake' of truffles. Only (arguably) better for you. And slightly alcoholic.

Hey Now: An orange vodka truffle! Startling!


Thank you for your support! With your donation, please let me know the type and quantity of truffle flavors you'd like in your thank you gift.

*If sent by mail, we'll need to work out the postal fee.

Comments

[niecystrips.livejournal.com]

Are all truffles made with dark chocolate? I wanna help. And I want truffles, but i don't liek dark chocolate... What do we do???

And I am reposting!

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

*hug!* You let me know what you'd rather have! Any truffle listed can also be made with milk or white chocolate.

[queenofstripes.livejournal.com]

Hi! I found your request for donations on Heavenscalyx's journal. Any flavors are fine, but I'd prefer two each of Bzzz, Mint Zowie, and Hey Now -- one dark and one milk in each pair. And I'm localish, up in Somerville near Inman. :) There should be $15 en route to your Paypal account. Thanks, good luck, and best wishes to Toby! Mind if I circulate the "pledge drive" to the folks in my journal?

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

I'd love it if you circulated this further. Thank you very much!!

[godswraith.livejournal.com]

I just ordered/donated and totally forgot to say :Forsthouse Crunch!

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Have I mentioned lately that you rock, Bri?

You rock.

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Oops, forgot my selection. One of each, all dark chocolate.

[tpau]

Heh. this is such a lovely idea...

i donated some. i will do so again, onc ethe next paycheck happens.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! And thank you for the plug, too. :)

BTW, did I miss the part where you mentioned what flavors you wanted?

[pullthestars.livejournal.com]

Money sent -- hope it helps! and i'd like one of each, in milk chocolate, please. Mmmm.

(here via undefined_ali)

and skritch the doggie for me, too :)

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

You're doing this for the...let's see if I have this right...friend of a friend of a friend of a friend???

You rock so much. :)

[ice-cream-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hey there,

I will make a donation to the Toby fund. My paypal is messedup though - so maybe I can have Dave write you a check tonight at rehearsal.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Oh, great, one *more* reason to wish I was going to rehearsals! ;)

[mousit.livejournal.com]

For those of us suffering summer in the searing mid-west desert (not to mention my unshaded metal mailbox is an oven), is it possible to receive them via a more rapid courier such as FedEx? Perhaps with a dry-ice pack or some other such cooling method in the box? Extra cost for such amenities is not a problem. :>

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

It's *very* possible. I'm using Nirvana Chocolates as my model here: they ship in an insulated container with a frozen gel pack, and recommend the 2nd day shipping option. If I follow their model, you should (I say, crossing my fingers) get them with no problem.

[aberdeen.livejournal.com]

A diabetic friend wants to know if you make sugar-free diabetic-friendly varieties.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Well...truthfully, I haven't worked with sugar-free chocolate before. But for this cause, and your friend, I'm totally willing.

(Heck, I'd work with baba ganoush if the price was right ;) )

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

A chocolate fundraiser! What a good idea!

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

I know! Now I just need to get around to voting!

[bootsvalentine.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping $40 will buy me a 20 piece box and the chance to meet Toby when he's feeling better. I'm serious. I think the only time I've petted a dog in the past year was when there was one tied outside of Starbucks when I had my students there. Poor thing, 25 14-year olds were too much for him. Although he did fall completely in love with one of my students, which almost made me cry because you could just tell that this was a boy who needed a dog.
Anyway, that was my tangential story. I hope you and Toby and the whole household are feeling better.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh! It totally does! We need to take you on one of his walks, so you can meet his boyfriend and watch their courtship dance. Oh, there's such love! It's Romeo and Juliet on four legs. (Eight legs?) Well, they're both male...it's like Romeo and Mercutio, with all the subtext taken out.

Yeah, I'm writing this right before bedtime. How did you know?

What flavors would you like?

[snowwand.livejournal.com]

I'll be sending you some money in a bit...I need to mull over my options :) hehe

*hugs*

I take it you won't be at RHF? I'm going on Friday...let me know if you want to do something next week on either Thursday or Friday, ok?I have both days off

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

So I totally have to buy, not only because I've been whining forever that I want to try your truffles, but also because...one of them is named after me! Because I am so, so cool. I remember way back when that happened :)

Anyway, question is, my mom's bday is on the 21st - can I order one for her at her address and one for me at mine, and have hers mailed so it gets there on or right before the 21st? (mine can just be mailed as soon as it's ready).

Let me know and then I'll order! :)

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

*Checks the calendar* I feel like I should remember roughly where your mom lives...anyhow, as long as she's in the continental U.S., this should be no problem. :)

And yes! You're the first person with Naming Rights. And notice how I avoided saying things like "it's sweet, and totally nutty" in the truffle description? Willpower! Iron willpower!

[ex-twilosta.livejournal.com]

if you are really willing to mail them to me I'm up for a 12 piece box. Brilliant idea by the way 1. I'm really exicted for your chocolates and 2. I fully understand stupidly expensive vet bills. Let me know the amount to send including shipping and I'll send it.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Woo!

Here to Chicago? Umm...throw in an extra $5 and we're good. And thank you very much. :)

[modpixie.livejournal.com]

can i bypass the paypal stuff and give you a double sawbuck whence next our paths cross?

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Chelsea?! We've felt so guilty for not being able to help you with your film! I'd love to have the pleasure of your company, but please, invest that double sawbuck in your movie.

Toby has a wonderful friend

[ravena-kade.livejournal.com]

Hello,

I just want to say that you are a wonderful friend to Toby. I volunteer at an animal shelter and I know the costs of medicines. We are a no kill shelter so we get many pets turned over to us or abandoned from people who just can't afford to give their furry friends the medical attention and treatments that they need. We do right by the animals and always find a good home for them, but we realize the heart brake involved when someone is forced to make that type of decision.

I am sending $40 via paypal. I have no preference on the truffles, your choice, as they all sound wonderful.

Will you be at RHF at all? I am going on Saturday. I'll say hello if I see you.

Good luck to you and Toby.

Re: Toby has a wonderful friend

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Oh, drat--I'll be there a week after you!

Thank you. :)

[cathkitten.livejournal.com]

You don't know me, but I found you through foresthouse's journal. I just sent in $15 (wish it could be more), but forgot to specify a type of truffle. Make it the foresthouse crunch, please?

Best to you and Toby. I went through the same thing with my cat, which is why I felt compelled to help.

[tk7602.livejournal.com]

as the parent of a diabetic cat, i totally sympathize. i'll be making my donation on friday when i get paid.

RHF this weekend?

[ascelinne.livejournal.com]

I would love to have some of the chambord truffles in milk chocolate :) Its too good a deal to pass up- helping a poor little puppy, a person I know *and* getting chocolate? Im there! lol

Anyway if youre willing to maybe bring some chocolate this weekend, I can give you money at the faire :) Email me if its possible.

Paige
Camelot Creations

Re: RHF this weekend?

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Ohh...Paige, will you be there next Saturday? That's the day I'll be attending.

[mistypen.livejournal.com]

I will be donating next friday....icky for getting paid every other week, I hope things get better, well...I know diabetics, my fiancee is one.

[hysterikal.livejournal.com]

You should give twilostars an extra-large hug for spreading this to her journal, because I'm donating $35 to your cause in the name of my husband, who loves dogs even more than he loves chocolate.

Could I get an assortment of everything but the Foresthouse Crunch, 10 dark chocolate, 10 milk chocolate?

Schmanks! Depending on whether or not I eat this set all myself, I might order another batch for David. Hahah.

[sorcha-gaia.livejournal.com]

Clicked over from NE Rennies - also posted it in my own journal. Will donate tomorrow, which is payday! :)

Hugs to Toby from five cats in Rhode Island! :)

[xcentrikka.livejournal.com]

Oooh, the poor thing! What a cutie! I want to help, but I don't need chocolates (although they do sound delicious, I am sure you have enough to make by now!) Can I send you money by mail though? Paypal scares me. If you could e mail an address to Xcentrikka@aol.com that would be rad. I promise not to stalk you. Hehe...

I'll put a link to this on my journal, although it probably won't help. But you never know!

[dmckins.livejournal.com]

No chocolates here even though I totally crave it. I'm borderline here myself so I can totally relate. Enjoy the "small" donation I made and hope it makes a bit of a difference.