We Love Our Donors! -- Homeward Bound published a heartfelt thank-you and our best wishes for Valentine's Day in this week's Pacific Sun.

With this vital support, Homeward Bound continues to pursue a goal of "ending homelessness through training, housing and hope" on behalf of everyone in the community. With your help, our programs served more than 1,000 people in the 2010-11 fiscal year, with 349 people moving into housing.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Art Preview Benefits Homeward Bound on Feb. 24 -- Get a sneak peek at the 28th Marin Show: Art of the Americas while supporting our programs at an Opening Night Preview from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall.

Enjoy appetizers prepared by one of Marin's favorite restaurants, Sol Food in San Rafael, which will be served by Homeward Bound's Fresh Starts Catering team as you browse this foremost showcase of antique and contemporary American Indian, pre-Columbian, and Spanish Colonial art.

Tickets cost $25 and are available from the Marin Center box office in person (no service fee) or by phone at 415-499-6800 ($3 service fee).  A full weekend of exhibits, lectures, book signings and more follows on Feb. 25 and 26.

Hone Your Knife Skills This Spring -- Celebrity butcher David Budworth, aka Dave the Butcher, will teach you to master your knives in a series of three classes starting Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Fresh Starts Cooking School.

Each class from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. focuses on separate skills and includes a chef's demonstration with a complementary recipe. In the first class, the instructor will teach you to bone a chicken and create various portions for the plate. Homeward Bound's own Chef Rocky Packard will demonstrate the art of braising and share his recipe for chicken balsamico.

Tickets cost $39 and include a communal dinner; wine will be available for purchase. There is a one-time $20 materials fee, payable at the door, to cover the cost of a take-home boning knife. Sign up for all three classes and your knife is free! Thanks to our sponsor, Victorinox Swiss Army Knives.

For more details and online registration, visit Fresh Starts Cooking School online or call 415-382-3363 x243.