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We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. Recycling these items diverts them from landfills and provides needed revenue for programs. Home Sweet Home Ministries demonstrates Christ's love through innovative approaches that instill hope, restore lives, and build community. Our vision is to be a ministry of refuge and renewal powered by Jesus Christ. NACSW welcomes individuals and organizations interested in integrating Christian faith and professional social work practice. Let me share with you three things we did to move us toward more a effective model of food ministry.
When we tell them we need them and want them to utilize their God-given talents and abilities, they positively light up! Our Co-op Advisory Board shares responsibility with us in charting the future direction and scope of the co-op. We take their guidance on things like membership requirements, food products to stock, classes to offer, etc.
Home Sweet Home Ministries Revamping Food Co-op With $75K Grant
“We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our mission to serve low-income individuals and families struggling with chronic food security issues through the expansion of the Bread For Life Food Co-op. We look forward to providing more space, better visibility, and easier access for co-op members," Burgess said. First, we started to listen intently.We listened for six months before taking any action. To do this, we enlisted the help of local college students and started asking our pantry customers questions. We asked about their experience with us, about their use of other food pantries in the community, and about their thoughts on the food co-op model. An overwhelming majority of the people we spoke with expressed excitement about the prospect of contributing to their own well-being and food security and were intrigued by the co-op concept.
It is easy to find volunteers excited to be a part of the Thanksgiving meal distribution. Volunteers drove more than 45 routes to deliver 263 meals. Mike Ohler was one of those volunteers helping with getting meals out the door and then cleaning up afterward. He has been volunteering with the organization for more than a decade and said that he would try to stop by pretty much any time he came to downtown. Debbie Reese, director of client services at Home Sweet Home Ministries, talks about the organization's origins and reasons for its Thanksgiving meal delivery and community meal. In October 2009, I came to stay at the Home Sweet Home Ministries for 10 weeks.
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Our staff, volunteers, and co-op members work alongside each other and develop meaningful relationships in the context of their work. Volunteers like Ohler are needed all year, Reese said, as the ministry gives out meals daily. The staff and volunteers have become like family and Reese has gotten to know some of the community members who come for meals as well, she said. Carol Schrenk, food services manager at Home Sweet Home Ministries, loads up a to-go plate with turkey during the ministry's Thanksgiving meal distribution on Thursday.
We also became aware of the feelings of shame, embarrassment, and discomfort our pantry recipients were experiencing. Once we took the time to honestly look and listen, we heard statements like, “I can’t believe I have to come to a food pantry,” and we saw the downcast faces of the recipients. The free food we were offering often came at the cost of program recipients sacrificing personal dignity. HSHM was founded by Billy Shelper on Thanksgiving Dayin 1917, said Debbi Reese, director of client services. Today the organization runs a shelter, food pantry and outreach program. Home Sweet Home's Ministries also has a addiction rehab center it is called the Threshold Program.
How Home Sweet Home Ministries feeds hundreds on Thanksgiving
We have individuals and families that seek out Home Sweet Home from all walks of life. Most are struggling to make ends meet and are looking for help to get back out on their own. Now, with an active co-op membership in excess of 425 households, the message is clear to us – people want to be given the opportunity to provide for themselves & will jump at the chance to do so. We have people who joined the co-op that had been told they have nothing worthwhile to contribute.
After over two years of planning and implementation, HSHM successfully converted our pantry to a co-op about 18 months ago. We call our co-op “Bread For Life,” and through this ministry the co-op members gain access to real food and real community. There's no subscription fee to listen or read our stories. Everyone can access this essential public service thanks to community support.
Food service workers started in early September to cook turkeys that would be preserved until Thanksgiving, said Carol Schrenk, food services manager. In total, they cooked more than 70 turkeys, made eight gallons of gravy, prepared more than 25 pans of sides and sliced 60 pies. On Thursday, staff and volunteers were delivering more than 260 meals and then getting ready for a community meal at the shelter. They maintain a strong dedication to making sure everyone gets a Thanksgiving meal, Reese said. Emergency shelter is provided for men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. Case management, work service, educational offerings, meal services, and counseling are available.
Police said one of the two started throwing glasses and yelling at a bartender before hotel staff asked him to leave. Veterans Parkway, which provides food to the two agencies as well as hundreds of others in Central Illinois, has stepped up its help, said Steve McCane, director of operations. Matt Burgess, Home Sweet Home Ministries chief executive officer, said it’s an opportunity to better serve people in need.
The Co-op Garden Group meets on Saturday mornings from early spring to late fall to plan, harvest, and pray. To support Home Sweet Home Ministries or any of our other mission partners with a financial gift, consideronline giving. For years, HSHM operated a food pantry where recipients received a pre-packaged box of food but had no choice in what those items would be.
We review compensation data across the organization to identify disparities by race. Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan. Church relationships; frequent interface with local churches towards deeper engagement with Home Sweet Home Ministries.
However, in 2014, HSHM transitioned to a co-op model that allows for participants to have the opportunity to completely choose the foods with which they feed themselves and their families. Shirley, the co-op works through the combined contributions of the people being served and providing the service. We collaborate to help people achieve food security while also restoring a message of dignity, value, and capability to the process. You can feel free to reach me directly with detailed questions. You can visit our website at hshministries.org to get my email and phone number. At last we took the plunge and changed our operations over to a food co-op.
I had been in a domestic violence relationship, and needed a temporary place to stay while I got back on my feet. While residing there I found myself a second job, and with the help from my caseworker and other staff member I was able to get a place of my own. Being homeless taught me so much, I met some wonderful people in the shelter. Individuals without a valid photo ID will not be able to obtain a clearance card from the Bloomington Police Department, and therefore will not be able for residential emergency shelter services. Adhering to these procedures ensures that Home Sweet Home is a safe environment for everyone.
Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. "In the third quarter of 2007, we served 15,630 meals and distributed 127 food boxes," she said. "In the third quarter of 2008, we served 18,142 meals and distributed 271 food boxes."
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