Arise's 25th Celebration- A success- A tribute to some of the members behind the scenes

The humble work of those behind the scenes.The value of those beautiful individuals who only wish to serve. I stand in awe. I embrace them. I honor them.

On Saturday, November 10^th I had the privilege of working closely with some amazing individuals. We, as a team, a well lubricated machine, a precisely choreographed dance, an act of Love and devotion to Arise for Social Justice, prepared a meal for 300 guests. Some of us met at Christ Church Cathedral in the morning. Throughout the day, others filtered in to lend their Love. In all of the years I have been working in the culinary field, I have never experienced the level of willingness to help, that I did for this event. It was a pleasure. I found each and every person there to be a gift. We gave it our all. No corners cut. Everything that we did that day was well focused. Our plan as a team was to prepare quality food and serve it hot. The kitchen was spotless when we left thanks to Sharon and all who helped clean up. The transportation team was something to be envied by UPS, fast, efficient and task oriented.   

A labor born of Love can only be a success. I have come to know that it is all about relationships. I have learned this through the devoted members of Arise for Social Justice. The priceless reward of working with all of you on Saturday has had a profound effect on my life. I am proud to be a fellow member of Arise with all of you. To all who helped that day, Thank You.

Mitchell-Ellen-Patti-Ruben-Alexie-Tonique-Zeborah-Lisa-Sharon-Madeline-Barbara- Vee –Jackie-Fran- (and all of the others whose names I have missed)

Additionally- Hats off to Margret Malloy for a splendid Alfredo Sauce and the coveted “Lemon Squares” and Mo Ringey for incredible potato, cheese and grape appetizers.

In Solidarity,

John Morris

More kids hungry, too thin in MA, elsewhere

Doctors at Boston Medical Center are reporting that the numbers of too thin children ages 3 and under seen  in their emergency room have jumped from 12% in 2007 to 18% in 2010, says today's Boston Globe.. 

Pediatricians at hospitals in four other cities - Baltimore; Little Rock, Ark.; Minneapolis; and Philadelphia - also reported increases in the ranks of malnourished, hungry youngsters in their emergency rooms since 2008. But Boston’s increases were more dramatic, said Sandel, a lead investigator with Children’s HealthWatch, a network of researchers who track children’s health. Researchers said higher housing and heating costs in Massachusetts probably exacerbated the state’s surge.

BMC has also seen a 58 percent increase, from 24 in 2005 to 38 in 2010, in the number of severely underweight babies under the age of 1 who were referred by family physicians to its Grow Clinic, where doctors provide intensive nutritional, medical, and other services to boost babies’ growth. Such malnourishment is similar to what is more typically seen in developing countries, Sandel said.

 Frankly, I can't even imagine where we're headed in this country. 

Photo from Ivan Cabrera's photostream at Flickr.

If I were number 131.....

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

The City of Gainesville, Florida has recently imposed a 130-meals-a-day limit to area soup kitchens. St. Francis House is one soup kitchen who has enacted this limit. The commissioners of Gainesville could immediately rescind this limit. St. Francis House and other area service agencies would not need to be involved at all.

At a recent City Hall meeting, an 8 year-old girl named Mackenzie Case said, "It makes me sad that we have hungry people we aren't allowed to feed." She also held a hand-written sign that said, "If I was No. 131 you wouldn't feed me?"

The pleas of this courageous little girl speaks volumes. She has the dignity and reason that is somehow lost among the commissioners. We need to let the City of Gainesville know just how outrageous and inhumane this limit is.

In these uncertain financial times, we are all one paycheck away from being homeless. This is not rhetoric, it is a scary fact. Food is incredibly expensive. If a family is forced to pay even more money out of pocket to feed their family, they become even closer to losing their home and other necessities. This is why soup kitchens and food pantries are critical assets to each city. Enacting a limit may lead to less of a financial strain on the city for the short term, but having to provide services to many more homeless individuals and families in the long term will certainly cost much more. Preventing the problem is ALWAYS less expensive than attempting to manage it.

Soup kitchens exist to help meet the basic needs of all of us. We are ALL deserving of a hot meal. Without food, a person cannot possibly thrive. The cycle of poverty will no doubt continue. Each city needs to work to meet these basic needs to ensure that each person can get one step closer to moving out of this dangerous cycle.

Please join us in demanding the city of Gainesville to overturn this limit! It is up to the city - not up to each soup kitchen. Help us prevent another family from going hungry.

Thanks, Change.org!

Food, flowers, fun stuff...stuff Arise needs

Truth is, we need money most of all, but....
We would really appreciate  some food that people could use to make lunch in an office where we have a fridge, a microwave, and a two-burner hotplate...canned soup, peanut butter, crackers, ramen noodles, etc.  We have a lot of folks in the office during the day, sometimes volunteers who've come to work and sometimes folks who just stop in...we'd like to be able to feed them.
Also: Houseplants to cheer us up, good toys, crayons, coloring books for the children who come in with their parents...give us a call at 734-4948, email us at Ariseforsocialjustice@gmail.com or stop by at 467 State St., Springfield, MA.
Photo from Chatiry's photostream at Flickr.

Food Bank needs volunteers for hunger survey

The Western Mass. Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help with a survey to collect information for Hunger in America 2009.

This survey is done every four years across the country by the organization Feeding America to get a comprehensive look at how many people are hungry in this country and why.

If you're interested in volunteering, you'll attend a three hour training at the end of January and can then conduct your surveys anytime between February and April.

For more information, contact Erin Sullivan, (413) 247-9738, ext. 143, or sullivane@foodbankwma.org.