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Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council Minutes P.O. Box 662, Bellevue, WA 98009-0662March 10, 2009
NEXT MEETING: CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order and conducted by EISCC Co-president Marilyn Rands. OPENING PRAYER: The meeting was opened with prayer offered by Karen Mae Smith of Bellevue's St. Madeline Sophie Catholic Church. SELF-INTRODUCTIONS: Self-introductions were made by 23 members and guests. MINUTES: Minutes of the February 10, 2009 meeting were approved as circulated. TREASURER'S REPORT:EISCC Treasurer Pat McDermott (pmcdermott@amnis.com) reported that on 2/28/2009 cash balances total $144,308. The large payment from the cities of $17,882 was not collected until March 4. That is the primary reason accounts receivable totals $25,113 at month end. Operating results are as expected. Nothing unusual was noted during the month. CONGREGATIONS FOR THE HOMELESS: THE SOPHIA WAY: Sophia Way Executive Director, Helen Leuzzi (425-653-5893 or director@sophiaway.org) reported that the program has added another weekend hostBellevue's Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. They are still looking for three additional congregations willing to house their clients on rotating weekends throughout the year. She also reported that the Sophia Way has a new case manager on board. They are still looking forward to helping their first client become ready to make the transition from the shelter to transitional housing. Finally, Helen reported that several congregations have contacted her to make presentations to interested members. If your congregation would like to learn more about how they can help homeless single women make the journey from the streets to a secure home of their own, please contact Helen.
For more information about how you and your congregation can help, please contact Helen Leuzzi at 9425) 653-5893 or director@sophiaway.org. CROP WALK: CROP WALK: The annual Bellevue CROP Walk will be held Sunday, May 3, 2009. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty and CROP Walks are the major fundraiser for Church World Service, which for over 60 years has worked to eradicate hunger domestically and around the world. Of the money raised at this year's CROP Walk, 75% will go to CWS for its work around the world and 25% will stay here in King County, divided equally between EISCC member agencies HopeLink and the Emergency Feeding Program. (Please note, sponsors of walkers also have the choice to designate their pledge for a specific groupLutheran World Relief, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Friends Service Committee are a few examples.) The Walk will begin and end at Bellevue First Congregational Church (located at the corner of NE 8th and 108th NE in Bellevue) with registration beginning at 12:30pm and the Walk beginning at 1:00pm The Bellevue CROP Walk has raised over $100,000 since it began, with between 100 and 300 walkers participating each year. But it's about more than raising money. CROP Walk's motto is "We walk because they walk." Our very short (3.5 mile) walk reminds us of the walking that most people of the world must do every day for food, water, and fuel. The CROP Walk builds community by bringing together individuals within participating congregations and as a way for different faith communities to join together in service. The CROP Walk shows downtown Bellevue that churches and synagogues are here and a main reason they are here is to serve the neediest among us. When 100 or 200 people walk around downtown Bellevue carrying signs and balloons, they get people's attention and draw the focus to a bigger world beyond the upscale downtown. Finally, the CROP Walk is a happy eventyou'll see walkers talking, laughing, and sharing stories during the 3.5 miles, coming to walk with friends they know and friends they have yet to meet Please visit the Bellevue CROP Walk website at www.bellevuecropwalk.org to learn about how you can make a difference in the lives of hungry people both locally and throughout the world. PROGRAM: OLIVE CREST: HOMES AND SERVICE FOR ABUSED CHILDREN: Shirley Stoddard, Faith Community Liaison for Olive Crest (425) 462-1612 or shirley-stoddard@olivecrest.org) presented information about Olive Crest, a private agency that this summer contracted with the state of Washington to recruit homes for kids in our community. The statistics are alarming. Every 9 seconds a child abuse report is filed in the United States. Two-thirds of the estimated 1 million children who run away each year were physically or sexually abused. And every Death Row inmate reported growing up in a violent, abusive environment. More than 50 children need foster homes every week right here in King County, but there are only 12 homes available for them. That results in kids left staying overnight in social service offices or in juvenile detention because there is no other safe place for them to go. On the Eastside, 113 Eastside children and youth are in foster care, but only 15 of them were able to find homes on Eastside. The others had to be placed elsewhere in the state. Moving to another part of the stateseparating these kids from their schools, neighborhoods, and friendscreates additional trauma for these kids. The population of King County is 267,511. So, the question is: Are there 113 families the Eastside that can provide a loving, supportive foster home for these kids.
Congregations are encouraged to contact Shirley to arrange for presentations and to initiate discussions. Again, Shirley can be contacted at (425) 462-1612 or shirley-stoddard@olivecrest.org ANNOUNCEMENTS: THE EMERGENCY FEEDING PROGRAM: The Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle & King County announces their "Prevent Summer Hunger" food drive. Now through the end of the school year, EFP is encouraging congregations, schools and businesses to collect donations of:
Holding a food drive is a lot easier than you might think. EFP can provide food donation barrels, flyers, and donation pickup. You provide the heart and hands to ensure success. When the final bell rings out another school year, many kids in our community may be facing more than summer vacation. With the loss of a subsidized school lunch, they may also be facing hunger. To find out how you can help, please contact Brian Anderson at 9206) 329-0300 or brian@emergencyfeeding.org or visit the Emergency Feeding Program on the web at www.emergencyfeeding.org. THE NW CATHOLIC WOMEN'S CONVOCATION IV will take place May 1-2, 2009 at Bellevue's Meydenbauer Center. The dawning of a new story calls us to radical hope, to create life-giving stories for our personal relationships, social structures, faith communities and planet Earth. The Northwest Catholic Women's Convocation gathers women for prayer, ritual, education, empowerment, celebration and transformation. Together we will envision new stories for our church and our world! For information about speakers and workshops or to register, please visit their website at http://www.ipjc.org/. HEARTS AND HAMMERS is an annual two-day blitz to repair and rehabilitate the homes of those physically or financially unable to do so alone. Scheduled for May 2nd and 3rd, 2009 this effort brings together Bellevue's Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, St. Louise Parish, Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, and Temple B'Nai Torah. The repairs will include carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, painting, plastering, heavy cleaning, and trash removal. There is no charge to the homeowners for labor or materials.
END SUMMER HUNGER! Hopelink will launch its annual "End Summer Hunger" fund and food drive in April and invites community groups, schools, businesses and our neighbors throughout the area to do their part to ease hunger and homelessness in our community. Considering the rapidly growing number of families in financial distress due to the economy, this campaign is more important than ever in ensuring Hopelink's ability to feed hungry children. The proceeds from End Summer Hunger will stock Hopelink's six food banks for the high-demand summer months when subsidized meal programs at schools are not available, and also support Hopelink's homelessness prevention programs. In 2008, the End Summer Hunger campaign raised more than $119,000 in monetary and food donations. Who can volunteer? Skills are welcomed, but everyone can be put to work. For more information, please contact Sandy Lewis at 425-562-1228. END SUMMER HUNGER! Hopelink will launch its annual "End Summer Hunger" fund and food drive in April and invites community groups, schools, businesses and our neighbors throughout the area to do their part to ease hunger and homelessness in our community. Considering the rapidly growing number of families in financial distress due to the economy, this campaign is more important than ever in ensuring Hopelink's ability to feed hungry children. The proceeds from End Summer Hunger will stock Hopelink's six food banks for the high-demand summer months when subsidized meal programs at schools are not available, and also support Hopelink's homelessness prevention programs. In 2008, the End Summer Hunger campaign raised more than $119,000 in monetary and food donations. The grassroots End Summer Hunger campaign begins April 1 and ends July 1, and seeks support from schools, individuals, businesses, and organizations. This program is particularly important because donations to Hopelink historically drop during the summer, leaving the agency's food banks with lower than normal supplies. Schools that support the program encourage children in classrooms to collect coins, while businesses, organizations and civic or community clubs hold food drives, fund drives, or both, according to what works best for them. End Summer Hunger
For information on how to get involved in End Summer Hunger, go to www.hope-link.org or Hopelink's website for young philanthropists, http://youthlink.hope-link.org/. MICROCREDIT-OIKOCREDIT, SMALL LOANS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: For further information call Helen Leuzzi at (425) 653-5893 or email oikosupportnw@gmail.com CALLING ALL GARDENERS: Bellevue Parks & Community Services is offering a new way for neighbors to help their neighbors as we all experience the negative effects of the national recession. Within the next two months, approximately 20 new Seasonal P-Patch Community Gardening Plots will be opened at Crossroads Community Park. Before these plots are offered to the general public, the City will first make new plots available to local neighborhood or community groups. These volunteer groups will commit to tend a plot of approximately 400 square feet for the upcoming gardening season (April-October) and provide the majority of their produce harvest to a local food bank or feeding program. The intent of this program is to help build a sense of community for your group through shared cultivation of a garden and to grow a meaningful amount of produce to help feed local families in need at a time when food banks struggle to keep up with demand. To meet both goals, we ask that volunteer groups make a commitment to the full five-month gardening season and include a leader who has vegetable gardening experience. Please note, this opportunity is not a good match for groups looking for a one-time community service event or those looking to use a garden plot solely as an educational opportunity or for growing non-food crops. If you know of a group interested in serving the community in this way, please contact Camron Parker at cparker@bellevuewa.gov or (425) 452-2032 before Friday, April 3, 2009. Once Parks & Community Services has determined if there is sufficient interest to offer this program, groups will be provided with more detailed registration information and asked to make a firm commitment before the end of April. CLOSING PRAYER: The meeting was closed in prayer by Karen Mae Smith of St. Madeline Sophie Catholic Church. Brian Anderson, EISCC Secretary
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