SPIRITT Family Services’ Post

The British philosopher John Gray wrote, “We are who we are because of the places in which we grow up, the accents and friends we acquire by chance, the burdens we have not chosen but somehow learn to cope with. Real communities are always local-places in which people have put down roots and are willing to put up with the burdens of living together..." Places, roots, accents, friends, loyalties, caring, burdens & responsibilities. An authentic & organic community is held together by a set of first principles or virtues and values just like a built structure is supported by a firm foundation, by brick and mortar, stone & concrete, by sets of columns & beams etc. In the case of the physical structure, remove the supports and the structure will come tumbling down, collapsing under its own weight into a pile of rubble. The same is true of organic communities which are also like structures, built with effort, care, love and compassion over long spans of time, held in place by the firm supports of human values and the glue of human relationships. Without love, caring and compassion, without commitment, without the willingness to shoulder duties & responsibilities, local communities cannot survive, cannot thrive. Keep up the good work.

Heartfelt: Worth of your day. Everyone must try this! Consider packing a few extra food packets (5-20) from home or any hotel during breakfast or dinner time. Start finding hunger people on road side's. You will find 100s of people: Few hungry mentally retired people, Few homeless people, Few hungry travelers, Few in the huts, Few children's.. Expect nothing in return, not even gratitude. Witness their smiles, and you'll find the true worth of your day. #fooddistribution #foodpackets #ngo

There are very few things that we can agree on as a society. But one of them is that children should never go hungry. In Kentucky, 1 out of every 6 children lacks consistent access to enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle. Of the households served by Kentucky's food banks with school-aged children, nearly all (94 percent) receive free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program. Sadly, only 1 in 5 Kentucky children who eat free or reduced price lunch during the school year have access to such meals during the summer months when school is out. The Legal Food Frenzy helps our food banks fill the gap in access to food during these critical summer months, to ensure that no child goes hungry. You can help feed the kids! Each dollar you contribute will purchase roughly the equivalent of 4 pounds of food. If you are moved to join in the fight against hunger (and God bless you if you are), you can do so here: https://lnkd.in/eNiEPGHj

Our very own Camesha Grant, PhD, VP of Community Impact at Food Bank For New York City, appeared on abc7NY to discuss the alarming statistic that 1 in 4 adults in New York are experiencing #foodinsecurity. In some parts of New York City, like the Bronx, it's even higher at 39%. Food Bank For New York City's mission is vital now more than ever as more of our NYC neighbors find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Watch the full clip to learn more about the current state of food insecurity in New York and how you can help empower our neighbors in need: https://lnkd.in/ezNXG5tg

True nonprofit growth or expansion happens when we acknowledge food as a human right for all, delivered in the way people define DIGNITY for themselves. 🍽️ A government leader asked if I wanted to expand across Pennsylvania or the nation. I replied, "Our program adapts to the needs of the people. We will never force a community to conform to our program. So, how do you define expand?" Expanding is a delicate issue when fighting hunger. We cannot treat hunger as a business or a platform for our egos. Often, the reality of hunger is misunderstood—it's secretive, heavy, dark, frightening, and political. Hunger is used as tool of power over people in ways most of us will never comprehend, nor dare to explore. It's easy to create solutions for the sake of recognition, accolades, awards, and funding. The real challenge is being a witness to hunger. This requires us to stop and listen with a full heart. It requires hard conversations and the humility to say, "I have it wrong." 🍽️ Food is personal. 🔒 Food is safety. ❤️ Food is love. 💪 Food is empowerment. 🕊️ Food is freedom. #FoodDignity #FoodDignityMovement

⭐Community involvement⭐ This was something that drew me to Yeo & Yeo CPAs & Advisors and they have not let me down. We are out in the community with non-profits, local businesses, and colleagues NON STOP! #YeoAndYeo #LetsThrive #financialservices #taxconsulting💙

Knowing your customer is key to the success of any business but also of any non profit. In a time when food security is a hot topic I think it's incredibly important to know who ( and who is not) our customers are so we can serve them well! We are a non profit grocery store designed to meet the needs of families / single moms who are struggling with a short term financial challenge. Till now these folks have been falling through the cracks because they can't afford a retail grocery store and they do not want the hand out via an emergency food service. Don't get me wrong, emergency food handouts are very needed in our communities, however not everyone wants to go that route nor should that be the only option! When a crisis hits many parents desperately want to feed their own children, they just need to be able to afford it. Just because you lose your job or experience another crisis does not mean you are ready to throw in the towel and resort to accepting a hand out. Those are our people!! They find more than affordable food at one of our Markits. Our customers experience dignity, choice and convenience. We can meet their needs well because we know our customers well! Not sure about you but I think that is how we build a strong community. Helping those who just need a hand up so they don't fall any further. www.gatheringmarkit.com #knowyourcustomer #abbotsfordbc #dignity #foodsecurity #nonprofitleadership

Thank you, Midstory, for excellent data-driven coverage on the state of food insecurity in Toledo and NW Ohio. Next to affordable housing, this is the most significant barrier to area residents’ ability to thrive in our neighborhoods and in our communities. As we live in and look forward to an unprecedented era of investment and development, it is central that we consider this, related human services, and lived experiences as integral to community planning and design. These are not separate conversations. This is all one conversation, inextricably coupled with economic inclusion and sustainable economic, social, and physical infrastructure. It is easy and, as we have done, we can continue to dance around questions about fiscal structures, systems, logistics, responsibilities, and political will, but in reality this is a very simple moral question — Are we ok with this? Do we want to live in the world in a way where children and older adults go hungry? If the answer is no, then we can simply begin to ensure there is healthy, accessible, and affordable food and the rest will fall into its natural place. #foodinsecurity #urbanplanning #communitydevelopment #toledo #ohio #midwest

We have a story in the latest issue of Neighbourhood Media detailing all the work we do via Addison Road Food Pantry Camperdown, our low-cost grocery store which makes use of rescued, donated and purchased food to support the local community and its needs. The story (link below) shows how we help feed people from Mission Australia's Common Ground housing project and the nearby Johanna O’Dea Court, a multi-storey NSW Family and Community Services apartment block. It also explains how we serve people living on a tight budget in Camperdown and Glebe, as well as people who come to the pantry from right across the City of Sydney LGA. Most of all, the story is a celebration of our monthly Addi Road 'Let's Get Cooking' sessions (AKA "the Cook-Up"), which offers 260 free hot meals for Mission Australia and Joanna O'Dea residents, as well as those shopping at our Addi Road Food Pantry Camperdown. These sessions involve a monthly cooking demo inside the Common Ground building. Food literacy is the ultimate goal behind Addi Road's Let's Get Cooking program. As well as simply providing a free hot meal (and dessert) each month, we look at helping people to shop AND cook with often very limited funds. Each month there are easy recipes on offer (and ready to be tasted) along extra tips for stocking people's kitchen cupboards; a list of essentials to facilitate simple, inexpensive and nutritious recipes that will match whatever Addi Road Food Pantry might have in stock. It's about building an integrated food ecology for people battling. With a few extra special ingredients over a shared meal as the community comes together: camaraderie and connection. + #Addiroad #cityofsydney #foodrelief #foodjustice #housing #inequality #Camperdown #Glebe #MissionAustralia #homeless #battling #costofliving #poverty #resilience #mentalhealth #wellbeing #nutrition #diet #charity #community #freemeals #cookingworkshop #volunteers #caring #education #connection #letsgetcooking #neighbourhoodmedia https://lnkd.in/gs7vVEvM