New Kitchen??? No, just KITCHEN
Loaves & Fishes has no kitchen; no stove, no oven, and no prep sink, and the prep table is on the enclosed porch! Add to that the facts that our electrical system is overloaded by the several freezer units in the annex, the shoppers eat lunch in the reception area, balancing paper plates on their knees, setting their coffee or water on the floor next to them, the lunch for 90/week, frozen in gallon bags, must be heated in the microwave, and kept hot in two 7-quart crock pots, and often the pet food must be repackaged just when the porch tables are covered with human food.
Sherron found herself dreaming and sketching kitchen, eating area, walk-in freezer, roof lines, new electrical system…she was in deep water there! Enter architect Greg Cade, who heard about the dream, and put it on paper: three full sheets of paper, several times, connecting an addition to the north end of the building and the annex. An engineer looked at the plans and found them to be very good. Many of the Board members and Volunteers have made suggestions. The dream has just begun!
Recently a local church received a large donation for large projects, funding from the USDA has become available. L&F is making applications to pursue the dream: “A real kitchen with room for tables for our shoppers to sit and eat their lunch!” Even with no commitments for funding, we are moving forward in the Spirit. And the dream continues.
There many ways in which this kitchen will be a blessing:
· By using produce which will turn bad before the next shopping day to prepare nutritious soups and other dishes to serve to the shoppers.
· By providing appropriate space for the county or staff to run cooking or nutrition demonstrations and for the nurses when they give free flu shots, blood pressure checks, or health counseling to our shoppers and volunteers.
· By providing ample space to prepare snacks, assemble Weekend food Backpacks and School’s Out boxes for children who receive subsidized school lunches during the school year.
· By expanding the shopping area into the current reception area.
· By allowing portioning of pet food separate from human foods.
Additionally, the renovation/addition will correct drainage problems and electrical/heating difficulties which need to be addressed currently.
Come by, see the plans, dream, pray with us, and help us raise funds for
THE KITCHEN.
Loaves & Fishes has no kitchen; no stove, no oven, and no prep sink, and the prep table is on the enclosed porch! Add to that the facts that our electrical system is overloaded by the several freezer units in the annex, the shoppers eat lunch in the reception area, balancing paper plates on their knees, setting their coffee or water on the floor next to them, the lunch for 90/week, frozen in gallon bags, must be heated in the microwave, and kept hot in two 7-quart crock pots, and often the pet food must be repackaged just when the porch tables are covered with human food.
Sherron found herself dreaming and sketching kitchen, eating area, walk-in freezer, roof lines, new electrical system…she was in deep water there! Enter architect Greg Cade, who heard about the dream, and put it on paper: three full sheets of paper, several times, connecting an addition to the north end of the building and the annex. An engineer looked at the plans and found them to be very good. Many of the Board members and Volunteers have made suggestions. The dream has just begun!
Recently a local church received a large donation for large projects, funding from the USDA has become available. L&F is making applications to pursue the dream: “A real kitchen with room for tables for our shoppers to sit and eat their lunch!” Even with no commitments for funding, we are moving forward in the Spirit. And the dream continues.
There many ways in which this kitchen will be a blessing:
· By using produce which will turn bad before the next shopping day to prepare nutritious soups and other dishes to serve to the shoppers.
· By providing appropriate space for the county or staff to run cooking or nutrition demonstrations and for the nurses when they give free flu shots, blood pressure checks, or health counseling to our shoppers and volunteers.
· By providing ample space to prepare snacks, assemble Weekend food Backpacks and School’s Out boxes for children who receive subsidized school lunches during the school year.
· By expanding the shopping area into the current reception area.
· By allowing portioning of pet food separate from human foods.
Additionally, the renovation/addition will correct drainage problems and electrical/heating difficulties which need to be addressed currently.
Come by, see the plans, dream, pray with us, and help us raise funds for
THE KITCHEN.
Greetings from the President of the Board
Loaves & Fishes continues to serve the Lord through various food programs. Even though the number of people who are served continues to grow, the challenges are met with answers that can only come from above.
This is not to discredit our Director, Sherron Slavens and her Assistant, Janene Laemmar, and all of our great volunteers, without whom we could not exist. Their direction, participation and input is phenomenal!
Moving through the fall and into winter, Thanksgiving and Christmas programs will expand not only the amounts of food needed, but also the special kinds of food traditional for the season. With this, there is always a need for more support from the surrounding communities. With your help, we can continue the miracle which is Loaves & Fishes.
Thank you,
Chuck Drage
Loaves & Fishes continues to serve the Lord through various food programs. Even though the number of people who are served continues to grow, the challenges are met with answers that can only come from above.
This is not to discredit our Director, Sherron Slavens and her Assistant, Janene Laemmar, and all of our great volunteers, without whom we could not exist. Their direction, participation and input is phenomenal!
Moving through the fall and into winter, Thanksgiving and Christmas programs will expand not only the amounts of food needed, but also the special kinds of food traditional for the season. With this, there is always a need for more support from the surrounding communities. With your help, we can continue the miracle which is Loaves & Fishes.
Thank you,
Chuck Drage
A Few Statistics As of September 30th
Active households average 141 per month, feeding around 800 people each month. In September, 150 households were active, down slightly from 2012, indicating a slight improvement in need. We always hope that the ski season will bring greater employment!
Over the three quarters of 2013, $9301 has been spent on food from L&F funds, with another $634 spent by Board members, staff, and volunteers, in addition to their monetary donations. This leaves us dipping into savings for food for the October-December quarter. Distributed each month are between 10,000 and 14,000 lbs of food, including both donated and purchased food.
In August and September, 18 households were reactivated, bringing to 6263 persons the total served for the year. In September, 24 new households came for assistance!
In our children’s programs, both School’s Out and the School-year Backpacks for weekends, 1068 servings of nutritious supplemental foods have been provided: see the article by Janene on the back page.
Thanks to you the Donors of money, time, and food, this ministry is sustained!
Active households average 141 per month, feeding around 800 people each month. In September, 150 households were active, down slightly from 2012, indicating a slight improvement in need. We always hope that the ski season will bring greater employment!
Over the three quarters of 2013, $9301 has been spent on food from L&F funds, with another $634 spent by Board members, staff, and volunteers, in addition to their monetary donations. This leaves us dipping into savings for food for the October-December quarter. Distributed each month are between 10,000 and 14,000 lbs of food, including both donated and purchased food.
In August and September, 18 households were reactivated, bringing to 6263 persons the total served for the year. In September, 24 new households came for assistance!
In our children’s programs, both School’s Out and the School-year Backpacks for weekends, 1068 servings of nutritious supplemental foods have been provided: see the article by Janene on the back page.
Thanks to you the Donors of money, time, and food, this ministry is sustained!
Reflections from the Executive Director
"Are you going to fill it up again?" These are words frequently heard on Monday mornings as Carlson students turn in their BFF bags to teacher Jackie Steeples.
Our weekly food distribution program is seeing increased activity again. Summer employed some of our shoppers with tourist-season jobs, especially in rafting. The Twin Tunnel project has also provided a few jobs. However, we added 24 new and 8 returning shopper households in the month of September. It is hard to keep the shelves full.
"I received notice that my food stamps are being reduced in November" the tearful shopper told me as she further explained that they had barely been "getting by", but had taken pride that they could make it at all without our assistance. Returning to our food pantry for help felt like failure to her. She and her husband are among our under-employed shoppers. They come in only when they need to and take only what they need - they do not see us as an entitlement program, in fact, very few do.
One shopper took a bunch of over-ripe bananas home to bake banana bread. She returned later that day with still-fresh banana bread for all of us to enjoy with our coffee. Our shoppers would prefer to give than to take and look for ways to help us or other shoppers. They offer rides, carry out groceries and share recipes.
All these programs stretch us financially and time-wise. Thanksgiving basket distribution is coming up and that will necessitate even more funds and volunteers. Can you donate $25 towards a Thanksgiving basket, $10 for a turkey, or a few hours one day to help set up or distribute baskets?
We need you and thank you!
Sherron Slavens
Ed Note: There is a great need for volunteers, especially on Thursdays…
Give Thanks by becoming a volunteer… and fill the time slot most convenient for you!
"Are you going to fill it up again?" These are words frequently heard on Monday mornings as Carlson students turn in their BFF bags to teacher Jackie Steeples.
Our weekly food distribution program is seeing increased activity again. Summer employed some of our shoppers with tourist-season jobs, especially in rafting. The Twin Tunnel project has also provided a few jobs. However, we added 24 new and 8 returning shopper households in the month of September. It is hard to keep the shelves full.
"I received notice that my food stamps are being reduced in November" the tearful shopper told me as she further explained that they had barely been "getting by", but had taken pride that they could make it at all without our assistance. Returning to our food pantry for help felt like failure to her. She and her husband are among our under-employed shoppers. They come in only when they need to and take only what they need - they do not see us as an entitlement program, in fact, very few do.
One shopper took a bunch of over-ripe bananas home to bake banana bread. She returned later that day with still-fresh banana bread for all of us to enjoy with our coffee. Our shoppers would prefer to give than to take and look for ways to help us or other shoppers. They offer rides, carry out groceries and share recipes.
All these programs stretch us financially and time-wise. Thanksgiving basket distribution is coming up and that will necessitate even more funds and volunteers. Can you donate $25 towards a Thanksgiving basket, $10 for a turkey, or a few hours one day to help set up or distribute baskets?
We need you and thank you!
Sherron Slavens
Ed Note: There is a great need for volunteers, especially on Thursdays…
Give Thanks by becoming a volunteer… and fill the time slot most convenient for you!
With Loving Thanks to Sally Nisler
Sally has been Board President, Newborn basket creator, grant writer, lunch cook, School’s Out initiator, and faithful Board member from Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown over the past 10 years. This is only a small part of her service as she used her talents to support the work and workings of this ministry with patience and perseverance, helping all involved to grow in faith and mature in the ways of the Spirit.
With Loving Thanks to Sally Nisler
Sally has been Board President, Newborn basket creator, grant writer, lunch cook, School’s Out initiator, and faithful Board member from Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown over the past 10 years. This is only a small part of her service as she used her talents to support the work and workings of this ministry with patience and perseverance, helping all involved to grow in faith and mature in the ways of the Spirit.
We thank you, dear Servant of the Lord! May your new endeavors find you to be the blessing you have been for all at Loaves and Fishes!
We thank you, dear Servant of the Lord! May your new endeavors find you to be the blessing you have been for all at Loaves and Fishes!
Sally has been Board President, Newborn basket creator, grant writer, lunch cook, School’s Out initiator, and faithful Board member from Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown over the past 10 years. This is only a small part of her service as she used her talents to support the work and workings of this ministry with patience and perseverance, helping all involved to grow in faith and mature in the ways of the Spirit.
With Loving Thanks to Sally Nisler
Sally has been Board President, Newborn basket creator, grant writer, lunch cook, School’s Out initiator, and faithful Board member from Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown over the past 10 years. This is only a small part of her service as she used her talents to support the work and workings of this ministry with patience and perseverance, helping all involved to grow in faith and mature in the ways of the Spirit.
We thank you, dear Servant of the Lord! May your new endeavors find you to be the blessing you have been for all at Loaves and Fishes!
We thank you, dear Servant of the Lord! May your new endeavors find you to be the blessing you have been for all at Loaves and Fishes!
Programs 4 Children
Over the years, Loaves & Fishes has been developing children-focused programs. For the fourth summer, the School’s Out program distributed food to families to help fill in the gap caused by missing subsidized meals at school. Over 4,000 pounds of food was distributed this year, reaching more than 80 children in the community.
For the tenth year, in August, over $2000 of donated school supplies were made available to students. The parents and children are so happy to be able to choose from the fun school items. One mother spent nearly an hour happily picking out needed items for her young girl.
Now that school is back in session, 25 Weekend food Backpacks are distributed to children at Carlson Elementary School, with the help of teacher Jackie Steeples. In early 2013 she discovered that these children did not have access to food all weekend and worked with Sherron to provide supplemental food for those days.
Our newest program is in collaboration with the Idaho Springs Library, providing snacks to 20 children who go to the library for several hours after school. Our first distribution was a case of apples!
Programs 4 Children will continue to grow and expand with the needs. On Thursdays we need help on prepping the weekend food bags. We are also accepting kid-friendly snacks and quick meals (like macaroni and cheese) to fill the need. Please feel free to come visit us and see what we are up to on Thursdays and Fridays!
Janene Laemmar
Over the years, Loaves & Fishes has been developing children-focused programs. For the fourth summer, the School’s Out program distributed food to families to help fill in the gap caused by missing subsidized meals at school. Over 4,000 pounds of food was distributed this year, reaching more than 80 children in the community.
For the tenth year, in August, over $2000 of donated school supplies were made available to students. The parents and children are so happy to be able to choose from the fun school items. One mother spent nearly an hour happily picking out needed items for her young girl.
Now that school is back in session, 25 Weekend food Backpacks are distributed to children at Carlson Elementary School, with the help of teacher Jackie Steeples. In early 2013 she discovered that these children did not have access to food all weekend and worked with Sherron to provide supplemental food for those days.
Our newest program is in collaboration with the Idaho Springs Library, providing snacks to 20 children who go to the library for several hours after school. Our first distribution was a case of apples!
Programs 4 Children will continue to grow and expand with the needs. On Thursdays we need help on prepping the weekend food bags. We are also accepting kid-friendly snacks and quick meals (like macaroni and cheese) to fill the need. Please feel free to come visit us and see what we are up to on Thursdays and Fridays!
Janene Laemmar
Christmas, A Time to See God at Work in our World
As Nature progresses in its cycle from spring and new life, through the bountiful summer, it is in the Fall that we see the gold and russet, the straw and seeds of maturity, and signs of the dormant winter to come. It is quiet reflection on the wonder of nature that we recognize that God is the sunshine and the Love, in Jesus, who makes it all happen.It is in serving those in need that the finest of human relationships is born and nurtured. It is in the still of the night that Jesus is born.
This food ministry is blessed with each of you, the instruments of His touching those in need with grace and peace. Knowing that the needs are great and that winter is coming,
faith in His provision keeps hope alive, and all are grateful. His Love fosters your generosity, and that Love is passed on to His people.
May His Peace be with each of you!
As Nature progresses in its cycle from spring and new life, through the bountiful summer, it is in the Fall that we see the gold and russet, the straw and seeds of maturity, and signs of the dormant winter to come. It is quiet reflection on the wonder of nature that we recognize that God is the sunshine and the Love, in Jesus, who makes it all happen.It is in serving those in need that the finest of human relationships is born and nurtured. It is in the still of the night that Jesus is born.
This food ministry is blessed with each of you, the instruments of His touching those in need with grace and peace. Knowing that the needs are great and that winter is coming,
faith in His provision keeps hope alive, and all are grateful. His Love fosters your generosity, and that Love is passed on to His people.
May His Peace be with each of you!
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