November 2010 Heartbeats Newsletter

LSS Board of Directors Officers Mr. Kem Siddons, Chair Ms. Julie Buckingham,Vice Chair Mr. Jack Parker, Secretary Mr. Ted Carter, Treasurer Members Ms. Mary Coleman Ms. Marie Friedsam Mr. Larry Huser The Rev. Robert Kinley Ms. Jeanne Maszy Mr. Matthew Parks The Rev.William Reister Mr. Sina Rezaei Mr. Mark Stevens Mr. Dwane Tyson

Lutheran Social Services Northeast Florida, Inc. 4615 Philips Highway Jacksonville, FL 32207

of

Solutions

from the

Heart.

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 1610

HeartBeats NEWS FROM THE HEART

Working in Partnership with:

F a ll 2 0 1 0

‘Hunger Caravan’ serves rural Florida people in need All of us have felt the negative effects of the recession, but the blow is felt harder in communities where there are fewer job opportunities and fewer resources for

Join over 1,500 other attendees on this one day to hear firsthand testimonies about hunger in our community, be served a simple soup and bread lunch from local celebrities and take away a handmade “empty bowl” as a token of our appreciation and as a constant reminder that there are thousands who are hungry in our community every day.

Make it an outing for friends and work colleagues. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at WeNourishHope.org or by calling 904.739.7074. Nonprofit tables of 10 are $300. Corporate tables of 10 are $500. Event sponsorships are also available.

Between Aug. 17 and Oct. 7, the Hunger Caravan traveled to Alachua, Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Columbia and Suwannee counties to work with local agencies who have been trying to keep up with the need.

Pastor Ed Steves from Faith Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs has been feeling the pressure of keeping up with a growing demand for food. “We’ve been feeding 2,000 people a month for the last four to five months,” he said. “Elderly people weren’t getting their meds because they had to choose between meds and food.

Now they can get their meds because we’re giving them enough food to get through the month.”

26th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon One in six adults and one in five children in north Florida are hungry, not just with growling stomachs until their next meal, but hungry because they have no money to buy food or means to get food. The Empty Bowls Luncheon has grown over the years because so many individuals and businesses in Jacksonville have taken the opportunity on this one day to reach out to those who need help. Proceeds from the event will enable Second Harvest North Florida to provide nutritious, healthy food and education to our neighbors who are not able to provide for themselves.

V o l u m e 2 0 I ss u e 3

people to rely on for help. Unemployment is reaching as high as 20 percent in some of the rural areas of north Florida, and the few agencies that provide food in these counties have been taxed beyond their ability to serve.

In response to this emergency situation, Second Harvest North Florida reacted with an urgent relief program called the “Hunger Caravan”. Over a period of seven weeks, we mobilized a traveling food distribution team that brought food to over 3,000 people in need.

Another volunteer working with Journey Church in Nassau County had this to say about the impact of the recession on her neighbors, “I deliver food to the people who can’t get out and stand in lines like these,” she said. “I see how it touches their hearts. I see the empty refrigerators and I know that lots of times it’s the last piece of bread in the cupboard.”

Another woman who came for food summed up her feelings about the Hunger Caravan in this way, “The Lord took one loaf of bread and fed a lot of people. That’s how I see what you’re doing here today. It’s going to help a lot of people in the community that need the help.”

Lawrence in Alachua County was grateful for the food he received. “I haven’t had any work in six months. The only work I get is from people who know me and need some work on their vehicles,” Lawrence said. When asked what the food distribution meant for him, he replied, “It means everything right now. These people are great. They have really blessed us by coming here.”

Tuesday, Nov. 16 at Prime Osborn Convention Center Doors open at 11 a.m. Program is from 12 to 1 p.m. w w w. L S S J A X . O R G / 9 0 4 . 4 4 8 . 5 9 9 5

Lutheran Social Services A look at Then and Now

It’s never been easier to volunteer!

A lot has changed since Lutheran Social Services was founded 30 years ago. What is now a multi-million dollar operation with over 80 employees serving thousands of people in need, started as the Nourishment Network food pantry supported by a dozen local Lutheran congregations.

Now you can discover new and exciting opportunities to volunteer your time by visiting LSSJax.org! Our new online volunteer application will let you register as a volunteer and then keep you updated on what type of volunteer support is needed.

When the Rev. Dale Gatz accepted the executive director position in 1980, he was the second employee. “The initial operating budget was just enough to cover our salaries for one year,” Gatz said. “This provided me with great motivation for becoming a fundraiser.”

Reverend Dale Gatz

In the early 80s, the concept of gleaning surplus food from manufacturers, grocery chains and farmers into food banks that could supply soup kitchens and food pantries was being implemented across the nation. LSS became the first food bank in the Southeast and the current warehouse on Jessie Street was acquired. “We evolved from being a pantry to supplying pantries,” Gatz said. “We saw the potential to have a really important impact rather than feeding one family at a time.”

Today, Second Harvest North Florida serves 18 counties and will distribute 20 million pounds of food this year. “We’ve come a long way from collecting food from church drives,” said Wayne Rieley, current LSS president and CEO. “We get a lot of food through the Feeding America network, but we also make over 300 stops each week to pick up surplus food from local grocery Visit LSSJax.org retailers. In the first six months of this year, we collected one to read the million pounds of produce from local farmers. Thirty years complete ago, an operation of this size was unheard of.”

interview with

At the same time that the food bank operation was growing, Rev. Gatz and humanitarian crises in Southeast Asia created a surge of Mr. Rieley. refugees seeking a new life in America. Lutheran churches on the First Coast responded by adopting one family per congregation, but Gatz again saw a bigger opportunity and convinced the congregations to let LSS create an agency model to meet the demand. “I consider the refugee relocation program my greatest life achievement,” Gatz said. “Anyone who has ever worked with a refugee family becomes a lifetime convert.”

The Refugee & Immigration Services program now resettles between 300 and 600 refugees a year. “We are getting more aggressive again in bringing families to Jacksonville,” Rieley said. “We’ve created job training programs and our youth and family services team is well positioned in our public schools to help the refugee children succeed.”

“Jacksonville is the most culturally diverse community in the state of Florida,“ Rieley said.

“Largely because of the LSS resettlement efforts.” Both Gatz and Rieley agree that the First Coast community has always been amazingly welcoming to refugees seeking a new life here.

Story continues on next page.

Just click on Donate Time on our website sidebar to get started. Then, check in regularly to discover how you can help in a way that is convenient and interesting to you.

Here are some examples of the opportunities you will find: Nourishment for Babies - Distribute food provided by Second Harvest to expectant mothers at Shands’ OBGYN clinic and provide details of this healthy eating program and why it is important to baby and mom. This opportunity is available M-F 8:30 a.m.-noon.

Welcome Center – Greet LSS visitors and assist in light administrative tasks such as helping with mailings.

The Sharing Place – work at The Sharing Place Thrift Store to assist in sorting, pricing and selling donated merchandise. There are also opportunities to assist in picking up donations and setting up apartments for new resettlement clients.

Volunteer as an individual or bring a group of friends! We’re sure you will find an opportunity that is just right for you!

Cummer Museum to host refugee children’s art show Moises Ramos is not your ordinary art teacher. A recognized artist with numerous awards to his credit, Ramos brings a passion to teaching art as a form of expression and believes art is as important for students as math and science. “To be a well rounded person, you need an appreciation for art,” he said.

For the past two summers, refugee children attending Summertime Express summer camp have benefited from Ramos’ passion. “I love working with the refugee children,” Ramos said.

“They have an eagerness to learn that I don’t see in most of my regular students. They really want to try new things.”

A lot of the refugee children he works with have never used a digital camera before coming to summer camp, but they are quick to explore photography as a creative medium. “It is a challenge to teach these children when we have so many different language and culture barriers,” Ramos said. “But I am able to communicate to them that we are not taking snapshots, we are composing a picture to say something.”

During the summer, Ramos and his class took photography field trips to Hanna Park in Atlantic Beach, an alligator farm in St. Augustine and to the gardens at Cummer Museum. The result of these outings is a collection of photographs that will be honored in their own show at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens this spring. “The show will open on March 7 and run through May 8,” said Silvia Romero-Brown, assistant director of education

at the Cummer Museum. “We are excited to work with Ramos and Lutheran Social Services to coordinate this exhibit.”

In recognition of his work in public schools and with the refugee children, Ramos was honored by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville this past April. “We are so fortunate to have his passion and leadership for our refugee children,” said Gina Federico, RIS youth and family coordinator. “Having their work shown at the Cummer Museum is such an accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for these kids and their parents.”

To view the refugee children’s photographs and other art media prior to the Cummer Museum show, please visit our permanent gallery which is on display daily at the Lutheran Social Services offices on Philips Highway.

Lutheran Social Services - A look at Then and Now, Cont.

When Gatz left Lutheran Social Services after 11 years of leadership, he left a thriving operation with about 60 employees and two major programs solidly in place.

Today, under the leadership of Rieley, LSS has five major programs to help serve and care for people in need and a strong vision for the Wayne Rieley future. “We want all of the LSS programs located together on one campus so we can

operate more efficiently and build more cooperation among them.” Rieley said.

“We have a vision of a partnership between the City of Jacksonville and Lutheran Social Services where we would provide community education and have community gardens on our campus.

We want to show kids where produce comes from and teach their parents about good nutrition and food resources that are available.”

While much has changed in 30 years, both leaders agree that one thing is constant – the continual struggle for funding.

“Government money ebbs and flows,” Rieley said. “We are focused on building better connections with private sources of funding through individual donors, foundations, businesses and events.”

For more information on the five major LSS programs and how you can support them, visit www.LSSJax.org.

w w w. L S S J A X . O R G / 9 0 4 . 4 4 8 . 5 9 9 5

Lutheran Social Services A look at Then and Now

It’s never been easier to volunteer!

A lot has changed since Lutheran Social Services was founded 30 years ago. What is now a multi-million dollar operation with over 80 employees serving thousands of people in need, started as the Nourishment Network food pantry supported by a dozen local Lutheran congregations.

Now you can discover new and exciting opportunities to volunteer your time by visiting LSSJax.org! Our new online volunteer application will let you register as a volunteer and then keep you updated on what type of volunteer support is needed.

When the Rev. Dale Gatz accepted the executive director position in 1980, he was the second employee. “The initial operating budget was just enough to cover our salaries for one year,” Gatz said. “This provided me with great motivation for becoming a fundraiser.”

Reverend Dale Gatz

In the early 80s, the concept of gleaning surplus food from manufacturers, grocery chains and farmers into food banks that could supply soup kitchens and food pantries was being implemented across the nation. LSS became the first food bank in the Southeast and the current warehouse on Jessie Street was acquired. “We evolved from being a pantry to supplying pantries,” Gatz said. “We saw the potential to have a really important impact rather than feeding one family at a time.”

Today, Second Harvest North Florida serves 18 counties and will distribute 20 million pounds of food this year. “We’ve come a long way from collecting food from church drives,” said Wayne Rieley, current LSS president and CEO. “We get a lot of food through the Feeding America network, but we also make over 300 stops each week to pick up surplus food from local grocery Visit LSSJax.org retailers. In the first six months of this year, we collected one to read the million pounds of produce from local farmers. Thirty years complete ago, an operation of this size was unheard of.”

interview with

At the same time that the food bank operation was growing, Rev. Gatz and humanitarian crises in Southeast Asia created a surge of Mr. Rieley. refugees seeking a new life in America. Lutheran churches on the First Coast responded by adopting one family per congregation, but Gatz again saw a bigger opportunity and convinced the congregations to let LSS create an agency model to meet the demand. “I consider the refugee relocation program my greatest life achievement,” Gatz said. “Anyone who has ever worked with a refugee family becomes a lifetime convert.”

The Refugee & Immigration Services program now resettles between 300 and 600 refugees a year. “We are getting more aggressive again in bringing families to Jacksonville,” Rieley said. “We’ve created job training programs and our youth and family services team is well positioned in our public schools to help the refugee children succeed.”

“Jacksonville is the most culturally diverse community in the state of Florida,“ Rieley said.

“Largely because of the LSS resettlement efforts.” Both Gatz and Rieley agree that the First Coast community has always been amazingly welcoming to refugees seeking a new life here.

Story continues on next page.

Just click on Donate Time on our website sidebar to get started. Then, check in regularly to discover how you can help in a way that is convenient and interesting to you.

Here are some examples of the opportunities you will find: Nourishment for Babies - Distribute food provided by Second Harvest to expectant mothers at Shands’ OBGYN clinic and provide details of this healthy eating program and why it is important to baby and mom. This opportunity is available M-F 8:30 a.m.-noon.

Welcome Center – Greet LSS visitors and assist in light administrative tasks such as helping with mailings.

The Sharing Place – work at The Sharing Place Thrift Store to assist in sorting, pricing and selling donated merchandise. There are also opportunities to assist in picking up donations and setting up apartments for new resettlement clients.

Volunteer as an individual or bring a group of friends! We’re sure you will find an opportunity that is just right for you!

Cummer Museum to host refugee children’s art show Moises Ramos is not your ordinary art teacher. A recognized artist with numerous awards to his credit, Ramos brings a passion to teaching art as a form of expression and believes art is as important for students as math and science. “To be a well rounded person, you need an appreciation for art,” he said.

For the past two summers, refugee children attending Summertime Express summer camp have benefited from Ramos’ passion. “I love working with the refugee children,” Ramos said.

“They have an eagerness to learn that I don’t see in most of my regular students. They really want to try new things.”

A lot of the refugee children he works with have never used a digital camera before coming to summer camp, but they are quick to explore photography as a creative medium. “It is a challenge to teach these children when we have so many different language and culture barriers,” Ramos said. “But I am able to communicate to them that we are not taking snapshots, we are composing a picture to say something.”

During the summer, Ramos and his class took photography field trips to Hanna Park in Atlantic Beach, an alligator farm in St. Augustine and to the gardens at Cummer Museum. The result of these outings is a collection of photographs that will be honored in their own show at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens this spring. “The show will open on March 7 and run through May 8,” said Silvia Romero-Brown, assistant director of education

at the Cummer Museum. “We are excited to work with Ramos and Lutheran Social Services to coordinate this exhibit.”

In recognition of his work in public schools and with the refugee children, Ramos was honored by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville this past April. “We are so fortunate to have his passion and leadership for our refugee children,” said Gina Federico, RIS youth and family coordinator. “Having their work shown at the Cummer Museum is such an accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for these kids and their parents.”

To view the refugee children’s photographs and other art media prior to the Cummer Museum show, please visit our permanent gallery which is on display daily at the Lutheran Social Services offices on Philips Highway.

Lutheran Social Services - A look at Then and Now, Cont.

When Gatz left Lutheran Social Services after 11 years of leadership, he left a thriving operation with about 60 employees and two major programs solidly in place.

Today, under the leadership of Rieley, LSS has five major programs to help serve and care for people in need and a strong vision for the Wayne Rieley future. “We want all of the LSS programs located together on one campus so we can

operate more efficiently and build more cooperation among them.” Rieley said.

“We have a vision of a partnership between the City of Jacksonville and Lutheran Social Services where we would provide community education and have community gardens on our campus.

We want to show kids where produce comes from and teach their parents about good nutrition and food resources that are available.”

While much has changed in 30 years, both leaders agree that one thing is constant – the continual struggle for funding.

“Government money ebbs and flows,” Rieley said. “We are focused on building better connections with private sources of funding through individual donors, foundations, businesses and events.”

For more information on the five major LSS programs and how you can support them, visit www.LSSJax.org.

w w w. L S S J A X . O R G / 9 0 4 . 4 4 8 . 5 9 9 5

LSS Board of Directors Officers Mr. Kem Siddons, Chair Ms. Julie Buckingham,Vice Chair Mr. Jack Parker, Secretary Mr. Ted Carter, Treasurer Members Ms. Mary Coleman Ms. Marie Friedsam Mr. Larry Huser The Rev. Robert Kinley Ms. Jeanne Maszy Mr. Matthew Parks The Rev.William Reister Mr. Sina Rezaei Mr. Mark Stevens Mr. Dwane Tyson

Lutheran Social Services Northeast Florida, Inc. 4615 Philips Highway Jacksonville, FL 32207

of

Solutions

from the

Heart.

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 1610

HeartBeats NEWS FROM THE HEART

Working in Partnership with:

F a ll 2 0 1 0

‘Hunger Caravan’ serves rural Florida people in need All of us have felt the negative effects of the recession, but the blow is felt harder in communities where there are fewer job opportunities and fewer resources for

Join over 1,500 other attendees on this one day to hear firsthand testimonies about hunger in our community, be served a simple soup and bread lunch from local celebrities and take away a handmade “empty bowl” as a token of our appreciation and as a constant reminder that there are thousands who are hungry in our community every day.

Make it an outing for friends and work colleagues. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at WeNourishHope.org or by calling 904.739.7074. Nonprofit tables of 10 are $300. Corporate tables of 10 are $500. Event sponsorships are also available.

Between Aug. 17 and Oct. 7, the Hunger Caravan traveled to Alachua, Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Columbia and Suwannee counties to work with local agencies who have been trying to keep up with the need.

Pastor Ed Steves from Faith Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs has been feeling the pressure of keeping up with a growing demand for food. “We’ve been feeding 2,000 people a month for the last four to five months,” he said. “Elderly people weren’t getting their meds because they had to choose between meds and food.

Now they can get their meds because we’re giving them enough food to get through the month.”

26th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon One in six adults and one in five children in north Florida are hungry, not just with growling stomachs until their next meal, but hungry because they have no money to buy food or means to get food. The Empty Bowls Luncheon has grown over the years because so many individuals and businesses in Jacksonville have taken the opportunity on this one day to reach out to those who need help. Proceeds from the event will enable Second Harvest North Florida to provide nutritious, healthy food and education to our neighbors who are not able to provide for themselves.

V o l u m e 2 0 I ss u e 3

people to rely on for help. Unemployment is reaching as high as 20 percent in some of the rural areas of north Florida, and the few agencies that provide food in these counties have been taxed beyond their ability to serve.

In response to this emergency situation, Second Harvest North Florida reacted with an urgent relief program called the “Hunger Caravan”. Over a period of seven weeks, we mobilized a traveling food distribution team that brought food to over 3,000 people in need.

Another volunteer working with Journey Church in Nassau County had this to say about the impact of the recession on her neighbors, “I deliver food to the people who can’t get out and stand in lines like these,” she said. “I see how it touches their hearts. I see the empty refrigerators and I know that lots of times it’s the last piece of bread in the cupboard.”

Another woman who came for food summed up her feelings about the Hunger Caravan in this way, “The Lord took one loaf of bread and fed a lot of people. That’s how I see what you’re doing here today. It’s going to help a lot of people in the community that need the help.”

Lawrence in Alachua County was grateful for the food he received. “I haven’t had any work in six months. The only work I get is from people who know me and need some work on their vehicles,” Lawrence said. When asked what the food distribution meant for him, he replied, “It means everything right now. These people are great. They have really blessed us by coming here.”

Tuesday, Nov. 16 at Prime Osborn Convention Center Doors open at 11 a.m. Program is from 12 to 1 p.m. w w w. L S S J A X . O R G / 9 0 4 . 4 4 8 . 5 9 9 5