Christmas Presence

You  and your family can help neighborhood children create Christmas Memories by giving the gift of your presence.


There will be several days during the upcoming Christmas break starting on December 26 until children return to school when you can become involved in the life of a child.  We are open to do whatever activity you plan, we can supply some resources and you are welcome to select the date and time between 1PM-4PM.  Here are some ideas:

Cookie Baking
Crafts
Board Games
Rec Center supervision
Line Dancing
Simple Makeovers for younger girls(hair,nails, hygiene tips)
Art
Music
Photography
Woodworking
or any other thing you would like to  share.

Call 457.1983 and ask for Pam to schedule.

Carpenter's

In order for us to more effectively work with Children over  Christmas break we have a few things we need to finish in our Community Center.  Groups are welcome.  Here is a list that we would like completed soon.

 

We are able to supply all materials needed.

 

Put up wall in upstairs room  paneling/drywall

 

Finish baseboard Trim in Basement

 

Repair a toilet that is running 

 finish trim in new room and right outside doors

Finish trimming window in new rooms upstairs

Trim on door to outside

Wall downstairs repaired

 Lay about 60 Carpet squares in  basement

 

Paint Chain link fence black

 Put electrical plate cover on upstairs wall outlets

  Paint new handrails

Help us Grow!!

Free
thermometers
to track your eco-friendly
fundraising

Monthly Budget

• $6,100 cost of 1 full time staff person(Jeff) and 4 part-time staff persons(Pam, Sue, Deanna and John)
• $280 for insurance covering all volunteers, cook out trailer and 3 buildings(Riley Trailer, New Food Pantry and New Community Center
• $800 Utilities in  the three buildings
• $150 building upkeep and maintenance (grass mowing, cleaning supplies, etc)
• $200 for 4 cell phones and 3 portable internet connections
• $250 for office supplies (paper, ink, etc)
• $100 for gasoline for vehicles

          $7880 per month or $94,560 per year
All ministries/programs are funded through designated gifts from  individuals, grants, churches and civic organizations.  While designed funds allow us to provide services, designated gifts do little to support the Administrative Costs associated with providing the program/ministries.  Below are the cost to each of our programs.   KUO's total budget is programming costs plus administrative costs. 


Buddy Bags                 $84,000
Food Pantry                 $90,000
Cooked Meals             $30,000
Baby University            $15,000
Scouting                       $8,000
Horse Therapy             $1,000
Kidmo/VBS                  $1,200
Seasonal 
(Easter Basket, 
Pack backs,
Valentines etc)              $3,000 
ArtReach                       $1,000     total   $233,200


   
Administrative Costs  $ 94, 560
Programming Costs   $233,200


Grand Total                 $327,760


I did not include the Rolling Pantry as it is a combined effort between Kokomo Urban Outreach and the Kokomo Rescue Mission and at least for now is funded through grants.


Our Fall "Growing Hope" fundraiser will be used to provide funds to the Administrative Fund.  

Neighborhoods of Hope

We have a presence in 26 neighborhoods:


1. Garden Square

2. Pine Valley (Alto small group)

3. Southern Indian Heights (Brookside Free Methodist)

4. Billy Bob and Village Green (Crossroads Community)

5. West Middleton (West Middleton UMC)

6. Northwest (Parr UMC)

7. Riley (Howard Miami and ZionUMC(Sunday Night Meals) and Chapel Hill (leading food pantry and weekday lunches)

8. Open Arms (Mary Kidmo)

9. Silk Stocking (Fresh Start)

10. North East (Grace Memorial   Food to You (FTY) Mobile Pantry

11. North Central (Carver FTY)

12. Stoney Creek (FTY)

13. Maple Lawn (Carpenter’s House)

14. Cassville (Carpenter’s House Friday Night Meals)

15. Downtown (Towers/CAM    KUO’s Hands of Hope)

16. Downtown (Foster Park, Breakfast St. Andrews)

17. Briarwick (Thanksgiving)

18. Near Southeast Side (Vaile, Deffenbaugh, Ohio, Appersonway Trinity Wesleyan)

19. Hillsdale Area (Food Pantry)

20. Greentown (Buddy Bags)

21. Russiaville (Buddy Bags)

22. Elwood Haynes(Buddy Bags

23. Boulevard (First Nazarene) Buddy Bags

24. Lafayette Park ( First Pres) Buddy Bags

25. Near Southside (Main St. UMC) Washington, Appersonway, Markland and the Creek

26. Near Southside (Southside Christian) Markland, Deffenbaugh, Home and Washington



Stationary Food Pantries

1. Home and Hoffer

2. Hillsdale

3. Crossroads

4. Riley

5. Carpenters House (County Line)



Rolling Pantry

1. Grace Memorial

2. Carver Center

3. Parr

4. Pine Valley

5. Stoney Creek


Sunday Night Indoor Meals

1. Garden Square

2. Pine Valley

3. West Middleton

4. Maple Lawn

5. Riley

6. Parr
Cook-outs

1. Garden Square

2. Pine Valley

3. Indian Heights

4. West Middleton

5. Maple Lawn

6. Riley

7. Towers/CAM

8. Parr UMC

9. Main St. UMC



Other Meals

1. Friday Night (Carpenter’s House)

2. Saturday Breakfast (St. Andrews)


Buddy Bags

1. Elwood Haynes

2. Boulevard

3. Lafayette Park

4. Western

5. Eastern


Buddy Bag Birthing

1. Tri Central

2. Taylor

3. Peru

4. Pettit Park



Baby University

1. Northwest  Parr UMC

2. Garden Square

3. Kokomo High

4. Pine Valley



Parenting 411

1. Northwest

Kidmo

1. Garden Square

2. Pine Valley

3. West Middleton

4. Riley

5. Maple Lawn

6. Open Arms

Thanks for the help

We know this is not a complete list of organizations/business who support the food pantries, if your group is missing let us know, we will add you to our list. Thanks Jeff

• Kroger Maple Crest
• Southdowns Wesleyan
• Grace United Methodist Church
• Chrysler
• Dr. Tavel Optometrist
• St. Luke's United Methodist Church
• WWKI
• Oakbrook Church
• Harris Bank
• Community First
• Kokomo/Howard Public Library
• United Way
• First Church of God
• Kokomo Rescue Mission
• IUK
• PEO
• Galveston UMC
• Christ Lutheran
• Hillsdale UMC

Christmas Day Blitz

On Christmas Day, 2009, volunteers knocked on a trailer door in one of the neighborhoods. An 84 year old woman answered the door. The volunteers asked how many lunches she needed and how her Christmas was going. She explained that her Christmas Day was the same as it had been for the past 20 years. Her last Christmas present came from her mother just before her mother died. With no family or friends she had not received anything since. The volunteers asked her if she could have anything for Christmas what would it be. She answered a kitchen table and a chair, she had never owned one. Some how the volunteers found a table and chairs on Christmas Day and made this lady's Day.

Buddy Bags 2010-2011

A Buddy Bag is a way to address childhood hunger on the weekends. At the end of each week during the school year, every child who signs up receives a bag of food for the weekend. A typical bag contains: 2 packs of oatmeal, marconi and cheese and tuna, a can of ravioli, 2 cans of soup and a granola bar. The cost for a bag is a little over $3.00 per week per student or $120.00 per month. The food is purchased wholesale through food finders in Lafayette. Each bag has exactally the same food in it so that families will more than one child at school is able to take the food and mix it to feed the whole family. Presently, Buddy Bags are distrubted at :

Elwood Haynes 320 students
Boulvard 150-200 students
Western Primary 150-200 students
Eastern Elementary about 50 students

Elwood Haynes is served by KUO staff and volunteers. We are looking for volunteers to help us deliver the food to the school each week.

Boulvard will be served by the First Church of the Nazarene. The church provides volunteers, a location to pack bags and helps with funding.

Western is served by Russiaville UMC and other churches and businesses in area. Last year this group served Head Start at Western, Head Start has moved to Kokomo, so they will be taking on the primary school. This group funds the bags completely.

Eastern is served by the churches in Greentown, with First UMC taking the lead. They too, fully fund the program at the school.

Buddy Bag Miracle

.....children at Eastern Elementary received Buddy Bags for the first time.

On the first Friday in February we are on track to deliver Buddy Bags to Maple Crest Elementary. The First Church of the Nazarene will be heading up the effort and are expecting to provide weekend food to about 200 students.

There is some talk about going into Western School by some citizens of Russiaville. If you have an interest in being on a start-up committee for Buddy Bags for Western, please call 457-1983.

It is anticipated that by the end of March we could be providing between 600-700 children with weekend food. That translates into 3,600-4,200 meals per week.

2010 KUO Tours and Workshops

2009 Annual Report

Neighborhoods of HOPE
2009 Annual Report

Six Neighborhoods in 2008
Six New Neighborhoods in 2009

Compassion:
Total of 186,000 meals
60,000 Buddy Bag Meals (330 students at Elwood Haynes
41,000 Cooked Meals ( Six locations on Sunday Night)
85,000 Food Pantry Meals (Five Pantries: Three new in 2009)


1480 Thanksgiving Meals
1500 Christmas Day Meals

New 2009

KUO Hands of Hope
St. Andrew’s Saturday Breakfast

Downtown office space and ArtReach center (courtesy of Grace UMC)

New in 2009
Computer Classes, Baby University , GED Classes, Horse Therapy

Kidmo, VBS, Mission Teams, Poverty Plunge,


New for 2010
Food to You
Project Diaper

Buddy Bags in Eastern Elementary and Maple Crest

2009 Stats:
Over 900 new volunteers
97 churches
32 speaking engagements
15 Community Committees (staff)
46 Collaborative partners
10 Service Organization partners

Income (includes gifts in Kind)
2006 $40,029
2007 $81,988
2008 $125,346
2009 $ 262,325

Hometown Heroes Pay It Forward

We have been blessed at the Outreach to have received hundreds of volunteer hours, thousands of dollars, tons of food and lots of prayers. We are grateful for all of that. Below are a few of the Hometown Heroes who have made a difference.

Alan Mast and the Cattle Project

Alan Mast, a junior at Northwestern High School, came up with the idea to raise beef steers and donate the meat to Kokomo Urban Outreach. Alan has raised cattle for profit and desires to use his knowledge and skills to serve KUO. He, along with his church (Howard /Miami Mennonite) youth group, are going to purchase, feed, raise, and donate cattle to KUO (For every steer donated, there will be enough meat to serve between 4,000 and 5,000 meals!). Presently, Alan and his group have purchased two steers and are well on the way to providing 8,000-10,000 meals. Thanks Alan!!!!

Dwight and Suzanne Fouts and Project Diaper

At the end of the summer of 2009, Dwight Fouts came to me with a concern. Because of the economic downturn, he knew there were many families stuggling to keep diapers in their house.





Jim Williams and GED







Grace United Methodist Church

Grace Church was one of the very first Churches to support the Outreach. I have been listed in their bulletin as a Hometown Missionary for nearly 5 years. This summer Grace acquired the old AFEC Building near the corner of Washington and Walnut Street. Immediately, they offered the space to the Outreach, an office and space for ArtReach. KUO now has a downtown presence.
Through the generosity of the folks at Grace a new pick-up truck, a 24 foot trailer, racks, and food for a rolling food pantry, called "Food to You". The rolling pantry would go into neighborhoods that do not have food pantries and would operate much like a bookmobile.
This is a project of KUO and the Kokomo Rescue Mission.






Chapel Hill Anoymous Donor






Button Motors

Christmas Day 2009

When the volunteers knocked on a trailer door a little girl answered, she called for her father. The volunteers asked the father how many lunches they needed for his family, he told them they would need 8.

He was then asked, "How is your Christmas going?"

The father responded, "We are better than others, but we had an unexpected thing happen a few days ago. My wife's sister lost her home in Ohio and had to move her and her three children in with us. We received gifts for our three kids from the Rescue Mission, which we appreciated. We didn't have gifts for my sister-in-law's kids. So what we did was we wrote all six kids names on all the gifts and told them that Santa knew they could share. So while this Christmas has not been the best, it could have been worse."

Our volunteers got the names and ages of the children, called in the need to our Christmas Day gift center and a present was given to each child. The 8 year old girl opened hers and said,

"I knew Santa would bring me a Barbie Doll!!"

The volunteers left with tears in their eyes.

Thanksgiving Dinners 2009

1. Gateway Neighborhood held at Trinity UMC served by volunteers from several churches (Morning Star, St. Lukes, Trinity UMC, Grace UMC and Chapel Hill and others)
2. Pine Valley Apartments held at the Community Room served by Alto UMC
3. West Middleton held at and served by West Middleton UMC
4. Briarwick Apartment held in Community Room served by West Middleton UMC
5. Southern Indian Heights held at and served by Brookside Free Methodist Church
6. Near-Southside Neighborhood (Markland to Defenbaugh, Home to Ohio) held at and served by Trinity Wesleyan Church
7. Wabash and Broadway Neighborhood held at and served by Parr UMC
8. Riley Modern Estates held at Lot 144 served by Zion UMC and Howard-Miami Mennoite Church
9. Maple Lawn held in the community room cooked and served by Carpenters House, Cassville UMC and Bennetswitch UMC
10. Bon Air Neighborhood held at and served by Bon Air Church of the Nazerene

KUO SUMMER REPORT – May 1- August 10, 2009

INFORMATION TABLES/BOOTHS:
Gateway Support Network for the Unemployed
Hope for the City

URBAN IMPACT
Computer Classes: 165 completed classes and received a free computer
Clothing and Household Pantry: Hundreds of items given away.
Bikes to work: 4
Provided Community Service Hours to 6 individuals
Mentored and provided Service Hours to 3 teens

SERVICES FOR CHILDREN:
VBS at 8 Neighborhoods of Hope reaching nearly 200 children
Sewing classes
Dance classes
Recreation, crafts, art and writing contests
Horse therapy EGALA -- Equine Assisted Growth and Learning 15
Cub Scouts – 2 boys went to summer camp and Charter Received
Girl Scouts – 4 kids attended an Indianapolis Indians Game
Kindergarten readiness classes provided at Trinity
Elwood Haynes conducted Kindergarten screening at Trinity
Back to School Backpacks were provided to 530 students at the Neighborhood Cookouts

PARTNERED WITH:
1. Olive Garden- Weekly pick-up of leftovers used to provide meals to interns, mission teams and lunches
2. Panera Bread- Delivered weekly distributed through food pantries
3. Community Garden- Produce delivered twice a week, used in lunches and pantries
4. Deals- End of season miscellaneous items
5. Dollar General- End of season miscellaneous items
6. Kroger- Almost daily, bread, produce, etc. used for lunches and pantry -Parking Lot use for food drive
7. Walmart- Cash and 1200 Easter Baskets, 5000 bags of grass and 150 large stuffed animals. Volunteer from Walmart mows grass at trailer for free, when volunteer reaches 25 hours, Walmart sends us a check for $250.00
8. Sound of Music- Drumsticks
9. Frito Lay-Provided chips for all cookouts
10. Old Navy- Volunteers, cash, videos, food drive
11. Kohl’s- Volunteers and cash
12. Syndicate Sales- Semi use for food drive
13. Indiana Blood Center- Donated a case of food for each unit of blood given at Give for the Good Food Drive
14. Howard Regional- Working on joint grant for future Parents of Teens classes
15. Coca-Cola- Contingency plans in place for mobile food pantry if economic downtown gets worse using Coke vehicles
16. Outback Steak House- Provided Graduation Dinner to Baby College Graduates at a greatly reduced cost
17. Center-Township Schools- Buddy Bags, coordinate summer lunch program, provided volunteers for the school summer lunch program, provided space for Kindergarten screening
18. Button Motors Downtown- Provides free space to store pantry food and Buddy Bag food
19. Kokomo Police Department- KUO provided 1500 meals for August night out(hotdogs, chips, cookies and drink)
20. Community Foundation- $1000 grant for ArtReach
21. City of Kokomo: KUO provided information about food pantries at an event planned by the city
22. Leadership Kokomo- Working with us to provide Buddy Bags
23. Villages Inc- KUO provides wrap around support through the villages to families in need of emotional support
24. Bridges Outreach- KUO strongly supports and promotes Bridges after school programs, especially the Project 30 Program-Bridges van used by KUO often
25. United Way- Working with United Way to receive a grant to strengthen families
26. Info 211- Refer many people to the 211 services
27. Cam- Mission Team volunteered for an afternoon at new CAM Transitional Housing
28. Kokomo Rescue Mission- Meet weekly for prayer with Mission Staff, Mission has helped us with food, provided a meal for Poverty Plunge youth, as well as box truck and driver when needed
29. Food Finders- Provided KUO with free meat and has made special deliveries of a semi-loads of food
30. Housing Authority-Provides space at Pine Valley for Children’s ministry and meal distribution without cost---also allows us to work freely at Garden Square and Pine Valley
31. Center- Township Trustee- Provided funds for Buddy Bags, as well as food pantries
32. Open Arms- KUO provides children’s ministry including VBS
33. Domestic Violence Shelter-Donated extra food to KUO Kitchens
34. Prevent Child Abuse- Provided KUO with life-size board game called “Bee Safe/Bee Sorry it has been used by KUO and St. Joan of Arc School
35. Reins and Rainbow Ranch Wabash- Reduced rate for EGLA Therapy
36. Early Childhood Center/IUK- Baby College
37. Family Services Association- Baby College
38. Bona Vista- Baby College
39. Purdue Extension- Baby College
40. Gear-up for Safety Program- Baby College and referrals
41. Ivy Tech- KUO staff taught section on Poverty in Sociology Classes
42. Trinity United Methodist Church-Free office space and outreach space
43. Grace UMC- Provided free downtown office space and outreach site
44. St. Luke’s UMC-Free use of church van
45. Main St. UMC – Fee use of church van
46. Riley Modern Estates- Provides free lot rent for Outreach Trailer
47. Maple Lawn- Provides free Community Room for Outreach events
48. Carpenter’s House Church- Provides free space for the County-line Food Pantry
49. Alto UMC- Provides free space for food pantry for Pine Valley
50. Chapel Hill Christian Church- Backpacks
51. Oakbrook Community Church- Storage space for Easter items
52. Girl/Boy Scouts- Providing troops in neighborhood and free summer camp
53. Kiwanis- Free Swim passes to Kokomo Beach
54. Samaritan Love Center- Food Pantry Data Base
55. Servant Ministries (Crossroads)-Food Pantry Data Base
56. Zion Tabernacle Food Pantry - Food Pantry Data Base
57. Kokomo Rescue Mission Food Pantry - Food Pantry Data Base
58. United States Post Office- Food Drive
59. Kokomo Howard Co. Public Library - Reading club prizes from previous years
60. St. Vincent DePaul – monthly giving for Buddy Bags

PROVIDED SUPPORT TO:
St. Andrews Church for Downtown Community Breakfasts
Kokomo Police Department for August Night Out

COMMUNITY VBS PROGRAMS
Oakbrook – donated shampoo (600 bottles)
First Friends – donated soap(1000 bars) & 3 Buddy Bags
Zion UMC- donated food
First Congregational – donated food
First Presbyterian – 7 Buddy Bags
Burlington Church of Christ- $1000 for horse therapy

Food Drives:
Old Navy
Give for the Good
Delphi Employee
Hope for the City
Chapel Hill
St. Luke’s

Cooked Meals
Cookouts – have served 7,429 meals in 7 neighborhoods
Let’s Do Lunch – have served 1,837 meals during 5 ½ weeks
Breakfast – have served 200 meals on the last Sat of each month & one additional Saturday (Aug 1st)
August Night Out – provided hotdogs, buns, cookies and drinks for 1,500 people

Food Pantry
KUO is represented at the monthly Food Pantry Network Meeting
KUO continues to provide food to 4 Pantry locations
During the months of May-July, KUO has provided 811 families with food

GRANTS
Three Staff Members attended a Grant Writing Workshop sponsored by the United Way
KUO has applied for the following grants:
FEMA –$11,987.00 for food pantries
Kohl’s Employees - $500.00
Old Navy – $250.00 (two great video’s)
Clifford The Big Red Dog - Pending
Duke Energy - Pending
Quaker Oats - Pending

MISSION TEAMS

Western FCCLA
Cooked Lunch for Neighborhood Children
Worked in Food Pantry

St. Luke’s Poverty Plunge
Cleaned and sorted food at Button Motors
Cleaned CAM House and worked at CAM Transition House

New Albany
Painted 3 bedroom apartment
Worked nightly at Neighborhood Vacation Bible School
Worked in Food Pantry
Sorted Semi-load of Canned Food
Sorted Clothing at Servant Ministry Warehouse
Put on a carnival for neighborhood children
Prayer Walked

Goshen Mennonite
Prepared Lunch for Children
Prepared Breakfast for Children
Filled Back to school backpacks
Rearranged food pantry at Trinity
Took down computer lab at Trinity

ADMINISTRATION & FACILITIES

E-mail newsletters are sent to appx. 800
KUO has had 220 new volunteers since May
An invitation to include KUO in 2010 Mission Budget Brochure was sent to 100 Churches in Kokomo

Riley Trailer(All at no cost to the Outreach)
New Front Porch
Finish Bathroom and kitchen
Carpet for Big Room

Trinity
New Computer
New Laminator
Increased usage of Fax Machine
New Pantry Shelves
New Desk in the Pantry
Two office desks and two chairs

Directors Report

Supervised 7 Interns Jeff and Sue
Conducted weekly Intern meetings Jeff and Sue


Committee Representation:
Strengthening Families Grant Committee-Jeff
Winning Communities – Non-profit Committee-Jeff
Winning Communities – Chairperson Faith Based Committee-Jeff
Kokomo Center School Nutrition and Wellness Committee-Jeff
Kokomo City Transportation Committee-Jeff
Hope for the City Committee-Jeff
Prevent Child Abuse Committee-Jeff
Food Pantry Network Committee-Deanna/Sue
FEMA Committee-Jeff
Howard County Social Agency Committee-Pam
Baby College Committee-Sue/Jeff

Speaking Engagements:
§ Retired School Teachers-Jeff
§ Workshop on Networking at Plainfield UMC -Jeff
§ Impact(FSA)- Jeff
§ Information Referral-Jeff
§ Wrap around specialists-Jeff
§ Ivy Tech Sociology Class, Peru-Jeff
§ 1st Friends VBS – Pam
§ Rotary – Sue
§ Chapel Hill – Deanna
§ Setting Up A Food Pantry/Food Pantry network - Deanna

New Neighborhoods of Hope:
Bon Air Mobile Home Community -Bon Air Nazarene
Southern Indian Heights -Brookside Free Methodist
Crossroads Church-Servant Ministry Food Pantry

INTERNS:
Grant Langenbehn-Senior at Purdue majoring in Political Science
Alison Berghoff-Senior at Ball State majoring in Social Work
Jessica Gilmore-Senior at Greenville College majoring in Recreation
Darren Miracle-Attends Cincinnati Bible College was ordained last month in the Independent Christian Church
Ben Bourff- Sophomore at IU Part-time Intern
Melissa Zimmerman-Senior at DePaw Part-time Intern Mary Ingle-participated in Intern meetings

The Interns have provided the following functions:
· Attended Horse Therapy camp (10 Days)
· Conducted Dance Classes
· Prepared, served and cleaned up lunches at KUO
· Supervised work groups handling lunch at KUO
· Assisted with serving the school lunches
· Organized and staffed crafts at Garden Square 2 days per week for 5 weeks
· Attended wrap-around meetings
· Assisted with VBS at all locations
· Worked with all mission teams and work groups
· Led poverty plunge
· Painted an apartment
· Sorted cans of food
· Sorted clothes
· Clean Button Motors building
· Toured CAM House and worked at CAM
· Assisted with cleaning Crossroads warehouse
· Conducted the poverty game
· Conducted prayer walks
· Conducted worship services under the bridge
· Ate and served at the Mission
· Played games with the neighborhood children
· Attended the cookouts each Sunday
· Provided transportation for boys to Scout camp
· Taught computer classes
· Cleaned the church balcony
· Hospital visitations
· Provided transportation
· Grant and Darren preaching
· Pick up donations from Olive Garden and Kroger
· Delivery of items to the Mission
· Assisted with Food Drives
· Researched and wrote grants
· Addressed envelopes
· Answered phones
· Assisted with August Night Out
· Moved boxes, boxes, boxes
· Put together shelves
· Cleaned the computer room and set up new game rooom
· Counted and assembled backpacks
· Helped to set up office downtown
· Conducted tours
· Taught poverty workshops
· Read Simply Christian and taught chapters
· Participated in Ministry Reflection
· Participated and lead Bible Study
· Played with children
· Mentored children
· Took Thomas Swimming through wrap around program
· Passed out flyers
· Mopped Floors/Clean Restrooms
· Cleaned and defrosted freezer/refrigerator
· Sermon Research
· Door-to-door canvas
· Passed out food door-to-door
· Led family focus groups for United Way Strengthening Families Grant (60 families participated)
· Delivered Buddy Bags
· Wrote Mission Team Devotionals
· Did “Whatever it took” to get the job done this summer!!!




Frequently used Terms and Abbreviations used at Kokomo Urban Outreach

1. ArtReach- Fine art classes aimed at disadvantaged children ie. dancing, writing, art, instrumental lessons.
2. Baby College- Parenting Classes that are nine weeks in length led by experts in the field of early childhood education, development, health and safety. A nine week course is called a cycle, our second cycle will begin in September.
3. Buddy Bags- Weekly food bags given to any student from Elwood Haynes whose parents have requested it. Food bags are delivered on Friday and contain 6 meals and 2 snacks for the weekend.
4. CPS- (Child Protection Services) The government agency that protects the well-being of children. KUO reports all reported and suspected child abuse/neglect incidents to CPS.
5. EGALA- (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) Founded in July 1999, the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization developed to address the need for resources, education, and professionalism in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning. Fifteen of our highest risk children participated in this program in Wabash over the summer. Susan Zody, Alison Berghoff (summer intern) and other volunteers took children to Wabash to Reins and Rainbow ranch for the therapy.
6. FEMA Grant- (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Grant from the Federal Government to be used to supply food to those in need.
7. Food Finders- Food Bank in Lafayette that supplies food to food pantries in a multi-county area. Food from food finders is purchase “off the shelf”(specific food such as Mac and Cheese) at wholesale prices or “off the floor”(sort of a grab bag of food) for 19 cents a pound. KUO purchases Buddy Bag Food “off the shelf” as we are looking for specific items and generally, purchase food for our pantries “off the floor”.
8. Food Pantry Network- Food Pantry Network meets once a month to check on food supplies at Kokomo Pantries, ideas and information are shared and Postal Drive is planned through the network. There are about 11 pantries in Kokomo.
9. Food Pantry Network Data Base- Maintained by KUO, visits to pantries are recorded in the database, which helps ensure that families receive food monthly. If more food is needed a referral is secured from United Way Information 211 or the Trustees office. We also take referrals from social workers, churches and other non-profit organizations in town.
10. FSSA- (Family and Social Services Administration) Food stamps, Welfare and Medicaid is administered by this organization.
11. HCSAC- (Howard County Social Agency Council) Meets monthly for networking and information/idea sharing.
12. IMPACT- Indiana Manpower and Comprehensive Training (IMPACT) provides services designed to help recipients of Food Stamps and TANF achieve economic self-sufficiency through
education, training, job search and job placement activities. IMPACT services are a component of Indiana's Welfare-to-Work program --a critical element of Indiana's welfare reform initiatives--which places an increasing emphasis on "work first". Work First" means that individuals are expected to accept a job when it can be secured with their existing education and skills.
13. Lectio Divina- is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a traditional Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to engender communion with the Triune God and to increase in the knowledge of God's Word. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray and even sing and rejoice from God's Word, within the soul. Summer Interns practiced this discipline in their weekly team meetings.
14. Let’s Do Lunch Club- Lunches are provided weekdays at Trinity UMC anytime school is not in session. KUO through generous donors provides a nutritious lunch to anyone who attends. Lunch is served from 12:00-12:30, children and parents are invited to stay until from 12:30-1:00 to participate in organized games/crafts. Lunches are generally prepared by volunteers and the activity time is provided by the KUO staff.
15. Ministry Reflection- Each week interns brought a ministry reflection to the team meetings. Ministry reflections had to be an encounter they had during their internship with us this summer. The encounter was presented, discussed and ideas were presented on what others might have done in that same situation. This often was a growing edge for interns.
16. Neighborhoods of Hope-Specific geographic areas where the four strands of outreach are practiced (compassion, opportunity, witness and community organization and action) ideally adopted by a church, although in some cases is staffed by KUO.
17. Poverty Plunge- Weekend “retreat” experience for High School and College aged young adults. Participants are thrust into the world of poverty, learning as they experience it. Plunges are ran by KUO trained staff.
18. Project E.A.T.- (Everyone Ate Today) Includes all food outreach of KUO.
19. Project 30- Bridges Outreach elementary mentoring program. Mentors spend 30 minutes per week one on one with one child. KUO promotes this program and has seen the affect it has had on many of the children we work with.
20. Strengthening Families Grant- Through United Way, many non-profits and businesses are joining together to try to secure a grant that would help us strengthen families in Howard County. Our vision is that families would be first in Howard County.

21. Urban Impact- Life Skill classes primarily for adults ie. sewing, computer and Baby College.
22. Urban Plunge- Weekend or week- long overnight work trips. Participants work throughout the city in various Neighborhood’s of Hope.
23. VBS- (Vacation Bible School) Children’s summer ministry generally a week long. May VBS groups supported KUO in various ways. KUO provided 8 neighborhoods and Open Arms with VBS.
24. Winning Communities- Through a visioning process that started more than a year ago by Ron Harper and the Community Foundation, Kokomo has been designed a Winning Community. There are seven goal areas: Image and positive attitude, excellent and efficient health care, faith-based communities, world-class schools and lifelong learning, a thriving non-profit sector, sound proactive government and infrastructure, and a robust, growing 21st century economic climate. Each of the seven areas have three goals that they will achieve in the future.
25. Wrap-Around- Children who are high-risk of not being successful in school and/or society can be part of a wrap around group. The group may be made up of parents, family members, pastors, teachers, social workers, counselors or anyone else who has contact with a family. Wrap around specialist led the group which meets monthly to help the family deal with various issues. Presently, staff of KUO are working with two wrap around teams. The two families we are working with are working with the Villages wrap-around team.

Mission Trips to Kokomo

Open Dates:

July 6-10
July 20-24
July 27-30
August 3-7

Most weekends are open for the Povery Pluge experience.

Kokomo Food Pantry Network

Most of the food pantries in Kokomo met early in January to address the present needs and to prepare for the future. We agreed in principle (with details to be worked out) to network together. That means using an on-line data base at each pantry to be sure families are visiting pantries only once a month. That will ensure we have enough food available to help everyone.

It also means that Networked Pantries are able to do food drives together and share food. Food could be traded back and forth as needed. It should help keep pantries from running out of food.

Some have asked what if a family needs to come more than once a month. The answer is they are to call Information 211 to get a referral to one of the referral only food pantries. Being network together ensures that there are many pantries within walking distance and everyone will be able to have food in their home each day.

The four pantries that KUO operates are Alto United Methodist Church for Pine Valley Residents, Trinity United Methodist, Zion Church, and Riley Modern. With expectation of Alto all pantries are open on Monday and Wednesday from 12-3. Alto is referral only from Pine Valley residents.

We have put together 1500 Food Orders in 2008 compared to 140 in 2007 .

City Church

City Church needs:

Hand held cordless microphone
Media projector
Sanctuary chairs (at least 100 – preferably one color)
10 or so 8-ft. Tables (for feeding and Sunday school/bible study)
Drum set
Teaching supplies (will accept used) Sunday School, VBS resources
Plexiglas podium or lecturn

From Pastor Kevin,
We’ve never had one, but I’ll just throw it out there, we desperately need a church van. We carpool and help transport a number of people in our church as best we can, but it would be a huge blessing to our ministry to have a church van.

City Church Website

Pastor Kevin's email: essett@comcast.net

Neighborhood Cafes

Designated Fund Activity 2008

		INCOME	EXPENSE	BALANCE
Preschool Computer		1,424.82	0	1,424.82
Equipment		3,110.00	2,581.10	528.9
Hygiene Supplies		500	45.78	454.22
Baby College		1,800.00	0	1,800.00
Christmas Gifts		500.00	415.5	94.5
Easter Baskets		300.00	281.17	18.83
Special Program		1,745.00	1,632.55	112.45
Buddy Bags		21,257.57	13,718.58	7,538.99
Project EAT		9,028.00	4,960.03	4,067.97
Sewing Class		527.00	170.31	346.69
Riley Trailer		1,000.00	1,000.00	0
Truck Repair		198.29	198.29	0
Bibles		60.00	81.09	-21.09
Socks		500.00	371.69	128.4
Public Housing		81.00	81.00	0
Christmas Gifts		100.00	100.00	0
Office Shelving Units		180.00	118.51	61.49
Food Pantry Donations		4,698.16	1,145.90	3,552.26
		47,009.55	26901.50	20,108.14

The negative line in "Bibles" was due to undisclosed shipping charge.