Wednesday, December 22, 2010
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.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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