Post by admin on Nov 29, 2008 11:50:13 GMT -5
Here is a very nice article about the winter sancuary program. Programs like this have aided many people in staying and surviving here.
www.app.com/article/20081129/NEWS01/811290323/1285/LOCAL09
FREEHOLD — With the money Edgar Flores saved on breakfast last weekend, paying next month's rent will be a little easier.
"It's good because there's not much work for people these days. Nobody has work. Nobody has money," Flores said in a recent interview, his words in Spanish translated by Ann Bagchi, co-chairwoman of the Sanctuary Program.
The program is an annual effort to feed the needy in Freehold during the cold winter months. Usually begun in late December or early January, organizers said they decided to start several weeks earlier this year because people are beginning to feel the effects of the troubled economy.
Volunteers began serving meals on Nov. 15 and will continue through March.
Free breakfasts will be offered on Saturdays and Thursdays, and lunch will be served on Saturdays as well.
Flores, 26, of Freehold was one of about 100 people who came in from the rain for a free meal at the First Presbyterian Church of Freehold.
Heber Dominguez, a landscaper from Freehold, has been eating Sanctuary meals for three years now. He agreed with Flores that work has been hard to come by lately.
"It is a lot less," said Dominguez, 38.
Both Bagchi and program co-chairwoman Sandra Whitehill say money complaints have become a common refrain.
Whitehill teaches English literacy classes, and says some of her students have not been attending because they need to spend that time looking for work.
"In a way, the economy affects their (students') ability to learn English," Whitehill said.
The goal of the Sanctuary Program is to help ease burdens by providing free meals.
"We hope that it serves as a safety net for those who are running a little low on funds and may be forced to miss a meal now and again because of financial pressures," Whitehill said.
This will be the fifth winter the program will run in the borough. Three religious organizations have offered up space for the program and a fourth, the I Beseech Thee Community Development Corporation, is the principal funder. The program also is being supported by a grant from the Monmouth County chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey.
Much of the food comes from the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and companies such as Battleview Orchards, Panera Bread and Dunkin' Donuts have promised to donate food, Whitehill said.
Organizers also plan to run an ongoing clothing drive through the winter. Two donated coats were snapped up on Saturday, Whitehill said.
Bagchi, who is studying nursing, also plans to offer simple medical services, such as blood pressure checks. And she has lined up a series of speakers to help clients — mainly Hispanic men — navigate their way through this country.
Speakers will include an immigration lawyer and a representative from H&R Block, who is expected to talk about Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). The numbers are issued to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number. The numbers are issued regardless of immigration status, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
A presentation on the local Parent Teacher Organizations also is planned, in the hopes of encouraging people to be more involved in the schools, Bagchi said.
Justin Ziacci, a painter working in the church, praised the volunteers' efforts after stopping by to sample the breakfast.
"(I'm) just thankful," Ziacci, 35, of Howell said. Such charity is hard to come by these days, he believes.
"That (charity) is something that's definitely missing . . . in this callous world," he said.
www.app.com/article/20081129/NEWS01/811290323/1285/LOCAL09
FREEHOLD — With the money Edgar Flores saved on breakfast last weekend, paying next month's rent will be a little easier.
"It's good because there's not much work for people these days. Nobody has work. Nobody has money," Flores said in a recent interview, his words in Spanish translated by Ann Bagchi, co-chairwoman of the Sanctuary Program.
The program is an annual effort to feed the needy in Freehold during the cold winter months. Usually begun in late December or early January, organizers said they decided to start several weeks earlier this year because people are beginning to feel the effects of the troubled economy.
Volunteers began serving meals on Nov. 15 and will continue through March.
Free breakfasts will be offered on Saturdays and Thursdays, and lunch will be served on Saturdays as well.
Flores, 26, of Freehold was one of about 100 people who came in from the rain for a free meal at the First Presbyterian Church of Freehold.
Heber Dominguez, a landscaper from Freehold, has been eating Sanctuary meals for three years now. He agreed with Flores that work has been hard to come by lately.
"It is a lot less," said Dominguez, 38.
Both Bagchi and program co-chairwoman Sandra Whitehill say money complaints have become a common refrain.
Whitehill teaches English literacy classes, and says some of her students have not been attending because they need to spend that time looking for work.
"In a way, the economy affects their (students') ability to learn English," Whitehill said.
The goal of the Sanctuary Program is to help ease burdens by providing free meals.
"We hope that it serves as a safety net for those who are running a little low on funds and may be forced to miss a meal now and again because of financial pressures," Whitehill said.
This will be the fifth winter the program will run in the borough. Three religious organizations have offered up space for the program and a fourth, the I Beseech Thee Community Development Corporation, is the principal funder. The program also is being supported by a grant from the Monmouth County chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey.
Much of the food comes from the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and companies such as Battleview Orchards, Panera Bread and Dunkin' Donuts have promised to donate food, Whitehill said.
Organizers also plan to run an ongoing clothing drive through the winter. Two donated coats were snapped up on Saturday, Whitehill said.
Bagchi, who is studying nursing, also plans to offer simple medical services, such as blood pressure checks. And she has lined up a series of speakers to help clients — mainly Hispanic men — navigate their way through this country.
Speakers will include an immigration lawyer and a representative from H&R Block, who is expected to talk about Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). The numbers are issued to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number. The numbers are issued regardless of immigration status, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
A presentation on the local Parent Teacher Organizations also is planned, in the hopes of encouraging people to be more involved in the schools, Bagchi said.
Justin Ziacci, a painter working in the church, praised the volunteers' efforts after stopping by to sample the breakfast.
"(I'm) just thankful," Ziacci, 35, of Howell said. Such charity is hard to come by these days, he believes.
"That (charity) is something that's definitely missing . . . in this callous world," he said.