Stewpot Artist's Work Unveiled

Cornelious Brackens Jr. has won the honor of his painting entitled “When the Troops Come Marching Home to Dallas, What A Day of Celebration it Will Be” being reproduced and blown-up to 10 feet tall and 28 feet long.  It will be decorating the Catholic Church, our Lady of Guadalupe and will be up for a year for all to enjoy.  Please Join us for the unveiling if you can.  He competed against 29 other entries and will receive $2500 for his first prize entry. Details Below. 

The Trustees of The Catholic Foundation

cordially invite you to attend

The Seventh Annual Dedication of A New Gift of Public Art

Chosen larger-than-life artwork will be unveiled on The Catholic Foundation Plaza’s outdoor Art Wall

and the 2012 winning artist, Cornelious Brackens, Jr.  will be recognized.

The Catholic Foundation Plaza

Southwest corner of Flora and Crockett in the Dallas Arts District

Dallas, Texas

 Thursday, October 11, 2012

5:00 p.m.

For more information, call 972/661-9792

www.catholicfoundation.com

Thank You

When you volunteer, you may never know the impact you have on someone. Our computer class volunteer, Bob, received this note from one of our clients yesterday.

Dear Bob, 

I truly want to thank you for helping me get my job at Demonte. You helped me on the computer upstairs. Sir, may God bless you and your family as well again. Thank you sir from the bottom of my heart.

Oh yeah, how about those cowboys :)

"John"

Remember, the role you play in serving at The Stewpot is not insignificant. You are making an impact!

Groceries For Good

GROCERY SHOPPING

Did you know that grocery shopping can benefit The Stewpot at no cost to you?

TOM THUMB

It's time to collect Tom Thumb community bucks! Spend a minimum of $50 at your local Tom Thumb between September 1 - 30, and you'll receive a Community Buck. Collect and deliver as many as you can to The Stewpot no later than Friday October 5th:

1.       Postmark by October 3rd to The Stewpot, 1835 Young Street, Dallas, TX  75201.

2.       Drop off in person at First Presbyterian Church to The Stewpot's mail box - just off of "Church Street."

3.       Give to an employee of The Stewpot.

For every Community Buck we receive, Tom Thumb donates $1 to The Stewpot.  THANK YOU!  And don’t forget to link your Tom Thumb Reward Card to #1507 to benefit The Stewpot year round!

KROGER

Link your Kroger card to The Stewpot by scanning the attached*.   A percentage of your purchases will benefit The Stewpot through the rest of the program year!  Program years run from July 1 through April 30.  You must rescan the attached at the beginning of each program year for maximum benefit.  

The Kroger bar code reprinted here will remain active through April 2013 – at which time the program is put on hold until July 1^st of 2013.  Then, please wait until July 1^st  of July 2013 to scan The Stewpot’s barcode to reconnect with Kroger’s Neighbor to Neighbor Program.  Thank you for your support of The Stewpot! 

ALBERTSONS  

Scan the bar code* each time you purchase groceries.

*For these bar codes, please email Stephanie McKee (stephaniem@thestewpot.org) or Lee Hutchins (leeh@thestewpot.org)

How 'bout them Cowboys?

You can probably guess where most people will be this Sunday at noon... in front of their televisions watching the Dallas Cowboys take on Tampa Bay. Nothing rivals football season in the fall. Especially the Cowboys. But what about those loyal fans who don't have a tv or a place to watch the game? They miss out on something they really enjoy and an opportunity to hang out with fellow fans.

The Stewpot opened its doors for the Cowboys' season opener a couple of weeks ago. Over 100 people attended. They enjoyed the first victory of the season, good food, and camaraderie. This is something we'd really like to keep going for a couple of reasons: 1) It gives the people we serve an opportunity to hang out and have some fun. 2) It provides another volunteer opportunity on the weekends.

We'll open up for game day watch parties on Sundays (only for 12PM or 3PM games). The 7PM games cause an issue with curfews and getting beds at shelters. So this is where the opportunity comes in for you! We would love to have volunteer groups come in and provide snacks, pass out drinks, pop some popcorn for everyone to enjoy, and hang out and get to know our clients.

If you have a group of friends, church group, work group, etc. interested in sponsoring and volunteering one of the games, contact Stephanie McKee (stephaniem@thestewpot.org). We'd love to have you as early as the game this week! This week the Cowboys play Tampa Bay at home at 12PM. If you're a fan, this is an incredible opportunity for you!

Stewpot Program Expansion

Hunger, medical, dental and meeting other basic needs of people experiencing homelessness are at the core of The Stewpot’s “recipe for success,” but more than one-third of The Stewpot’s resources are directed to prevention and stabilization for children and youth and their families. Thanks to strong community support from people like you, your donations go further to help stabilize families. 

One of The Stewpot core competencies is innovative collaborations with partner agencies. As a “hub” of the North Texas Food Bank – and its largest distributor of groceries - we are enormously proud of the role of Crossroads Community Services (CCS) in leading the Dallas community toward a Multi-Family Food Program model, revolutionizing the way that food pantries operate in the community.   As The Stewpot transitions into its role as a "spoke" food distributor in 2012, we feel confident that we are utilizing community resources the most efficient and effective way possible.

As of August 2012, The Stewpot Children & Youth program is the 3rd largest Community Distribution Partner site. By January 2013, The Stewpot could be the largest CDP site in Dallas by simply transitioning into group distributions of food for families of the children and youth in our programs!  A planning process is in place this year to assess client needs so that we will be well prepared for the challenges ahead as we plan "wrap around" programming to address family challenges. 

Thanks to Orix Foundation, The Stewpot added two new positions - Assistant Children and Youth Program Director and Assistant Volunteer Coordinator - to help with enhance and strengthen support to families. 2012 has been the pilot year with quarterly distributions. Not only are the families receiving healthy food, but tips on healthy snacks and recipes. The first two were a huge success, and we look forward to the next food distribution on Saturday, September 22.

Summer Day Camp Hands On Math Program

       This summer I had the privilege of completing my Girl Scout Gold Award under the direction of Lilli Curtis and Suzanne Dwight.  For my project I created a curriculum of math games and activities for the Summer Day Camp program.  I first had this idea when I worked with the Summer Visiting Youth Program during Community Ministries Week.  Throughout that week I noticed that there were multiple reading classes, which were increasing the students’ reading skills.  However, they were still struggling with basic math, but there was no math class.  When I approached Suzanne and Lilli with my project proposal they were excited and very willing to fit it into the new math classroom Lilli created. 

The major portion of my project was creating a curriculum of hands-on math games and a way to test how the games improved the children’s math skills throughout the summer.  The curriculum included a pretest, a post-test, and six math games for each grade - first through fourth.  For six weeks I volunteered each Monday and Wednesday in the computer classroom where I lead the first through fourth grade classes in the hands-on math games.  The games focused on basic math facts, time skills, and money skills.  While playing the games, the children also learned social skills including taking turns, communicating desires, and building friendships. 

The matching games were by far the children’s favorites.  The last day of day camp I let the students vote on their favorite game to determine what game they would play.  Each grade voted for one of the three matching games.  The kids also enjoyed the time relay race.  They were always full of energy, so they loved being able to run up and down the hall.  Combining physical activity with math questions created a more enjoyable learning environment. 

       The best part of my project was the interaction with the students.  I could not have asked for a better group of students. The children were open to new ideas and, new volunteers.  I had no idea what to expect the first week I volunteered.  The children were so welcoming and had the biggest smiles on their faces.  I also appreciate all the parents and church staff who came and supported the program the last two day during the open house.  This program would not be possible without their love and support. 

By:  Allison Brockette

A Volunteer's Point of View

Serving Our King

In Matthew 25:35-36, Jesus describes righteous service to our King:

I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

About a year and a half ago, I was studying that scripture during the holidays. I desperately wanted to know what that kind of service looked like in my life. Who did the Lord want me to feed?  Who did the Lord want me to clothe? During that study, I noticed a flyer hanging in my office break room. The Stewpot needed shoebox care packages for the homeless. "Start there," I heard the Spirit prompt me. 

After gathering shoeboxes from friends and family, and I headed to the Stewpot to drop them off. I recognized the Stewpot immediately. It was the scary building that I avoided. Why did so many homeless people gather there?  I didn't know, and I didn't plan to find out. I waited at the side door hoping someone would see me and take my shoeboxes. Someone did. Betty Heckman invited me in. I tried to just give her my shoeboxes, but she immediately started giving me a tour. She described the dental service, the medical service, the ID service, the voicemail service, and many other services. She introduced me to various Stewpot volunteers and employees. As we walked, I heard the Spirit's voice: "Look around! This is what it looks like. I live here."

I left the Stewpot with a clearer vision of my service to the King. I wanted to serve at the Stewpot, but what I could do? My answer came the next morning. I opened the Dallas Morning News and saw an article describing the Stewpot's representative payee program. Many homeless people are eligible for Social Security benefits, but Social Security often requires a disabled person to have a representative payee. The representative helps the disabled client manage their benefits. With the help of volunteers, the Stewpot acts as a representative payee for many clients. Volunteers meet with clients every week to discuss the client's budget and financial needs. Perfect, I thought. As an accountant and lawyer, that job suited me perfectly. A few months later, I met my first Stewpot client.

My favorite part of working at the Stewpot has been getting to know the clients. I've learned that it is difficult to help someone manage their money if you do not know them. My first client, for example, had recently emerged from a decade-long alcoholic haze. During that haze, he lost contact with his daughter. He had not spoken to her in years. He thought about her often and wanted to repair his relationship with her. Because I knew how important his daughter was, I encouraged my client to visit her.  We prepared a budget for the trip, and he visited. He returned from that trip with a new sense of joy. His daughter had graciously accepted him back into her life.

My time with payee-rep clients has taught me that the people lined up outside the Stewpot are not scary hoodlums that I should avoid. They are kings. Our King lives in them. He calls us to serve Him through them.