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December 20, 2012

FFCC would welcome any end of the year donations to continue the work that we do in our local community and around the world!
  
   

 NEW JERSEY FOOD PACKAGING EVENT RESCHEDULED

      

 

 

 Well, here is a good problem to have...as it turns out, there has been such an outpouring of support to the New York/New Jersey area where Hurricane Sandy hit that the food banks are full. Therefore, they don't have the capacity to take on the meals that would be provided by our proposed January 19th Food Packaging Event.  In talking with the local authorities and our connections there in New Jersey, they believe that March would be a better time to hold our event. 

 

So save the date, March 10th, for our New Jersey Food Packaging Event.  The Event would take place in Pequannock, New Jersey.  We'll keep you informed of the details as we get them worked out.  Thank you to all the FFCC Coordinators who put in significant time to help make this January event a possibility.  Your labor is not in vain, just postponed until March.  If you are interested in making the trip to New Jersey with FFCC, contact Tina Socha, [email protected] and she will get you the details as it comes together.

 

  

 


      

PHIL'S JOURNEY TO AFGHANISTAN

 

I never thought I would travel to Africa, yet this February I'll be taking my 13th trip.  I never thought I would travel to Haiti, but in March I'll be taking my 14th trip.  I never thought I would travel to Afghanistan, however this December I made my first trip. 

 

The journey began with a young lady from Afghanistan going to school here in San Diego.  She heard about the works of FFCC and sent me an email requesting a meeting to discuss how FFCC might be able to help.  After five months of meetings, planning and appointments, it all came together and the trip was set. 

 

I arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, which sits 6,000 feet above sea level and is the fifth fastest growing city in the world.  Meetings had been prearranged with government and community leaders in both Kabul and Jalalabad.  Afghan clothes were purchased so I would blend in and not draw attention.  Once I figured out how to put on all the pieces, going to meetings and traveling around the city(s) was a real challenge.  I had armed security guards with me at all times.  One of the first things I noticed was the lack of smiles on the faces of the children.  In fact I was instructed not to wave to children, this was not culturally correct.  To see so many sad and stoic faces reflects the overall condition of the hearts of the people.  Imagine a country where you don't see any smiles. 

 

I met with some military officers that provided great council about working in Afghanistan and the challenges FFCC will face should we determine to provide support and aid.  "The needs are great but the country is too unstable", said one Special Forces Officer.  On the other hand, one of the Coordinators of USAID said, "FFCC is exactly the kind of organization that can make a difference in a country like Afghanistan because of your focus on relationships.  Building relationships, not projects is what is needed."  The Taliban is at war with Afghanistan.  The people of Afghanistan hate the Taliban and are grateful for the help the US has provided.  FFCC will continue the discussions to see how we can help in the shipping of food, water filters and medical aid. 

 

FFCC purchased a sewing machine to help a group of single mothers whose husbands were killed in the war.  This purchase will allow them to make clothes for their family and start a small business.  They were so grateful.  Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words as I traveled.  I'll keep you posted as the FFCC Board wrestles with the challenges and opportunities that this country presents.  I am so grateful to be a part of an organization that is making a difference in people's lives here at home and around the world.  Thank you FFCC team for the amazing work you do.  Your reputation reaches around the world.

 

 


   
SENIOR OUTREACH!    

 

The fourth Tuesday of each month is recorded on the calendars of low-income seniors who live in downtown San Diego - and it is surely recorded on our own calendars.   This is the day when FFCC volunteers join these seniors in the Salvation Army courtyard on 8th Avenue. The seniors receive non-perishable commodities from the Food Bank and stand in long lines awaiting distribution. This is where our FFCC volunteers shine! Our function is to provide smiles and friendship as we guide the folks toward the tables where the Food Bank workers do the paperwork necessary to ensure that the seniors receive their commodities.    

 

Since we see the same folks each month, a wonderful bond has formed with these special friends. Volunteers know to take the elbow of the lady who is legally blind, and she is willing to be led to the Food Bank table in this way. Volunteers remember some of the physical needs of many of the folks - some with debilitating physical conditions and commiserate with those whose conditions seem not to be improving.   Smiles, however, and friendship seem to be the order of the day, and these are offered generously by the volunteers.

 

Each month, Panera Bakery donates wonderful pastries which are served from a table in the courtyard as the folks are filing by on their way to the Food Bank table. These are a delicious morsel for folks whose lives probably don't include many such treats. Thank you Panera for your contribution to our friends!

 

Join us on any fourth Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. For more information or questions, contact Janice McKalson at [email protected]

 


In This Issue
Adopt a Family!
Clean Water for Xmas!
Ayiti Night at Vintana!
Donate
Any food can find
You make a difference!
Thank you so much for your gifts of time, talent, and financial support!
  
 
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Upcoming Events at a Glance  

Click here to view a calendar of FFCC Food Packaging Events for 2012 

 

 

 

Homeless Outreach (SD Salvation Army, 825 7th Ave.)              January 7 6:00pm

  

Haiti Trip #14 March 2013 Team Meeting                                    January 8 6:30 pm

 

Tanzania Trip #15 February 2013 Team Meeting                        January 14 6:30 pm

 

Haiti Trip #15 April 2013 Team Meeting                                        January 15 6:30 pm

 

 

Tanzania Trip #16 June 2013 Team Meeting                                 January 22 6:30 pm


 

**For information on any of these events, contact Tina Socha at [email protected]**

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UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL DATES (2012-2013) 

Tanzania Trip #15 February/March 2013                           February 15-March 3, 2013

Haiti Trip #14 March 2013 (Spring Break)                          March 22-March 31, 2013

Haiti Trip #15 April 2013 (Medical Focus)                          April 19-28, 2013

Tanzania Trip #16 June/July 2013                                    June 24-July 10, 2013

Haiti Trip #16 November 2013                                          November 1-November 9, 2013

 

For information regarding traveling with FFCC, please contact Tina Socha at [email protected].

Contact Information
FFCC Director
Phil Harris
Friends & Family Community Connection
12463 Rancho Bernardo Road, PMB 158
San Diego, California  92128
858-204-9643,
Nonprofit 501(c)3, Federal Tax Identification 75-3057954