A Helping of Hope
The E-Newsletter for Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada
& the St. Vincent's Programs

NOVEMBER 2013

In This Issue
Food Pantry reacts to SNAP cuts
Meet our newest team member!
Young gardeners donate produce to hungry families
St. Vincent's now collecting food & stockings for the holidays
 
Click here to make a charitable donation to help us ease the pain of poverty in Northern Nevada.
A Quick Look at Our Program Numbers

With nine unique programs, we help hundreds of people daily. Here are a few highlights from last month that best tell the story of what we do to ease the pain of poverty in our community.

Program Statistics

1,200 - Total number of new families predicted to visit our St. Vincent's Food Pantry in November as a result of the recent SNAP program cuts
103 - Total number of children enrolled at Holy Child Early Learning Center 
88 - Total number of men and women housed by our Crossroads and Park House affordable housing programs
A first-time client of the St. Vincent's Food Pantry fills out a form for monthly food assistance after her SNAP benefits were cut on November 1.
St. Vincent's food programs increase meal quantities in response to SNAP cuts

     The November 1 cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, mean a severe decrease in food assistance benefits for the hungry clients of Catholic Charities & the St. Vincent's Programs. According to Feeding America, the cuts equate to a decrease of $36 per month for a family of four, and the average benefit level has dropped to less than $1.40 per person per meal from $1.76 per meal.

     Both the Dining Room and Pantry rely heavily on food and monetary donations from the community, including local businesses, individuals and foundations. St. Vincent's Dining Room was established in 1961 and serves an average of 600 meals per day. The St. Vincent's Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in the state of Nevada, and provides food to more than 11,000 people each month.          Clients who rely on our St. Vincent's programs in order to meet their hunger needs say these cuts are going to be devastating to their family's well-being. "There's nothing we can do about it," says Karl S., a St. Vincent's Food Pantry client of one year. "Being on a fixed income means every day is a struggle. This means even less money to spend on food than I already get, which isn't much."

     In response to the SNAP cuts and an anticipated increase in clients, our food programs are adjusting our services in order to meet the growing needs of our families. Our St. Vincent's Food Pantry staff is anticipating anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 new families will visit the pantry during the month of November, many of which will become permanent monthly clients. The pantry has already increased its business hours to include Saturdays, and we are working to increase the quantity of food distributed to each month.

     St. Vincent's Food Pantry already complies with Feeding America recommendations that local food pantries provide clients with one week's worth of food per month in order to supplement SNAP benefits. After the cuts go into effect, the St. Vincent's Food Pantry will increase the size of food boxes in order to feed families for a greater length of time. In addition, our St. Vincent's Dining Room is anticipating a greater number of daily visitors, and therefore will continue to serve a hot, nutritious meal six days a week, year round. The number of meals we serve will be adjusted as demand increases.

     "We are doing everything in our power to help reduce the pain these cuts are bound to cause to the families who come to us for food. But ultimately, we're going to need the community's help to continue feeding the growing numbers of people who come to us," says Vogel.

      To make a donation to one of the St. Vincent's Food Programs, please contact Paul Laxalt at 775-322-7073 extension 232.

 

 Our new Development Officer, Emelie Melton Williams. Welcome Emelie!
Meet our newest team member!

     We are pleased to welcome Emelie Melton Williams to our team! Emelie started with Catholic Charities & the St. Vincent's Programs in October 2013 as a Grant Writer and Stewardship Officer. She will be working with our experienced team of development and marketing specialists to help raise funds and awareness about the St. Vincent's Programs and how they're helping to ease the pain of poverty in Northern Nevada.

     Emelie is a 5th generation Nevadan and a graduate of Santa Clara University in California. She has more than two decades of experience in nonprofit marketing and fundraising, including eight years as Publicity Manager for John Ascuaga's Nugget, six years in public relations at St. Mary's Health Network, and four years as the Marketing & Communications Coordinator for Food Bank of Northern Nevada. She is thrilled to be joining an organization concerned with fighting poverty.  

     "Catholic Charities & the St. Vincent's Programs are part of the fabric of our community-helping the whole person as he or she needs assistance with the essentials of life. We are a better place when we can help others through their hardest times. I'm excited to be able to help this amazing organization reach out to families and individuals right here in Nevada," says Emelie.

     To reach Emelie, you can call (775)322-7073 ext. 242 or email [email protected]. 

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The season of giving

 

     Welcome friends of Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada & The St. Vincent's Programs. Thank you for your continued support of our nonprofit organization.
     This time of year, it's natural for people to feel the urge to give back. It's our busiest time of year for volunteers who contact us hoping to find a greater purpose in their life. It's also the time of year when we receive the most donations, the most requests from people and businesses who want to host food and clothing drives, and the most attention in the local media. But for our clients, the holiday season is really not all that different than the rest of the year.
     This month, we want to remind people that giving back during the holiday season is just one way they can make a difference in the lives of others. While Thanksgiving and Christmas fall in the colder seasons when our clients are looking for heartier food, warmer clothing, and more reliable shelter, our nine poverty assistance programs serve these individuals in need year-round. Our St. Vincent's Dining Room serves a free meal to anyone who walks in our doors, six days a week, no matter the season. Our St. Vincent's Food Pantry gives away monthly food boxes to struggling families every month of the year, not just November and December. And our Kids to Seniors Korner program conducts bi-weekly outreach to low income areas every single week of the year.
     This holiday season, we ask you to remember these people when you're considering volunteering or making a gift to our agency. Remember that even when the holidays have come and gone, many of our clients will still be living in extreme poverty. You can set up a one-time or recurring donation by visiting our website at www.ccsnn.org and clicking on "Donate Now." We thank you ahead of time for helping us to ease the pain of poverty for our friends and neighbors in need.

Sincerely,
Peter Vogel
Executive Director
   

 


Students from Rita Cannon Elementary School harvest spinach from the school garden as part of the "With My Own Two Hands" program.   

Students with two local elementary schools pose in the St. Vincent's Food Pantry in October. They donated 200 pounds of fresh produce to St. Vincent's Food Pantry from their school gardens this summer.

Young gardeners donate produce to help feed hungry local families   
     It was enough fresh, locally grown food to feed 20 local families for one week each. That's how much of their garden bounty a group of local students shared this past summer with the needy clients of our St. Vincent's Food Pantry. The young gardeners from Rita Cannan and Sarah Winnemucca Elementary Schools began growing produce in 2008 in cooperation with "With My Own Two Hands," a local nonprofit organization with a goal of renewing a sense of community by teaching children the benefits of growing fresh produce and eating healthy. They donated 200 pounds to St. Vincent's Food Pantry this summer, including vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, eggplant and peppers.
     "I just love the wonder in seeing their little faces light up and awakening their pallets," says Sheri Boydon, founder of With My Own Two Hands. She says she started the nonprofit group in order to help get young kids invested in healthy growing and eating at an early age. "It's one thing to talk about growing vegetables, but it's another to get your little fingers in the dirt and do it," she says.
     With My Own Two Hands operates two local school gardens, both of which begin planting seeds in classrooms in Spring. The children are responsible for all of the planting, care taking and harvesting of the plants. They eat and share the majority of the produce they grow, and then give the extra to different local nonprofits and food pantries. They also sell some of what they grow for $1.00 per pound at local farmer's markets. Boydon says she is hoping to expand to at least one additional school garden next year, and has a long term goal of having a garden at all 106 schools in Washoe County. She says the students involved in the program have been incredibly receptive to the task of growing their own food and then giving it away to others.
     "I liked that we got to donate because we helped a lot of people and that's really cool," says 10-year-old Ava Ryan of Sarah Winnemucca Elementary School.
     St. Vincent's Food Pantry clients were able to take home any of the fresh produce donated to the pantry this summer, in addition to their regular monthly food box. Scott Cooksley, Food Pantry Manager, says fresh produce items are the quickest items to be snatched up.
     "Most of what we give away here is in the form of non-perishable canned goods that have a longer shelf life. Fresh garden produce is really special, and we're so grateful to these students who allowed us to help families by providing them with a fresher, healthier option," he says.
      St. Vincent's Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in Nevada and serves about 11,000 people each month. For more information, visit www.ccsnn.org. To learn more about With My Own Two Hands, visit www.withmyowntwohands.org.  
St. Vincent's Programs now collecting food, stockings

     As the holidays quickly approach, our St. Vincent's Programs are now beginning collection for our upcoming annual events. We are currently in need of non-perishable food donations for our Feeding Families Food Drive which will take place on Wednesday, December 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in our St. Vincent's Dining Room. We'll be distributing turkeys and holiday fixings for 2,000 food pantry clients in need. To make a donation, stop by our food pantry at 500 East Fourth Street Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monetary donations can be made at www.ccsnn.org, by calling (775)322-7073 or by mailing a check to PO Box 5099, Reno, Nevada 89513.

     The ninth annual Operation: Stocking Stuffer event is scheduled for Friday, December 20th from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. in our St. Vincent's Dining Room. This year, we'll be distributing Christmas stockings to more than 600 local children whose parents can't afford to purchase gifts for them. We'll also hold our annual holiday carnival for the children and their families to enjoy. This year's carnival will include an appearance from Santa Claus, circus games, free immunizations and books, a gingerbread house making station, and much, much more! To donate pre-stuffed Christmas stockings for children ages 0 - 17, call (775)322-7073 ext. 235, or drop them off at the loading dock for our St. Vincent's Thrift Shop at 500 East Fourth Street downtown. Upon drop off, be sure to specify that the stockings are for "Operation: Stocking Stuffer."