Welcome to summer! We have had our first blast of heat and as I write a true thunderstorm is taking place. We are in summer for sure. That means to me as a leader of a nonprofit two things. First, donations of all kinds are down. People are on vacation, touring the sites, sitting by a lake, reading a book they have been meaning to read but not thinking about the struggles of people who have never been on vacation. Those citizens who live among us struggle week to week to maintain a dwelling, figuring out how to get to their job and having enough food. Poverty has no vacation. I implore you not to forget but to send a donation, drop off canned goods or vegetables from your garden and bring to the drop off site clothes you are not wearing.
The second thing that is a certainty is that need increases when children are out of school and then preparing to return. Watching my grandchildren grow and seeing the grocery bill that goes along with that growth convinces me that even those with steady income must prioritize children’s needs especially in the summer. Their growth seems to miraculously appear between the time school ends and a new school year begins. None of their shoes or clothes fit. When you look at your own children’s clothes remember that the still good sweat shirt or pair of sneakers could make another family very happy. Preparing for a new school year also adds another stress to families when the back to school lists of supplies comes out. If this is truly public education then those needs should be in the classrooms for the children through taxpayer dollars. The poor look at those lists and know they cannot meet the requests. Their self esteem is bruised by a system that tells them this is what they need to do for their child. When you have more than one child the pressure is great. So our efforts to help acquire basic needs eases the burden. You can help through donations of any kind to our three programs. Providing any of the basic needs will make a difference.
Last months letter I asked people to think creatively about how to spur donations. One individual in our community took that to heart and made a huge difference. A long time neighbor of us all is moving to be near family. To honor her efforts in so many ways to make where we live better a party was held in her honor. True to her nature she wanted no gifts but felt honored by donations to FISH. That one act of thoughtfulness brought $1,655 to the treasury of FISH. Seeing an opportunity and using it for good can happen to any of us. That joyful celebration gave pleasure to the participants and funds to FISH.
The storm has moved on and my gardens are thankful for the drink of water. I am thankful as well for the efforts of the leaders of our community who are seeking to improve resources for those in need. During July, August and September a pilot program for those seeking help with all of the basic needs will be held at the Youth Service Bureau on Pike Street. This pilot, called First Door, aims to be a one-stop shop to provide direct connections to resources people in need want. Starting on July 8 and continuing for each Monday afternoon of those three months from 4-6 p.m. representatives of all the support systems in the community will be available at one place at the same time. This pilot has a vision that uniting services in one place with intake people who can assess how to best provide support will make an efficient and effective model of improving access to services. FISH representatives will be there each week to provide information and support to those who have not found our services before. This model of united services is used all over the United States to efficiently connect people to needs.
Feel free to contact us in any way you would like to help. Volunteers in all our programs are needed and welcomed. Contact us through P.O. Box 261, Crawfordsville or via telephone 765-362 3474.
Linda Cherry, president of FISH, contributes a monthly column to the Journal Review.
