Good News Update

What One Community is Doing to Help Combat Hunger

Over the summer we learned about some great work being done by Temple Sholom of Aberdeen (NJ) led by its inspiring social action committee. Two specific projects address just how one congregation can impact hunger in the local community.

In addition to their award-winning community garden which is run in partnership with a local church and provides nutritious fresh fruits and veggies to the local food pantry, Temple Sholom members have just instituted a Back Pack Buddy Program to begin in a few weeks. When the group learned that there were families in a nearby elementary school that had difficulty providing their children with sufficient healthy meals, they decided to begin the back pack program to help meet this need. When the program begins, ten children will be selected by the school staff to receive a pack each Friday filled with healthy snacks and easy meals to supplement their weekend nutrition. With Lou, Lenore and Helene at the helm and various segments of the congregation taking responsibility for aspects of the effort, what could be a time-consuming project seems to be working beautifully.

When we met with Lou and Helene the Good People Fund offered a matching grant to get the program jump-started and we were thrilled with how our seed money propelled the effort. We just learned that all funds have been raised and, if all goes smoothly, the group will re-evaluate their efforts mid-year and possibly add even more kids to the list.

Simple. One small community making a difference. How many more could do the same?

72 Hours

Naomi,

I am sitting at home thinking about the last 3 days and I am brought to tears (for about the 5th time today) at the love that has been shown by you and your friends… by coming here and by letting us know that there are people that DO care and realize that we are human and not just a “bunch of dumb hillbillies” and for that, I thank you.

… I will tell you that the only items left in the center at @ 6:00 tonight were a few cans of tomato juice. I had so many people ask me to tell you “THANK YOU” that this helps them so very much. This one young lady came in at the end of the day and we had a half of box of cosmetics left that I actually was getting ready to throw out because it was all broken, and she came in and starting going through the box and I watched her eyes light up like a child on Christmas morning…I told her just to take the box home with her and she kept saying are you sure you don’t mind, I can really have this? I assured her it was fine so she left with some food, a little make-up and a HUGE SMILE….I had another cry…

All of our love,

Everett & Susie

The writer, Susie Duncan, was our contact in McRoberts, Kentucky where a group of 38 volunteers representing Congregation Shaarei Shomayim in Lancaster, PA, Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ and others from New York, Ohio and California, just completed a 3 day humanitarian trip to this isolated small town in southeast Kentucky. Despite the community’s poverty, isolation, and ongoing drug problems the residents of McRoberts are proud and hospitable people. We were served home made lunches, replete with an abundance of home-grown veggies, homemade cookies and cakes, and packages of peanut butter fudge for everyone of us for our journey home!

For the Good People Fund this was our 4th interaction with McRoberts and most definitely the largest, most complicated endeavor yet. In two and a half days of labor in the heat and humidity (and an occasional torrential downpour) our group:

Provided and offloaded a 53′ trailer filled with donated food;

Delivered school supplies, 5 boxes of shoes, books for the elementary school, musical instruments, paint, sox, new underwear;

Ran a 2 day after-school camp featuring lollipop making, story-telling and other fun activities;

Delivered and completed construction of a large bookcase and a sand table-water table which would allow the school’s pre-school program to receive state certification; and

Rehabbed five residents’ homes including painting, replacement of original windows and doors with energy efficient models to cut down on utility costs, constructed a new deck and more.

Despite the logistical challenges, poor cell reception and limited dining options all participants, from the most hard-working teens to our 70 year old, agreed that nothing could compare to the satisfaction everyone felt as we wrapped up our work and headed out.

Lemonade for Tzedakah

As things were winding down tonight we were pleased to receive an email from Brad Rothschild, a friend and NY-based documentarian who traveled with us to Kentucky this past week to learn more about the area and film some of the local residents we know there.

Brad shared that his children, Jordan, Talia and Mia (11 and under), after hearing about his trip, decided to set up a lemonade stand today near their upper Manhattan home. As you can see from the sign, the proceeds from their efforts were directed to The Good People Fund. We’ve just written to them and shared that we will use their tzedakah to help some of the kids in McRoberts, KY where life is challenging at best.

Not a bad way at all to end a pretty amazing week. Thank you Jordan, Talia and Mia!

So Much More Than an Ample Harvest

"We are having an incredibly bountiful harvest this year, so much more than we can eat or give away. Thank goodness we found Ample Harvest! We have donated about 40 pounds of cucumbers, zucchini, squash in the past four days, plus cuttings from our mint, oregano, and basil plants. We expect the tomatoes to take off soon as well, and we will add them to the bags for the food pantry. We are thrilled to be able to donate these delicious fresh veggies, and hope that the people who receive it enjoy them."

When Gary Oppenheimer began AmpleHarvest.org back in 2009 he envisioned just what this Maryland gardener’s quote describes. Since beginning, Gary estimates that more than 700,000 pounds of produce has been donated to more than 4100 food pantries and soup kitchen’s across the country.

Read what the White House’s blog describing Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!

program has to say about Gary and his ingenious creation:

http://www.letsmove.gov/blog/2011/08/04/let%E2%80%99s-move-faith-and-communities-inspires-fresh-produce-100-food-pantries

Imagining a Book

"If it weren’t for Reading Village I would not be here. I would be in the field carrying heavy loads of vegetables."

To Linda Smith, founder of Reading Village, this simple statement coming from a young boy who is part of her innovative reading program in Guatemala, is like music to her ears.

It was only a few years ago when Linda lost her job (along with so many others) that the idea for Reading Village was born. Trying to get her bearings and think about the future, Linda traveled to Guatemala – for her, a serene place filled with smiling kids. As she walked around and spoke to the children she met, she asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" In most cases, the only response she got was a blank stare. Most kids growing up in Guatemala have very little; they are surrounded by profound poverty and little reason to hope that things might change. When Linda came upon a tiny local library where a group of kids were learning to read, she noticed the difference immediately…kids who know how to read can dream about what might be and it is the "dreaming" piece that actually helps change reality.

Reading Village works in small villages developing an environment where reading is important and encouraged. To effect this change, they form leadership groups of middle and high school students who act as mentors to younger children, reading with them and encouraging them to succeed. The program also provides scholarships for the leadership group as well as free books for local institutions and groups.

The Good People Fund was excited about providing funds for the purchase of new books – imagine the wonder in those young eyes when they can actually read about Peter Pan or James and the Giant Peach!

Reading Village has also developed a meaningful Hanukkah program, suitable for Jewish educators and families. Check it out:

http://www.readingvillage.org/light-up-literacy.html

On Pins and Needles

While recently in Uganda, the Trainees related many breathtaking stories…how their acupuncture treatments led to a significant reduction in size and pain from grossly enlarged spleens, a condition previously untreatable. …another spoke of one of his AIDS patients who, because of his acupuncture treatments, was once again able to walk… And another described how his treatments greatly reduced the severity and frequency of epileptic seizures.

This brief note came to us from Richard Mandell, a Boston-based licensed acupuncturist, a few months ago. Richard founded PAAP, The Pan African Acupuncture Project, in 2003. For people living in remote corners of the world where traditional medicine is limited or even non-existent, diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, or TB are daily realities. With the dearth of modern medicine available, alternative choices can be true life-savers and it was this problem that Richard chose to address when he began PAAP. PAAP’s volunteer acupuncturists have trained more than 200 healthcare workers, primarily in Uganda, to use acupuncture’s miraculous techniques in the treatment of these diseases.

Richard estimates that since beginning, more than 50 trainers, a number of whom have volunteered multiple times, have provided approximately 17,000 treatments each year-a very impressive number.

The Good People Fund offered of a $6000 matching grant to expand this amazing work and we were thrilled when Richard reported that his donors responded enthusiastically to the challenge.