It’s Sunday morning, and it’s not lost on us that it’s a holiday for so many of our brothers and sisters. However, we did see a lot of people yesterday, and that was a bit unusual for a religious holiday weekend, considering the many churches we have in Vallejo. Today will probably be a much different story though. Everything helps, and we are certain that no one will have to go hungry today if they seek out any if the many groups doing meals. For that reason, we made sure to do what we could to provide lunches yesterday for those we encountered. We went out with 135 sack lunches, and we gave out 120. Normally we don’t return with any, but we thought it best to keep what we had left, because we will undoubtedly receive requests for some food today, and we want to be ready to help. If no one calls, then we will go out tomorrow and disburse the remaining lunches. The most notable thing about yesterday was the fact that we encountered no children for the first time ever. Odd yes, yet very comforting knowing that the kids weren’t out in the streets and were hopefully in doors for at least the weekend. We did get to see lots of kids enjoying themselves at the park in the Crest, where the residents through a big party for the holiday, and it was obviously very kid friendly! It was a beautiful sight to see. In addition to the absence of kids, we noticed that our friends are also becoming more scattered. Though we go to certain locations, we always get as many people as we can in between locations. Well we’re noticing that they are being moved around more than usual. Now we certainly understand the need to keep up appearances and keep the city clean and safe to some extent, so it’s no surprise that we are seeing our friends in unfamiliar locations more frequently. Knowing this to be the case is why we are glad to be a mobile service that seeks out our friends, and not the other way around. To ensure that the MLKHP Family & Friends is going to be in full effect starting May 4, 2019, we will be taking the next weekend off. We will use these next 2 weeks to make all of the necessary provisions to ensure a smooth start to our membership card system. We are very excited to say the least, and will definitely keep y’all posted about the progress of the program. So until 5/4/19, we will be working off the grid and can’t wait to see how the next chapter in our Project will read! So have a wonderful Easter and/or Passover. Tell the ones you love that you love them before you can’t! Always remember to be kind to others!! Peace and May God continue to Bless Us All!! ✌🏾🙏🏾 Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! “SOMETIMES GOD BLESSES OTHERS THROUGH US !!”🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #ONELOVE❤️✊🏾🖤✊🏼💚✊🏻💛 424EVR
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Another day of service is in the books, so to speak! We had a very smooth lunch program today, without any incidents. As usual, we saw many old faces, however we also saw many new faces as well. We met new children, and that’s concerning to say the least. Hopefully, we will be able to help them and their parents (both young and very polite) get back on their feet. We anticipate feedback on the introduction of pretzels, which are replacing the chips, however we will stay the bourse as we anticipate helping many more people this coming Summer season. Pretzels are cheaper, healthier, and allow us to give more people more food, for half the cost of potato chips. Without losing quality, we are able to increase quantity, on the exact same budget. We do this because the situation is dire, and getting worse. Amazingly enough, the people we help are able to smile in the face of such adversity and seemingly insurmountable odds. Smiles bearing the hope and promise of better days to come! Another wonderful part of our project is meeting all of the wonderful pets. Along with our newest partner, Moira Farrell of Outpaw Outreach, my wife and I gave out the most pet food since the project began. So not only are encountering more people, many of which have been women and children, but we are seeing an increase in pets. We hope to continue to be able to offer assistance with pets, as they serve a vital role in not just the security of their owners, but more importantly, they offer companionship and unconditional love. Pets are good for the mental health of our friends, and that’s a plus in our books. Lastly, we are pleased to say that our letters which went out two weeks ago, was well received! It means a lot to the project, and to our message of empowerment through empathy and life experiences. We will continue to encourage and support of friends, as much as we possibly can! It’s imperative to have the support from our donors, because it allows us to do what we do. However, there is much more that needs to be done, and for that, we need your support. So if you like what we are doing, please return to our home page for ways to donate (FAQ’s) as well as a list of our most needed items. We thank you for your support!! Remember, liking us is lovely, but sharing is caring, so please help us spread the word!! As always, Peace, and May God continue to Bless Us All!!! ✌🏾🙏🏾 Please follow us us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!! ”SOMETIMES GOD BLESSES OTHERS THROUGH US!!”🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #ONELOVE❤️✊🏾🖤✊🏼💚✊🏻💛 424EVR Happy Sunday!! Wow, yesterday was such an amazing experience for so many reasons. There was a lot of good, and even some bad, however in the end we saw progress. As we begin to shift into the next phase of the MLK Family & Friends Program, we were able to begin the process of producing and distributing program membership cards. In addition, we also continued to sign up more of our friends to receive a membership card. The way this will work is simple. With or without a membership card, everyone we encounter will receive a lunch, as long as we have them available. However, members take priority over nonmembers, in some cases. For instance if we are down to one last lunch, and 2 people, the lunch will go to the card carrying member. We do have safeguards in place to build impromptu lunches on the fly, so it would be rare for someone to not get something to eat, should we find ourselves in such a situation. With regards to toiletries, we have partnered up with Project Blessing Bags to provide toiletry bags, and again they will go to card carrying members, and non members will have access to loose toiletries, and will be limited to 2 items per week, in most cases. Keep in mind that we simply fill in the voids for most people, because they have some of these items already, so they get what they need. The good thing about being a member is that they receive a toiletry bag every other week, and they still have access to loose toiletries not included in the bags. Membership will automatically enroll our friends in the Sock Exchange Program designed to keep our friends feet warm and healthy. The program is also designed to pay it forward. By turning in a clean pair of hole free, used socks that we distribute through the project (Bombas Socks only), we will replace them with a new pair, every other week! We also get limited one time donations of great items, such as umbrellas, shirts, hats, backpacks, etc. Membership will give you first come first serve access to those items as well. Since the program is malleable, things are always subject to change. All in all, we are focused on streamlining the process and making it functional and rule oriented. If we can get systems in place and protocols established, it will make transitioning to a facility much easier. We are excited to gather pertinent information which will also aid in our future efforts to apply and receive grants. This is just part of the process. Other than the usual orders of business, yesterday was an extremely successful day in the sense that people are anxious to see where this is going, and how it can help them to change their situations! We will certainly be out next Saturday on 04/13/2019, to continue to sign up more friends, and when we get to 100, we will freeze enrollment til we are comfortable with taking on newer members. We are committed to consistency and sustainability, and do not want to bite off more than we can chew. Therefore, it’s imperative that we don’t self sabotage by trying to do too much. ❤️🖤💚💛 Well with that said, we wish you well. We encourage you to take stock of the blessings in you life, like family. Tell the ones you love that you love them before you can’t! Always remember to be kind to others! Peace, and May God continue to Bless Us All!!✌🏾🙏🏾 Please follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more updates, information, pictures, and videos @ https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ ”SOMETIMES GOD BLESSES OTHERS THROUGH US!!”🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #ONELOVE❤️✊🏾🖤✊🏼💚✊🏻💛 424EVR |
AuthorThe MLK Humanity Project is an inclusive community organization devoted to the well being and empowerment of our homeless and less fortunate residents. Archives
December 2022
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