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Hello MLKHP friends! We’ve been out of pocket for couple of weeks, but now we’re back in action. On Tuesday morning we resumed service to our friends in Vallejo, CA. With cinnamon raisin oatmeal or egg and cheese wraps to choose from, we also provided hot coffee, toiletries, BOMBAS socks, and much, much more. The highlights of the day weren’t the mini reunions, but rather the awesome conversations we shared with our friends. It’s absolutely integral to the success of our program, for us to develop and maintain honest, loving, and most importantly, consistent relationships with our friends. After the breakfast service was complete, it was apparent that we would need to increase our meal count moving forward, for both the breakfast and the lunch programs. So with that, we are anticipating a heavy presence, numbers wise, of individuals seeking what we have to offer, and as a result, we will be more than prepared for the challenges this uptick in numbers may present. In addition to our wonderful sack lunches we are also serving fiesta beans with chicken, as an little something extra. Until then, stay kind and stay involved! Peace and God Bless!
Meals Served to Date: 23,077 Follow us Facebook and Instagram. https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/
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HealthY START BREAKFAST PROGRAMFor the month of April we experienced a lot of movement from our recipients from week to week. However, we found that our numbers were increasing while our familiarity with everyone we served, was somewhat decreasing. We attribute that to the issuance of the stimulus checks, coupled with the various county programs, such as Project Roomkey, for the shift in who we are encountering. We still managed to do our thing and have realized the importance of staying the course. Here’s an overview of the HSBP for the month of April! SACK LUNCH PROGRAMThis month’s Sack Lunch Program outings were very involved, due to our continued distribution of MLK. Family & Friends Program membership cards and the activation of initiatives surrounding that particular “sub” program. It was the second month of card distribution, and for every card not claimed in May, we will put those cards in a suspended state and file them away. Doing so will allow us to make space for individuals who would like to sign up and participate now. Since we are limited to 100 active participants because we’re a mobile service, we can’t responsibly increase those numbers until we have a building to also operate from. With the logistics of this rollout still working itself out, it’s safe to say that it has been quite a successful endeavor thus far. Here’s an overview of the SLP activities this month! SACK LUNCH PROGRAM/ HEALTHY START BREAKFAST PROGRAMThroughout the month of March, we have primarily been focused on the distribution of membership cards to all of the individuals we serve, who signed up for the MLK FAMILY & FRIENDS PROGRAM (2.0) With lots of movement between those individuals participating in the Project Room Key, a program through which our homeless residents are temporarily housed due to the pandemic, and the usual shuffling of our friends by the local municipality. The entire process had been both tedious and arduous, but it is already bearing fruit! With one weekend left in the month, we will be signing up a limited number of individuals, as we can only handle 100 active MLK F&FP participants responsibly! It bears repeating that it is not a requirement to be in the F&FP to receive services, however membership does have its advantages. Fortunately for us, we have had the opportunity to be able to serve in our community, and encourage you to do the same in yours! If there’s a any real down side, it’s whenever we lose a friend. This past year has been tough, and unfortunately we lost someone that we really loved, and will always hold dear in our hearts and memories!! Rest In Peace Roger!!  First and foremost, HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!! ❤️🖤👊🏾💚💛 The entire month of February is dedicated to the enrollment of willing individuals into our MLK Family & Friends Program. In doing so, we have had seen some moderate success, while still continuing to provide out usual services during our Sack Lunch Program and our Healthy Start Breakfast Program. With our primary focus on the enrollment process, the month is going smoothly as can be expected. We are always blessed with wonderful community support, and thanks to a generous donation from MOD PIZZA in Vallejo, we are now providing fiesta beans and rice meals in addition to our sack lunches. It’s been a tremendous gift, and we are absolutely grateful. We will continue to keep you updated. Til next time. Peace and God Bless. Well now that January is behind us, we are ready to move forward with our enrollment process fir membership in our MLK FAMILY & FRIENDS PROGRAM. ( Program details available in the MLKHP PROGRAMS section) Thanks in large part to a surge in donations, both financial and in kind, as well as the continued funding from the SOLANO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. Without the SCF, we would be relegated to only serving sack lunches on a sustainable basis. Their continued support allows us to also serve breakfast, and remain consistent in doing both programs in a responsibly sustainable manner. We are very excited about the process, and hope to sign as many individuals as possible, not to exceed 100, by the end of the month. The actual program begins in the first week of March 2021. We will certainly keep y’all updated. In the interim, we encourage you to bring joy into your life by bringing joy into the lives of others. Til next time, Peace and God Bless!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!! https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ Wow! It’s been a crazy 2 weeks, as the national stage has taken us to task. However, while the chais was being tended to, we were busy doing what we do. It’s a privilege to serve, and we’re all born with this privilege, the privilege of choice. So as we wait to see what policies will become the new norm, we must stay a steady course and maintain. Having expert rise in the numbers of individuals we serve, we have taken measures to increase our output without increasing our overhead substantially. By returning to a previous option, we have once again added a cold cereal option to our breakfast program, fresh picked oranges to both routes, hot beverages for breakfast, and we’ve invested in stronger bags, to avoid the need of doubling them up! Ultimately, all of these measures will help us to grow responsibly and with financial feasibility! Lastly, on Saturday the 16th we served red beans and rice, as we are trying to introduce more home cooking into our lunch program, since it’s been so well received in our breakfast program. So we shall see! It’s been a very promising start to the new year for the MLKHP, and for that we are grateful. So moving forward, we will continue to grow responsibly and respectfully, and we encourage all to get involved in healthy pursuits and causes. Til next time, stay safe and stay kind! Love always wins.
 Whew!! It’s finally here, and by that we mean 2021. It’s been a tough past year for so many, especially our less fortunate brothers and sisters. However, the issues facing our friends were preceded long before the pandemic, and unfortunately will probably persist after it is under control, if ever. It’s important for us to try and improve upon our efforts and our ability to provide expanded and more focused services. To accomplish and accommodate our goals, we will be actively working towards securing a facility. Thus will allow us to centralize our operation, and provide service 7 days a week and still continue our Healthy Start Breakfast Program and our foundational Sack Lunch Program!
With so many new challenges, we headed out to bring in the new year with a nice hot breakfast. Since it’s been consistently rainy out, we passed out tarps to all who were clearly exposed to the elements, with the promise of more and equally pertinent items to follow this coming Saturday. As we proceed cautiously into the new year, we will do so with purpose and commitment. There are many issues to face, but until we secure a facility, it’s practically impossible to enact programs in an effective and sustainable manner. So we will certainly make sure to cross our T’s and dot our I’s, and keep y’all posted in the process. It’s our intent to proceed with the distribution of MLK Family & Friends Program membership cards starting in February and awaiting pending potential funding. We shall see. Til next time, have a safe rest of the week, and let’s all make it a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ This past year has been a tumultuous one to say the least. We are blessed and grateful that we are able to be of service to our community. It’s our mission to “EMPOWER OTHERS TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES”, but to also inspire others to actively get involved in the betterment of their communities. We choose to help the less fortunate, because we realize we’re one bad turn from needing help ourselves. Knowing that we are blessed with the capability to continue to help others, we take our blessings very seriously and are committed to seeing the growth of our organization through services provided and the development of new empowerment programs. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and all those who support us, both financially and spiritually, we are very hopeful. We now look forward to 2021, and all that it will bring, like your continued live and support!!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!! https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ This past Tuesday would be our last service for 2020. True to form, we went out with a predetermined number of meals as well as cold weather items. We also continued to distribute more emergency backpacks for those who signed up for one. With the holidays in full swing, snd the weather going back and forth from wet to dry, but always cold, we didn’t expect to see a lot of people. When we don’t see many people, we definitely hope it’s because they are doing better, or that they are, at the very least, temporarily out of the elements. It would prove to be a quiet day and a fitting end to such a tumultuous year. After informing our friends that we would be out next on Tuesday the 02/05/2021, we wished them all a safe and wonderful New Year, and gave our word to do more and continue to seek solutions that would help better their situations.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ Well it’s the day after Christmas, and that means it’s the first day of Kwanzaa, so it’s all about keeping the holiday spirit alive. But realistically, the New Year will come, and the over abundance of giving and caring will fade away, leaving organizations, groups, and individuals like ourselves to keep said spirit alive beyond the holidays and into the everyday hustle and bustle that is the day in the life of our friends.
Today was extra special for us as organization, because we successfully executed a backpack distribution campaign for our friends in need. We are trying different ideas to see what’s both prudent and sustainable! As we anticipated when we signed people up to receive the backpacks, we knew everyone wouldn’t be around. With that as a factor, it was understood that ones presence was required today to receive their backpack, or it round ho into a pool ti be given to anyone in need on a first come snd first receive basis. Totally random, and absolutely designed to be that way. By default, people are paying it forward. Anyway, it went very well, so much so, that we are giving out more of the defaulted backpacks this Tuesday during our breakfast program. The recipients we signed up today to receive backpacks Tuesday, will be those individuals who missed our initial dign up, and are also mostly well known the organization. So with that, it was a great day, HAPPY KWANZAA!, and see y’all Tuesday!! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ The week of Christmas is always a special one, because there’s an abundance of kindness and giving. This year would be no different. With the weather still very cold, we went out with our hot cinnamon raisin oatmeal and scrambled egg and cheese wraps, and as usual, we ran our. It’s been the trend as of late, so we’re going to keep young the counts on both items, to accommodate the need. We also continued to stress the importance of being present this weekend to receive their emergency backpacks. With the successful registration of 41 backpack recipients, we wanted everyone to know that you had to be present, or it would probably be taken by someone else. We will certainly see this coming Saturday. Other than that, it was another surprising day as it was once again busier than expected. However, with Christmas this Friday, we do not anticipate a lot of new faces, and we will keep our count the same. And again, we shall see.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ Well it’s been another cold week for our friends, our brothers and sisters in need, and we did what we could to lessen the burden. We passed out more blankets and jacket, as well as hand warmers with every lunch served. In keeping with the urgency of current events, we are also very focused on helping promote safe social practices during this pandemic, so for that reason, we also provided a disposable face mask with every lunch as well. From time to time we encounter a language barrier, usually a Spanish speaking brother or sister. However, the language of love and human kindness permeates all linguistic barriers. It amazing how that works. On another note, we are grateful and humbled to announce that we have surpassed 20K+ meals served in the Vallejo during our 3 years of service. It’s a bittersweet achievement for our organization, because you wish you could always do more while wishing it weren’t necessary to do it at all. Anyway, it was a wonderful day of service!! We will be out again this coming Tuesday to serve breakfast, so we will see y’all then. Til then always remember to be kind to others! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram https://fb.watch/2wOYXp2AP0/ Today we went out to serve hot breakfast on another very cold day. With an option of cinnamon raisin oatmeal or an scrambled egg and cheese wrap for a main item, we were quite surprised at the amount of recipients we served. However, considering the continued efforts by the city to move the homeless community into the shadows, it’s not to surprising to see more people in need seemingly pop up in places where you wouldn’t expect. Even though we were strictly relegated to our route, we still anticipate the need to increase our meal count starting next week, and prior to expanding the actual route itself. Though there always bright spots in our outings, today provided one of my personal favorites to date.
A couple of weeks ago, we asked our friend Roger if there was anything special he needed from us and, if possible, we would bring it to him. Well Roger said he needed and wanted a cross. Now seeing how we aren’t a religious organization, nor am I a religious individual, so we don’t have nor carry religious materials. However, we believe in “Empowering Others to Empower Themselves”, and if a cross and the simple gesture of seeing to it that Roger got one is what he wanted and needed, then it was exactly what we would do. Well today we were able to give Roger his cross, and hope that it helps to bring him comfort and focus. It was truly one of the more rewarding moments in our 3 years of service to our community. It’s these types of exchanges that help us build relationships and nurture them. When it was all said and done, Roger turned to wish us well, in case we never saw him again. We hope it’s not the case, but we find comfort in knowing that he is well aware of the possibility that his words could prove true. Tonight will be very cold and rainy tonight in Vallejo, so we will keep our friends in our prayers and their well being on our minds. When we go out Saturday, we will continue to provide cold weather items to help our friends combat the elements, and words of encouragement and inspiration to combat the despair! So with that, we will see y’all this Saturday in the streets of Vallejo doing what we do best, showing More Love & Kindness the MLKHP way! Til then stay safe and stay kind!! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram This past Saturday was a somewhat subdued, due in large part to the rain. It’s not unexpected, considering the lack of available shelter for those who find themselves unfortunately amongst the homeless population, and many through no fault of their own. However, by sticking to the route and our routine, we are somewhat predictable to our recipients, and therefore easy to locate based on the given time of day. We were also able to deliver a family package to a new family we are assisting, as well as need another potential new family. We have always helped families who find themselves on the brink of being unhoused by trying to offset some of their costs by providing basic needs resources and good boxes. We are determined to expand that program especially in the midst of this unprecedented health crisis. In keeping consistent, we will be out next serving breakfast on Tuesday 12/15/20 as we approach a milestone to be both announced and reached this coming Saturday, so please check in to hear the inspiring news. Til then and always, stay safe and stay kind! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram Today was another cold one. It’s been consistently very cold overnight, so it’s important to us to continue to pass out cold weather items whenever we go out, especially hand warmers and blankets. With hot cinnamon raisin oatmeal or egg wraps to choose from, we headed out to serve our brothers and sisters in need, and much to our surprise we ran out rather quickly. We met a few new people, and it’s starting to become the new norm. The odd thing is the absence of faces we know. Hopefully that have found their way into the Project RoomKey program, and are safe inside of a motel room. The most notable thing, as of late, is the unfortunate fact that our friends have passed away. We have learned of 3 deaths in the last 2 weeks, and it’s very concerning ti day the least. It further reinforces our commitment to trying to stick to strict covid protocols.
On a lighter note, we have met a new family, a single father with four boys. It’s always nice to know you can be of service to anyone, but it’s extra rewarding when you know you’re helping kids. Anyway, they are going to start receiving family packages, until we can revisit their situation in about 6 months. We will be out this coming Saturday to serve sack lunches and pass out basic needs items in addition to a variety of cold weather items. We will be announcing our plans for a special holiday backpack giveaway. Til next time! Follow us on Facebook Well it’s December again, and hopefully that means plenty of good will coming to those in need. With so many challenges and uncertainties surrounding the way we will move forward, we are determined to keep providing service to our brothers and sisters in need. As we have noticed an increase in non-compliant covid masks and social distancing behaviors, we are going to operate in the strictest of fashions as it pertains to operating safely. That will begin this Tuesday on 12/08/2020 as we are out serving breakfast. Depending on how receptive our friends are to our “zero tolerance” approach, we will either keep our current route intact, or we will rework the route and eliminate non compliant stops and replace them with new more compliant locations. It’s about safety first, because without it, we can’t properly and responsibly operate in good faith and with peace of mind. So we shall see. Other than that, Saturday was a very busy day considering the time of month. Usually around the first of the month, it’s fairly quiet. Anyway, keeping that in mind, we will be prepared to handle any extra individuals we encounter, by increasing our meal counts. Til then, stay blessed and stay safe!!
Follow us on Facebook This past Thanksgiving weekend was quiet as expected, and equally as needed. We see the fluctuating numbers from day to day, with regards to people we encounter along our routes. Though there are some steady faces, there are many new ones. We remain true to our route because of these fluctuations. The uncertainty as to what might happen in the coming months will have an impact on our plans to expand. Expanding the route is our new main focus, but we want to do it responsibly and respectfully! Til that time comes, we will stay the course. and we’re gonna continue to pass out jackets, blankets, tarps, hand warmers, and many other cold weather items with in our existing route’s perimeter. We will be out next on Tuesday morning 12/01/2020 to serve breakfast. See you then.
Follow us on Facebook This past weekend’s SACK LUNCH PROGRAM was a very smooth outing, and a testimony to the greatness of our youth. Loaded up with a variety of lunches, toiletries, cold weather items, a d much more, the favorite item of the day was “pie”! Slices of pie, that were donated by one of our youngest donors to date and her family, were the hit of the day! Smiles are sometimes the goal, and it was certainly achieved if not exacerbated by the pies. Any way you slice it, it was a win the way around! With Thanksgiving upon us, we must never lose sight of the things fir which we are truly grateful! Anyway, whatever you go gir the holiday, do it the right way!
Follow us on Facebook This past week was a fairly consistent one, as we are heading into the cold season. With lots of winter weather items and goods, we are actively distributing them all. From handmade hats and scarves to warm jackets and blankets, and much more, we are doing our best to help everyone we encounter to be as comfortable and prepared as possible to make it through the day with a positive outlook and less stressed. We will be heading out next Saturday on 11/21/2020 to continue the distribution of winter items, and as always, put selection of filling sack lunches!! See you this coming weekend!! Follow us on Facebook Wow! It’s starting to get cold out!! So today we went out to serve a choice of hot cinnamon raisin oatmeal or egg and cheese for breakfast this morning. The egg wraps were very popular, and are starting to become more popular than the oatmeal. It was expectedly quiet, because of the cold temperatures, however we were still able to help many individuals. We will be out next this Saturday serving sack lunches, and plenty of cold weather items to our friends.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ Well it’s been another week of profound change for us all, as the course of the country took a dramatic turn. Through all the drama and unease, there are millions upon millions of people just trying to make ends meet. Among them are the most vulnerable amongst us with regards to food and housing insecurity. We know that and we operate in a fashion the recognizes the challenges of the day, while not letting those same challenges deter or derail our efforts to provide our brothers and sisters in need with the live and support that we should all strive to offer one snd other. With the weight of the day feeling seemingly lighter, we had a busy yet very productive day in the community of Vallejo. Here are some highlights of our outing, as we have begun to pass out winter related items. With that, there were no instances that stood out in any profound manner, other than the need to stay the course. We will be out next serving breakfast this Tuesday morning. Til then, have a great week and do those things tgst make not only yourself better, but makes others better as well!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ Yesterday was quite the day for the MLKHP. It was busier than expected, but even more so, we saw a few faces that we hadn’t seen in quite some time. We also met lots of really nice new people, and in total it was just a very humbling day of service. Thankfully, we were able to reconnect with old friends to reestablish old relationships. Just seeing that our old friends were ok and still pushing through, was a great relief, juxtaposed to the worry and uncertainty that often leaves us concerned for their well being. We hope to keep the restructuring the route to meet the needs of as many individuals as possible, without losing track of anyone in the process.🤞🏾”Staying the course” is our motto, and “ EMPOWERING OTHERS TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES” is our mission!! If all goes according to plan, we will be going out Tuesday morning to serve breakfast, and we will continue to keep doing what we can to support our brothers and sisters in need! Seeing how our shipment of face masks “finally” arrived, granted after the lunch run was completed and we had given out our absolute last available mask yesterday, their arrival was a good sign that things are meant to keep going as planned! 🙏🏾
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!! https://www.facebook.com/MLKHumanityProject/ This past Saturday was another quiet day. With the apparent shuffling of individuals occurring, it’s hard to properly gage what to take, so we maintain our weekly pars. To responsibly address the uncertainty in numbers, we have implemented a new practice to help maintain the quality of freshness in our lunches. Thus way we are able to continue serving lunches by appointment in days we generally don’t go out. It works better for our friends, and addresses the possibility of financial waste our bottom line, by all but eliminating any, with regards to perishables. We were also able to provide loose toiletries, toiletry bags, and BOMBAS socks, to everyone we encountered yesterday. We will continue to maintain our new operational model, as it will serve to be very useful when the numbers go up. Thus is all but sure to happen, when the emergency funding starts to dissipate and be redirected towards transitional projects and other programs aimed at starting over, so to speak! Post pandemic numbers will price to be alarming, however if we prepare now, we will be able to do more with efficiency and consistency, that will serve to help the many we cold encounter, and quite honestly become. So til next time, stay safe and God Bless!! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!!
This week’s Healthy Start Breakfast Program marked our return after we took a brief break to get motive our storage capacity. Having done so successfully, we were able to get back out and do our thing. With the option of either hot cinnamon raisin oatmeal or egg and cheese wrap breakfasts, we were not only happy to be back out helping others, but we were also surprised that people took note of our absence. This acknowledgment from our friends further motivates us to keep up the work, and to keep striving to fulfill the vision of our mission statement “EMPOWERING OTHERS TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES”. We will be out next this coming Saturday with doing our Sack Lunch Program, where we will let you know what we’ve been working diligently on during our brief but very productive hiatus. So til then, stay safe, be kind, Peace, and God Bless!
It was a beautiful day yesterday in the Bay. The air quality is still suspect at best, but the need is very real. With the uncertainty of what to expect from week to week, we are finding ourselves making extra efforts to seek out those individuals who find themselves unable to gain benefit from any existing resources. With the rise in homelessness steadily increasing, due to the pandemic and ever growing economic depression, we are going to get ready to go full throttle with our MLKHP Family & Friends Program. At some point we anticipate the emergency housing funds and funding in general, to decrease and be redirected into transitional programs. Ultimately, the need to be prepared is paramount. Having already done a test run of sorts, as it pertains to the emergency supplies backpacks, we are very prepared to approach the impending situation with a very deliberate distribution apparatus.
On another front, we will be talking the coming week off, to set up our new storage unit to help us expedite the entire operational functionality of our organization. So til we see y’all again on 10/06/2020, have a safe and productive week! |
AuthorThe MLK Humanity Project is an inclusive community organization devoted to the well being and empowerment of our homeless and less fortunate residents. Archives
May 2021
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