Everyone Has Something to Give

The Community Against Poverty Volunteer Fair was held yesterday afternoon at The Heights Community Center in Richmond Heights.  It was a gorgeous day both outside and inside the open and warm facility that accommodated our event.  The day began with over twenty organizations arriving and setting up their displays and presentations that were unique to each of their organizations.  Before the public arrived, it was fantastic to witness the different organizations networking and communicating with one another.

The fair officially began with remarks from the Community Against Poverty chair Renee Marver.  Reverend  C. Jessel Strong, the President of  the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, gave his thanks to all of the volunteers present.  His message of gratitude set a fantastic tone for the entire event.  The keynote speaker, Martin Rafanan, is the executive director of Gateway 180: Homelessness Reversed and spoke about the attribution of success of his agency to volunteers.  Martin gave a powerful insight into the importance of not only volunteering but also about the benefits of bringing together different organizations with varied strengths to fight poverty on a united front.

After the keynote speaker, the volunteer organizations opened up their booths to the public and those present walked around the room, stopping at nearly every table.  I took my own trip through the room and recognized several organizations that I had been in contact with prior to the event.  It was exciting to put names to faces and to touch base with several people that I have been working with on other projects. 

I would like to highlight a few organizations that I was not familiar with that I became informed of as a result of the CAP Fair.  Ready Readers is an organization that trains, places and supports volunteers to read weekly in an assigned classroom of pre-school age children in low-income communities throughout the St. Louis area.  This organization originally caught my attention because two of my favorite books from my childhood were displayed on the table.  After speaking with their representative, I was inspired by the mission of Ready Readers and was ready to add another hour of volunteering to my already jam-packed schedule.  I was also introduced for the first time to St. Louis Bworks.  This organization provides opportunities for at-risk children to expand their abilities in a safe, supportive environment.  They have programs that incorporate bicycles, books, and computers.  These organizations are just two of the many that made the CAP Volunteer Fair a true mix of opportunity.   

CAP is a part of the Jewish Community Relations Council's Bohm Social Justice Initiative.  Through this initiative, the JCRC develops community collaborations for social justice education and social action projects.  The CAP Volunteer Fair is a perfect execution of both parts of the Bohm Social Justice Initiative.  I learned a great deal about the social inequalities and the commitments that exist in the St. Louis area to rectify them.  The CAP Fair opened my eyes to the diverse non-profit organizations that are making St. Louis a better place.  It truly reminded me that anyone, with any particular skills, experience, or interests, has something to give.

    

Share Love, Spread Peace

This Sunday, hosted at the gorgeous Sheldon Concert Hall, several foundations and organizations associated with the St. Louis interfaith effort hosted a September 11th Interfaith Memorial.  The event was open to the public and brought together musical groups from numerous faith traditions.  Each group presented a musical piece that promoted an appreciation for religious diversity, a sense of unity under the American flag, or peace after the 9/11 attacks.  The St. Louis Police Department presented the flag and their Pipes and Drums group began the show.

I was brought to tears by several of the performances.  Each group put their whole hearts into their music and the message they were presenting.  It was inspiring to see the Sheldon full of people from the St. Louis community who supported the idea of using the interfaith themes of peace, love, and hope to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.  The Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations at the JCRC was one of the sponsors of the event.  It was this connection that caused me to appreciate the event even more.  The fact that I have the opportunity to work with an organization that promotes and supports interfaith efforts such as this means a great deal to me.

As we left the Sheldon, a local artist by the name of Lyndsey Scott invited everyone present to participate in an interactive sculpture.  The sculpture stood for the religious diversity that is honored in the St. Louis area.  Everyone was given a small, yellow ribbon and asked to think about how each of us can embody a greater connection with others in our day to day lives.  We were given the opportunity to write our intentions on the ribbon and then each of us tied our ribbon on the sculpture.  Inspired by the concert, I wrote simply, "Share love, spread peace."  

Hunger Action Month

September brings with it rainy days, cooler temperatures, and an increased attention to MLB.  Most importantly here at the JCRC, however, is that September is Hunger Action Month.  Between making phone calls to organizations asking for their support of the Jewish and Muslim Day of Service and the Jewish Social Action Month of Cheshvan, I have been collecting information about hunger in the St. Louis area and compiling information on the organizations that are fighting it.  I am learning much more than I expected.  As a St. Louis University student living in the middle of the city, I previously believed that I had a firm grasp on the issue of hunger in our area.  I was quickly proved wrong and would like to share some of the information I have gathered.

One of the main topics I have been researching is the Farm Bill that was passed by Congress on April 26th of this year.  The Farm Bill is a collection of legislation that regulates agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy.  The 2012 Farm Bill proposes a $4.5 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next ten years.  This cut would mean that 500,000 households a year would lose $90 a month in the SNAP benefits they receive.  For a family struggling at the poverty line, this is a significant loss in their budget. 

H.Res.760 is the Sense of the House Resolution opposing the SNAP cuts.  This resolution outlines the negative implementations of the Farm Bill and asks Congress to reject them.  The document includes some incredibly disheartening information.  In 2010, 48.8 million people lived in food insecure households.  In May of 2012, SNAP served more than 46 million people.  The current Farm Bill will leave thousands of these individuals struggling to put food on their tables.  With the effects of our summer's drought beginning to take a toll on food prices, these individuals and families are already going to be feeling the stretch by paying more in grocery stores.   

Ironically, as Hunger Action Month continues, Congress will reconvene on the issue of the Farm Bill on September 10th.  Information from the Food Research and Action Center estimates that, if the Farm Bill would increase the SNAP benefit budget by $1 billion, 18,000 full-time jobs would be created or maintained.  They also support the statistic listed in H.Res.760 that every dollar in SNAP benefits is estimated to generate up to $1.79 in economic activity.  These figures truly astounded me and forced the gears in my head to turn and think about this current issue. Visit www.frac.org to learn more about the Farm Bill and what you can do to be a part of this ongoing battle against hunger.