[Lekooks] Your Input is Requested Please - Time Sensitive

Tue Oct 17 11:24:15 CDT 2023

First of all, I want to thank Gina Magnus for all her many (10?) years of
outstanding leadership on coordinating our involvement with Family
Promise.  Gina has done the huge lion's share of our involvement with the
program since we started, and without her willingness to take charge and do
whatever needed to be done, we wouldn't have been able to keep up our
commitment to date.

That said, as the program has changed since Covid, and as our church has
also changed, it is really important for us to consider what our level of
commitment to Family Promise will look like  going forward.  I know we all
understand the huge challenges to being able to afford housing these days,
and the overwhelming need for support for people who are unhoused.  I'm
sure we all feel like supporting Family Promise is a good idea --  and
being responsible for one meal a month doesn't seem like a big ask -- but
the question is whether or not we actually have enough *people willing to
commit to making food and bringing it where it needs to go each month*.
Since Covid, the number of people who have been involved is quite small,
and I know Gina has made a lot of the food herself.

*With this new model, people can make and provide food without being
trained, so everyone in our congregation could contribute.*

I would like to see us continue our involvement going forward.  I am
willing to continue to make food and help, but of course I, like many of
us, am retired and am traveling often.  I think I can realistically commit
to providing food in January and March.  I would also be happy to help with
coordinating the Signup Genius or help deliver the food to the shelter.

I think Gina needs to hear from many of us that we are committed to making
food or helping in another way in order to decide that we are willing and
able to be a part of this program.

Thanks to all who have responded.  I hope we hear from enough of us to
justify a decision to remain committed to Family Promise!

Kerry

On Tue, Oct 17, 2023 at 10:43 AM Gail Ostler via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org>
wrote:

> Gina, I'm willing to help.  Gail Ostler
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Lekooks <lekooks-bounces at lekook.org> on behalf of Paula Hillmann
> via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org>
> *Sent:* Monday, October 16, 2023 11:54 AM
> *To:* Gina Magnus <gmarksonmagnus at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* Tammara Wolfgram via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org>;
> minister at lcuuc.org <minister at lcuuc.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [Lekooks] Your Input is Requested Please - Time Sensitive
>
> Hi Gina,
> Thank you, as always, for all you do!
> I see the pros and cons, as you mention.
> I'm all for helping support families who need the encouragement that
> Family Promise provides.
> I'm happy to donate food if that's the way we decide to go.
> But to be honest, my favorite part about Family Promise has been the way
> we've supported families both socially and emotionally by having direct
> interactions - "feeding the body and the spirit" by spending time with the
> families.
> Might this FP change be something that no longer matches our mission, and
> our capacity to serve in this way?
> I hope everyone chimes in - I'd like to hear what others have to say.
> Paula
>
> On Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 10:57 AM Gina Magnus via Lekooks <
> lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:
>
> Good Morning All,
>
> I will try to keep this as brief as possible while trying to give you the
> information you need to help with this decision regarding our participation
> in the "new" version of Family Promise.  I am very proud of our
> congregation for being the first church to sign on with the program in 2014
> and for our continued support of the program as the model changed in
> response to the pandemic. The staff at Family Promise has proposed a
> dramatically different model for the upcoming winter/spring months.  For
> the sake of brevity, I will bullet point the rest of the information.
>
> *  Family Promise of Waukesha County (FP)  has partnered with Hebron House
> in Waukesha to manage the Emergency Overflow Shelter (EOS) for families and
> singles experiencing homelessness in Waukesha County from Nov '23 - March
> '24.
> *  The EOS is located at 1210 Sentry Dr. and can house up to 35 people.
> *  Families and Singles will be placed in the EOS only after* every other*
> available shelter bed is full.
> *  We have been asked to provide a meal once a month for the shelter (5
> times).  Our day is currently the third Thursday of the month.  The census
> will change and is weather dependent, but we should plan on feeding 35
> people.  We will have census data prior to our host date, but again, it can
> change quickly.
>
> Pros:
> *  This is a very vulnerable group of people who will benefit greatly from
> having a safe place to stay and meals provided.
> *  Trained staff from HebronHouse and FP will be onsite daily.
> *  No training is required to provide the meal.  Only trained volunteers
> will be able to stay and serve the food.
> *  It is a 5 month commitment at this time and if enough people sign on to
> provide food or $$, I believe it is doable.
>
> Cons:
> *  Feeding 35 people will be expensive and take some organizing.
> *  This is an atypical volunteer experience in that we will not have many
> opportunities to build relationships with other volunteers or our guests at
> the EOS.
> *  This is radically different from the model of FP that we signed on to
> in 2014. (con or simply the truth?)
>
> I met with Rev. Matt and Phil Smith yesterday and we decided that the best
> thing to do is to pose the question to all of you. *I would like you to
> respond as to whether or not you think we should sign on to provide a meal
> once a month for 35 people for 5 months*.  *IF you think we should,
> please also let me know if you are willing to commit to providing
> meals/food or $$ to support the effort. * I am willing to continue to
> coordinate our volunteers and the meals, but
> *I cannot do this without significant help from all of you.  *
>
> FP is looking for our answer by midweek this week.  I appreciate all input
> on this matter.
>
> Thank you, and as always I am so grateful to this congregation for the
> support that you have provided for FP over the last 10 years.
>
> gina markson magnus
> 262-424-7640
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>
>
> --
> Paula Hillmann
> paula.hillmann at gmail.com
> cell: 262-366-5991
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>
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