January 2013 Newsletter
Hands That Serve is a non-profit organization with a mission dedicated to providing concrete help and financial support to those in need. This support is dependent upon local businesses and individuals who want to give back to their community and ensure a brighter future for St. Louis.
Hands That Serve is celebrating 10 years of service to our local community in 2013! It has been a decade of financial hardship for the country as a whole and it makes the generosity of our benefactors all the more appreciated.
Our relationship with St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in downtown St. Louis has made these many years of feeding the homeless a very safe and enjoyable experience. A special “Thank You!” to Mr. Jim Votino for letting us use his kitchen at St. Vincent’s. Jim’s hard work and dedication to feeding the homeless has been an inspiration to all of us at Hands That Serve. We are so grateful for Jim’s help.
Hands That Serve serves a full lunch including 2 cheeseburgers, a bag of potato chips, a banana, a dessert and a glass of water to 240 people each week. The hot sandwiches are a big hit with the homeless men and women .The number of people coming to the window for lunch has increased more than 20% from last year.
During the past year, Hands That Serve gave 17 homeless and near-homeless families the opportunity to regain stability in decent, affordable housing. The Catholic Charities Community Services Housing Resource Center used the funds to pay security deposits, utility bills, rent/house payments or moving costs for these families.
All of these people are coping with setbacks, such as loss of a job or the onset of a serious illness. Re-establishing steady income has been difficult because of the slow economic recovery. Increased costs for energy and food have consumed their limited resources. These families have had no room to absorb additional expenses – such as , repairs to their car. Eventually, strings of problems can compromise their ability to hold on to their housing. CCHRC expended $9,442.81 during 2012 to assist the 17 families. This amount included not only recent contributions, but money that had been earmarked for four families but was unspent at the end of the previous year.
CCHRC helps people to locate new housing, inspects each unit for safety and code compliance, helps parents create a viable household budget, and connects each one with helpful community resources, such as food pantries and employment programs . The experience gives people the support and assistance they need to improve their quality of life:
V. Finnie is suffering from brain cancer. The weight of her medical bills caused her financial collapse, and she became homeless. HRC case managers helped V. find an affordable apartment near her oncology treatment center. They worked with the hospital to seek forgiveness of some medical debts. They also assisted her in finding a home health care provider, who is managing her daily needs as the cancer progresses and she becomes more forgetful. Funds from Hands that Serve helped pay V’s first month’s rent and covered the cost of moving her belongings out of storage.
B. Meyer is an elderly, disabled and mentally ill woman. She is living in a subsidized apartment in Festus. The apartment needs repairs and is not energy efficient. She could not keep up with her electric bill, especially over the hot summer of 2012. By fall, she owed Ameren UE $88.06 – which, on her income is overwhelming. The arrearage put her in violation of her lease, and she was in danger of losing her apartment. HTS paid the utility arrearage, which enabled B. to get on budget billing at an amount she should be able to handle. Case managers are working with B. to see if there is another unit in the Festus area that would be a better fit for her.
A. Henderson is a single father with seven children ranging in age from 4 to 16. His wife died two years ago. A. endured a brain injury several years back and cannot work. Disability and Social Security income barely keep his children fed and clothed. The family fell behind on rent payments and became homeless in the summer of 2012. Fortunately, a local church offered to house A. and his children in a former convent, rent-free. The church, though, needed to run criminal background and credit checks on A. Funds from Hands That Serve paid the $45 fee. Today, the family is living in a safe and secure place, and A. is contributing what he can by doing odd jobs around the church.
V. Anderson-Brown has one child and lives in Overland. Her husband, Tom, was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in January 2010. V. has been struggling since to keep up with her housing payments. She fell behind by more than $2,700 before asking for help. With guidance from a housing counselor, V. put together a feasible household budget and an action plan. She was able to bring together enough money to pay all but $800 of her arrearage. Funds from Hands that Serve filled the gap and saved her home.
L. Greenlee is a single mother with one child. She has tried hard to provide a good life for her son, but due to a layoff, fell behind on her rent payments. L regained employment and was struggling to catch up. Because of her good record in the past, her landlord wishes to work with her and has approved a repayment plan. L recently sent $1,000 to her landlord, at which time Hands That Serve agreed to contribute an additional $800. L is confident now that she will be able to reach and maintain an account current status.
Hands That Serve has awarded 3 scholarships to students at St. Louis Community College. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 and must be enrolled at St. Louis Community College in an Allied Health program. Single parent or head of household will have priority. The applicant must demonstrate financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office. The individual must demonstrate unmet financial need under the Standard Federal Needs Analysis Formula and be Pell Grant eligible. Students must: be enrolled in a minimum of 9 hours per semester; must submit an essay detailing their academic and career goals; and must maintain the minimum GPA.
A Forest Park Community College nursing student was awarded the Hands that Serve Scholarship in April 2012. This award recipient graduated from STLCC in December 2012, and had their “Pining Ceremony” on December 14, 2012. This student used the scholarship for nursing program books and fees. She is currently waiting to receive their letter authorizing her to take the State Nursing Board Exam. She has further indicated an interest to pursue a BSN Degree in Nursing. Hands That Serve has allowed another individual to follow her dream of earning a living and supporting her family.
At Hands That Serve we believe that giving people the opportunity to help others is as important as helping those in need. When we join hands with local business owners we can do more for our community. Our corporate sponsors welcome the chance to give back to the community that has helped them attain their success. They appreciate seeing exactly how their money is spent and value the fact that it is spent in the St. Louis area. Hands That Serve has no overhead and is able to give more than 99% of our donations go directly to those who need it.
www.handsthatserve.com
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Corporate Sponsors:
Arch Coal
Artco Fabricating
Chris Kelleher, Law Firm for Business
Cobblestone Shoe Repair
Healing Arts Center
Icon Mechanical
Intuitive Therapy and Massage
Murphy Property Tax Consulting, Inc.
Mystic Valley
Relate Publishing
Stillpointe Wellness Center