Food For Thought

We at Food For Thought are very excited about Tent City starting today!  Located downtown between the police station and the courthouse, it is an annual event to raise awareness of homelessness in Toledo.  It is an opportunity for those of you who have not interacted with the unhoused in our community to come downtown and learn how you can make a difference and impact the lives of others. 

This has been a very tough year for so many Toledoans—perhaps you are one of those people.  You may have experienced a job loss, foreclosure, loss of a loved one, poor health diagnosis…something that completely changed your world.  Although this may be the case, there are so many others right here in our dear city that have so much less and have lost so much more.  “Realize at your lowest point, you will still be at a higher point than someone at their lowest point.” That is why so many of us volunteer our time and energy to help out those that truly appreciate the small things that the rest of us overlook—a hot shower, a warm, nutritional meal, a soft bed to sleep in, a comforting embrace—because we have all these things, and more. 

The staggering statistics are that Toledo is the eighth poorest city in the United States.  Let me repeat that—the EIGHTH poorest city in the ENTIRE United States.  Poverty and homelessness isn’t something that happens only in places like Detroit and Cleveland, it’s happening right here in our backyard.  The reality is that it can easily effect any of us, especially in these difficult economic times we are facing.  “First the electricity got turned off. We got that turned on. Then the gas got turned off. And once you start to get behind…You get to the point where you get behind on your rent as well and soon we were evicted. We came home one morning and found most of our belongings in our front yard.” All of us have missed a payment or two at some point in our lives.  For some, it’s more than once or twice, and if a child is sick or the family car breaks down, then what?  If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, (as the majority of us are) there’s nowhere for the money to come from.  Many of us are that one paycheck away from poverty ourselves. So if you won’t help the needy, why should anyone expect help if they become needy?

Schedule of events:

Friday

6:00   Opening ceremonies

7:00   Mayoral Candidate Forum

8:00   Live Local Entertainment

Saturday

8:00-4:00   Project Homeless Connect–haircuts, podiatry, dental and medical services, flu shots, food, clothing, birth certificates, ID’s

12:00   Lunch will be provided by Food For Thought

5:00   Community Barbecue Dinner

6:30   Council & Judicial Candidates Forum

7:00   Live Local Entertainment

Sunday

8:00-10:00   Reverse Celebrity Pancake Breakfast

10:15-11:15   Community Worship Service

11:30   Closing Ceremonies

Last year Tent City delivered over $50,000 in medical and other services over one weekend.  Previous guests have included former governor Dick Celeste, Lee Fisher, Robert Kennedy Jr., Sherrod Brown, Ann Brunner and John Mellencamp.

Feeling that little tug on your heart strings?  There are so many ways that you can help!  Although volunteers have been signing up for months, you can still drop-in and they will find a way to plug you in.  Last minute volunteers are appreciated and welcome.  There is no better experience to understand who the unhoused really are than spending time and getting to know them.  No time to head downtown but want to make an impact?  They are still in need of jeans, gloves, socks, boxers and long underwear.   

Please search your heart this weekend and decide to take some time to come out to Tent City.  It may change your life and your renew your spirit.  I hope to see you there.

Toledo Launches a Street Paper

A much needed congratulations is in order to Amanda Moore, a dedicated Food For Thought volunteer and now Director and Managing Editor of Toledo Streets, a brand-spanking-new street paper!  What is a street newspaper, you ask?  A street paper is a newspaper that addresses local issues including poverty and homelessness.  What truly distinguishes a street paper is that it is distributed by poor or unhoused vendors.  The vendors purchase the papers from an organization for a fraction of the price that they sell them for.  Toledo Street papers will be sold for $1.  This enables the vendor to be an entrepreneur and by selling the papers after purchase, they are able to keep the profits they receive from patrons.  “For many people, this is the opportunity they need to get back on their feet and into permanent housing, “ states the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA). 

By purchasing these papers, you can offer support to hardworking men and women that at one point may have been just like you.  Street papers are not a new phenomenon, and in Portland, Oregon, they have “started to see a new type of vendor — chefs, park rangers and construction workers who have lost stable jobs or crucial part-time work as the economy crumbled….new vendors have high school diplomas or even college degrees.”  Toledo Streets is a way for them to get back on their feet and earn their way to recovery from poverty.

It also provides a way for them to build relationships with their surrounding community and to fight loneliness and depression.  They feel a sense of pride and self-worth by working for themselves.  Many may understand the financial and social ramifications of homelessness, but few notice the impact it may have on an individual’s mental illness.  ” In addition – and perhaps more important -a street paper provides an opportunity for interaction with people. This is critical for people who often begin to feel invisible while in plain view.“  This is precisely why we at Food For Thought focus not only on handing out much-needed nutritional meals, but also strive to establish friendships with those we serve.  We believe that it’s just as important to nurture a person’s heart and mind as their belly.

Please join us in congratulating Amanda and her team and pick up a paper (or five) from the vendors downtown.  As said best by John F. Kennedy, “One person can make a difference and every person should try”.

There’s just something about the thrill of the hunt……..

Come join the fun and find some great deals!

Food For Thought will be holding a rummage sale at New Harvest Church, 3540 Seaman Street in Oregon on Saturday, October 24 from 8:00am-3:00pm.

We will have a variety of items including small appliances, clothing, household items, knick-knacks–all looking for a new home!  All proceeds will go to fund our organization.

Please stop by to say hi and pick something up for yourself, or an early Christmas gift for those you love.

Donations are also still being accepted.  Please contact Tana at 419.972.1338 or tana {at} freelunchtoledo.com if you have something you would like to share.

See you then!