O c tobe r 2 0 14
OCTOBER 2013
Family matters National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week Sometimes all it takes is a little fun to get a movement started. Every year, the week before Thanksgiving is designated as National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week throughout the United States. Right here in Philadelphia, Bethesda Project is proud to join in the efforts to raise awareness about the devastating statistics within our own community. This year, National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will be observed Nov. 15-23 and Bethesda Project will jam pack the week with new and innovative events to bring attention to the thousands of men and women who are homeless and food insecure in Philadelphia. We hope you can join us! Throughout the duration of the week, buildings in Center City and street lights along Avenue of the Arts will be tinted blue to commemorate the week. Whole Foods Market South Street and Callowhill will be our champion for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, hosting Nickels for NonProfits and Feed 4 More programs during the month of November. Proceeds will aid Bethesda Project to continue its mission to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have none. The impact of homelessness goes beyond the walls of Bethesda Project’s 14 locations and beyond Philadelphia’s borders. Yangming Restaurant in Bryn Mawr is making sure that those in the suburbs can also support National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. From Nov. 15-23, Yangming will create a specialty cocktail and will donate half the proceeds to Bethesda Project. Signature cocktails with a splash of community goodness—what could be better than that? Continued on page 2
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week continued from page 1 Also along the Main Line, Avero Bar Italiano in Wayne will be hosting a special happy hour featuring guest bartenders and appetizers and drink specials to benefit Bethesda Project. With good drinks comes good food and Bethesda Project has that covered. From Nov. 9-23, Philadelphia’s first and only food truck serving bagels with personalized schmear, will feature Bethesda Project as its charity. For every bagel purchased, Schmear It will donate three percent to Bethesda Project. On Monday, Nov. 17 from 6-8 p.m. Bethesda Project will present Sweet & Savory: Battle Against Hunger at Inter national House Philadelphia. Culinar y students from all over Philadelphia will compete to see who will make the best appetizer and best dessert. Tickets are $20 and includes one free ticket for beer or wine and access to the competition. Individuals who attend Sweet & Savory: Battle Against Hunger will also receive admission to the film premiere of Perseverance with Dignity, a short documentary about street homelessness in Philadelphia. Filmmaker Scott Parry and photographer Christopher Brown spent eight months on the streets of Philadelphia speaking to homeless men and women and capturing their stories on film. Brown came to Philadelphia to learn photography and realized that there was an entire homeless community in Philadelphia that was yearning for support and recognition. It was then that Brown, along with videographer Parry, began to document Philadelphia’s homeless populations, spending hours a day with them, sleeping where they slept, and walking with them during every step of their day. Audience members will be treated to a panel discussion after the premiere, where individuals featured in the film will answer questions and tell their stories. Attendees will also be able to view Brown’s photo gallery, a preview of which is now on display at Whole Foods Market South Street. All of these events would not be possible without our sponsors: Whole Foods Market, PJM Interconnection, Regina Nursing Center, Yangming Restaurant, PRAVDA Vodka, STARR Restaurants, 333 Bellrose Bar & Grill, Philly PR Girl, Drexel Food Lab, International House Philadelphia, Do Good Brewing, Taws Can Do, and Avero Bar Italiano. Learn more about these and other great activities planned by calling us at 215-985-1600 or visiting our website, www.bethesdaproject.org.
Bethesda Project launches new t-shirt line We’re happy to announce our partnership with Inkster Cares to produce a new t-shirt line to benefit Bethesda Project! For every $20 t-shirt purchased, Inkster Cares will donate $8 to us! These great designs, courtesy of art director Rich Wakefield, are super trendy and make perfect holiday gifts! Get yours today at http://www.inkstercares.com/partners/bethesda-project/
Out and about! The Rock ‘N’ Roll HalfMarathon On Sunday, Sept. 21, guests from Our Brothers’ Place shelter got up and out at 6 a.m. to volunteer at the Philadelphia Rock ’N’ Roll halfmarathon. We corralled the racers into different groups before the starting gun. Then we collected discarded clothing which we distributed to other local charities with the help of Clothes-Pin.org. We’re ready and eager to help with the Philadelphia Marathon on Nov. 23 where we have collected and distributed over 300 bags of discarded clothing each year. If you would like to volunteer, please contact communitylife@bethesdaproject.org for details!
Dinner and painting at Malvern Prep On Sept. 26, guests from Our Brothers’ Place participated in the first of three dinners with students from Malvern Prep. Students brought ceramic bowls that they made at school and together they painted them with guests from our men’s shelter. Then the hungry artists shared a delicious meal of chicken and dumplings with cornbread. In January the finished bowls will be auctioned off as a fundraiser that supports Bethesda Project. Last year the Empty Bowls fundraiser raised over $11,000! If you are interested in organizing a fundraiser for Bethesda Project, please contact development@bethesdaproject.org.
Support Bethesda Project every time you shop at Amazon Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price every time you shop via www.smile.amazon.com. Just type "Bethesda Project" in the charity box. It's that simple!
Out and about! AIDS Walk On Sunday, Oct. 19, staff, guests and residents braved the chilly weather to participate in the annual AIDS Walk. Sponsored by the AIDS Fund, the AIDS Walk raises awareness and funds to combat AIDS in the Philadelphia community. Proceeds from the walk are distributed to prevent, detect and fight the spread of HIV and AIDS and we were excited to take part! The Bethesda Project team raised $190 for the AIDS Fund.
Leadership changes on the horizon for Bethesda Project Congratulations to Bethesda Project’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Fr. Domenic Rossi, who was recently appointed pastor at St. Gabriel’s church in South Philadelphia. Fr. Rossi, who had been serving as parish administrator for the past year, was appointed pastor this summer. This full-time position and increased responsibilities led Fr. Rossi to identify the need for a full-time CEO for Bethesda Project. The Board of Directors of Bethesda Project just announced that a search for a new Chief Executive Officer is currently underway. The ideal candidate would be in place by July 2015. Once the new CEO is in place, Fr. Rossi will continue his work with Bethesda Project in the capacity of Director of Mission Advancement. In this part-time role, Fr. Rossi will focus on building relationships with new and existing volunteers and donors, speaking on behalf of Bethesda Project and to underline the mission of the organization, “to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have none.”
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FROM THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIFE
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1630 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 Tel: (215) 985-1600 Fax: (215) 732-8214 www.bethesdaproject.org