"Black Friday" and more

There are names for our holiday shopping days: "Black Friday", "Small Business Saturday" and "Cyber Monday". And now there's a movement called "Giving Tuesday" to encourage and celebrate charitable giving.

I think of this as balancing the scales from being weighted towards consuming goods to also investing in good, charitable causes. "Giving Tuesday" will be on December 2nd this year, and at CCSC, we're going pay attention to our on-line traffic that day.

I enjoy hearing stories of how families creatively weave philanthropy into their lives. A few years ago, a CCSC family created a tradition in which the adults give only charitable gifts to each other. They still give toys to the children, but on Christmas morning the adults exchange envelopes, showing which nonprofit they gave to, in honor of each family member. The children are intentionally part of this gift exchange, in hopes it will influence them as they become adults.

So think about ways you can include giving in your Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions. It doesn't have to be big or complex, but instead should be meaningful and match your values & interests.

PS  Speaking of "Black Friday", swing by the Sunshine Resale Shop to see if they have any holiday gifts for the people you love. The shop will have more than a few one-of-a-kind gifts like the one below.

Today is a special day

This morning we dedicated one of our buildings in memory of our founder, Reverend J. Dean Robinson. Dean had big ideas and a generous heart, so a large sign with his name on it is now on the outside of our building. Friends and family gathered as Dean’s minister, Dr. Tom Pace from St. Luke’s Methodist, dedicated the building. 

Pictured below are Dean's brother-in-law, sister, son and wife along with Dr. Pace and me.

 

And then tonight, we have our “service of remembrance” in which we call out the names of the volunteers who died in the previous year. Reverend Blair Parker from Bethany Christian Church will lead us in remembering the 21 people listed at the bottom of this blog.

So today is about honoring those who gave their time to CCSC’s work. None of these people are famous by the world’s standards, but true excellence has little to do with outward signs of success. True excellence is about character, values, and how you treat others.  

The people I have the privilege of working with – staff, volunteers, funders, clergy – are intentional in living Christ-like lives. So they influence me to be more generous, more forgiving, more open to ways of living that benefit others.

So I ask: who are the people who most influence your life, and if the influences are good, have you ever thanked them for who they are to you?

Remembering these volunteers who died over the previous year:

            John Baker                                           Everett Marley

            Dorothy Berry                                     Kim McElfresh

            Toby Boyer                                           George Nevers

            Ben Campbell                             Rev. Dean Robinson

            Kenneth Dorman                Dorothy “Sue” Shanklin

            Claire Fricke                                 Theo Doris Sobotik

            Nancy Elizabeth Garfield                   Terry Stewart

            Harvey Hawkins                                              Vi Stolz

            Rev. Harold Heckmann                   George Stringer

            Dan Henley                                      Miles Woodward

            Bill Lamont

 

Boo!

Below is a picture of Myra, a long-time CCSC volunteer who spends at least one day/week working at the Sunshine Resale Shop. Myra is open about her age – she is 91 years old – and she has more energy than people much, much younger than her.

I share this picture of Myra to make two points:

First, the Sunshine Resale Shop is a fun place to shop and volunteer. When I went today (on Halloween), several of the staff and volunteers were in full costume, contributing to a light and festive atmosphere. And among the items I saw for sale were a Louis Vuitton purse, several books that are currently on the bestseller list, and some antique furniture from an estate.

Second, age is rarely a reason to stop living a full life. Myra is certainly blessed with good health, but she has been intentional in making sure her days are busy and filled with activities. She does a lot of good in the community and would be the first to say that staying busy has kept her young.

So, if you want to visit a great shop with a cornucopia of treasures, stop by the Sunshine Resale Shop at 5413 Bellaire Blvd. And if you want to volunteer in any area of CCSC, contact Kate Gallup at kgallup@ccschouston.org. We’d love to have you!

 

Can you imagine an empty kitchen?

When my children arrive home from school, they are hungry and tired. So typically they'll eat a snack and relax a bit before doing their homework. That little break and the nourishment helps them to then concentrate on their school work.

I share this with you because we recently helped a single mom who works at a fast food restaurant, but still has trouble feeding her daughter. She walked in last week, right as we were closing, hoping to get some food before her daughter arrived home. When we told her we could help, she began crying, telling us that when her daughter gets home from school, she is hungry, but there isn't always food for her. 

It's difficult for most of us to imagine this scenario. Yet I've spoken with several donors and volunteers over the years who lived it growing up and have no trouble imagining an empty pantry. Some were constantly hungry in childhood while others struggled only during temporary family crises.

Food pantries like ours provide a safety net for many different kinds of people. It helps the working poor like this mother, and of course, it helps lots of children. But we also feed older people living on a fixed income as well as those who struggle with physical and mental disabilities. And then there are those who have undergone a one-time crisis and are faced with making choices between food, shelter or other basic needs.

As we move into the holiday season, there will be many opportunities to support our food pantries as well as other pantries. And it's so easy: you can either drop donated food off or send in a check. However you do it, you'll be helping to feed the most vulnerable in our community.

 

We help people improve their lives

Our program staff compile monthly statistics and send them to me and other staff who use the data. The data tells us who we served and how we served them, along with relevant demographic information.

The numbers help us to understand our clients and identify trends. But the numbers are only part of the picture which is why hearing individual stories helps round out my understanding of CCSC's mission on the ground.

 JobNet Manager Mickey Hammond now includes a client story along with her monthly stats, so I share the following with you.

Many JobNet clients come to us discouraged, unemployed or under-employed, and not earning enough for basic living expenses. For example, "Bob" did handyman chores at his apartment to pay the rent. He was discouraged, and his transformation with us began after taking the "Art of Interviewing" workshop which gave him new job search skills. He then enrolled in the QuickBooks workshop to learn how to develop a more lucrative handyman business; JobNet then made business cards for him. Along with these resources, a volunteer coach improved his resume which ultimately secured him an interview with a security company. And the company hired him! So now he has a better-paying job along with a vision (and skills) to create his own business on the side.

There are easy ways to help JobNet's clients. List your company's job openings with us, volunteer your time in the program, or simply let us know when you see "Help Wanted" signs at your favorite local business. To connect with JobNet, email Mickey at jobnet@ccschouston.org.

Do you use a lawn service?

Lawn care is a good business in Houston with our year-round growing season. CCSC sometimes helps families who operate a lawn service, and recently we helped a single man who brings in about $1,300/month with his business. Because he lives frugally and only has to provide for himself, he says the income is adequate.

Unfortunately his mother (who lives outside of Houston) died, so he naturally needed to return home. He and his siblings planned the funeral, paid for the burial, and took care of all the tasks that arise when a loved one dies. He was gone three weeks, losing nearly a month of income. He pulled from savings to make his car payment and rent, but couldn't pay the electricity bill. So we helped with the bill, knowing this would return him to stable footing.

It humbles me to see people living without complaint on a limited income, especially when coping with normal life situations.

My mother died 18 months ago, so I understand the grief and the work it takes to settle someone's affairs. So with this client, I wondered how I would have coped with my mother's death, knowing I would return to a financially dire situation for myself.

I imagine I would have called my church for help because the church would have done its best to care for me. Among other things, I'm fairly sure they would have sent me to CCSC for help. So CCSC's response to clients is on behalf of my church and the other 40 churches who comprise our coalition.

We are the church in society, meeting basic, human needs and providing a safety net for those whose lives are economically fragile.

It's a new academic year

My children have returned to school, so our family is back to the structured, school-year routine that we hunger for in August but happily abandon in May.

I thought we had all the needed school supplies, but some additional items were added to the list, so we had to return to the store again. It was inconvenient only in making time to run the errand, not in purchasing the items.  I note that because this is one of the times of year I see a starkness between families who struggle financially and those who don't.

Buying new clothing, school supplies and paying for activity fees is easy for some of us but burdensome for others. We see many working families at our food pantries who are living on a meager income and just barely squeaking by. These August purchases set them back, which is why CCSC created the "Back To School" program in 1986.

This year we gave 6,518 needy children brand new school supplies and clothing, and below is a picture of some of the supplies. At the event, I visited with a 5th grade girl who was bursting with happiness. She told me she was excited to go home and organize the supplies and couldn't wait to meet her teacher. I thought of her on Monday, when HISD classes began, hoping her first day went well.

Thank you to the many in our community who volunteered at the event and/or sponsored a student.  And thanks to the many in our community who support the food pantries, employment programs and other areas of CCSC. Our organization is strong because of the many individuals who support it.

Happy Labor Day!