Help Bring Hope to Life for homeless and less fortunate individuals and families.
One of many - A Testimony letter that's worth the read.
"Cheryl and I met about 4 years ago at Crossroads Mall (Bellevue, WA) when she came to the Mini City Hall to talk about a program your "small but mighty :)" congregation was starting. With donations from grocery stores and sporadic cash donations, a group had started to create food bags in Ziploc bags stocked with healthy snacks and bottles of water that would be easily accessible to homeless people or those who did not have access regularly to a kitchen. The bags were not just for the homeless; Cheryl also thought it would help people's dignities who were struggling, to be able to have these snack bags to take to school or work, similar to what others bring when they are on the go.
We loved the idea immediately and we decided to have some snack bags at MCH (Mini City Hall) and both of us would see if people were open to receiving the bags. We would offer them to people who came in for Human Service help and we knew that having enough to eat was a struggle.
The first day we had the bags available at Mini City Hall we knew this was very special and unique. We LOVE this program!
"Before this partnership with Cheryl and Embassy Bible Fellowship, we had food bags from Hopelink which are still so important for people who cannot get to the food bank. Their program is also needed, but has a different purpose. The bags from Hopelink, even the no cook bags, are designed for a family and are not as easily grabbed or transported on the go... There is a criterion for the recipients of the bags and they must give some demographic information. That's not the case with Embassy.
The Ziploc bags from Embassy when taken to school or work, help kids and adults fit into the mainstream easily. The bags have become little nuggets of gold for our customers who are marginalized in our community. People's faces light up when we give them the clean, fresh, colorful bags with appetizing and nutritious snacks.
In September a family came in to Mini City Hall needing help. The family had 4 children and their water had been shut off. The kids were starting school soon. After making a payment arrangement to get the water turned back on, one of our volunteers at MCH sat down with the father to talk about what other referrals and programs we had available that might make a difference for the family. The father was exhausted and beaten down; he had not had steady work since 2009; they were in jeopardy of loosing their home and the kids were starting school in 2 days. We connected the family with several resources and started building a relationship so we could help with employment referrals and Public Health applications. At the end of the appointment, this very soft spoken and earnest man was thankful for our help, and while he was very polite he was obviously depressed. We had given him a food bag containing canned goods and some other staples. We had referred him to the "teen closet" program to look into school clothes for the kids and he was again thankful yet unanimated.
"Cheryl and I met about 4 years ago at Crossroads Mall (Bellevue, WA) when she came to the Mini City Hall to talk about a program your "small but mighty :)" congregation was starting. With donations from grocery stores and sporadic cash donations, a group had started to create food bags in Ziploc bags stocked with healthy snacks and bottles of water that would be easily accessible to homeless people or those who did not have access regularly to a kitchen. The bags were not just for the homeless; Cheryl also thought it would help people's dignities who were struggling, to be able to have these snack bags to take to school or work, similar to what others bring when they are on the go.
We loved the idea immediately and we decided to have some snack bags at MCH (Mini City Hall) and both of us would see if people were open to receiving the bags. We would offer them to people who came in for Human Service help and we knew that having enough to eat was a struggle.
The first day we had the bags available at Mini City Hall we knew this was very special and unique. We LOVE this program!
"Before this partnership with Cheryl and Embassy Bible Fellowship, we had food bags from Hopelink which are still so important for people who cannot get to the food bank. Their program is also needed, but has a different purpose. The bags from Hopelink, even the no cook bags, are designed for a family and are not as easily grabbed or transported on the go... There is a criterion for the recipients of the bags and they must give some demographic information. That's not the case with Embassy.
The Ziploc bags from Embassy when taken to school or work, help kids and adults fit into the mainstream easily. The bags have become little nuggets of gold for our customers who are marginalized in our community. People's faces light up when we give them the clean, fresh, colorful bags with appetizing and nutritious snacks.
In September a family came in to Mini City Hall needing help. The family had 4 children and their water had been shut off. The kids were starting school soon. After making a payment arrangement to get the water turned back on, one of our volunteers at MCH sat down with the father to talk about what other referrals and programs we had available that might make a difference for the family. The father was exhausted and beaten down; he had not had steady work since 2009; they were in jeopardy of loosing their home and the kids were starting school in 2 days. We connected the family with several resources and started building a relationship so we could help with employment referrals and Public Health applications. At the end of the appointment, this very soft spoken and earnest man was thankful for our help, and while he was very polite he was obviously depressed. We had given him a food bag containing canned goods and some other staples. We had referred him to the "teen closet" program to look into school clothes for the kids and he was again thankful yet unanimated.
"Then I brought out 3 of the Embassy Ziploc bags for his school age kids and one for him to take to a temporary construction job the next day. His eyes filled with tears; he couldn't speak at first. Then he smiled broadly. He shook my hand and said, 'Ma'am, this will help the kids so much to go to their first day of school. They are at an age where fitting in is important, especially on the first day."
Then I brought out 3 of the Embassy Ziploc bags for his school age kids and one for him to take to a temporary construction job the next day. His eyes filled with tears; he couldn't speak at first. Then he smiled broadly. He shook my hand and said, 'Ma'am, this will help the kids so much to go to their first day of school. They are at an age where fitting in is important, especially on the first day."
Our volunteer smiled back and said, "These bags are provided by a wonderful group of people from EB Fellowship church. And this is exactly what they are here for."
Not only do the bags mean the world to every recipient who receives one, it means so much to our staff at MCH to be able to give them to those who need them. The volunteer said to me after the customer left, "It feels so good to make a difference, these bags are awesome!"
They are AWESOME and so are each and every one of you!
We know it is a struggle to procure donations and keep this program going. All of you and the work you do for our community is so appreciated. There really are no words to describe what an impact this program has, one person at a time; one Ziploc bag at a time.
Warm Regards and Hugs to all,
Barb Tuininga,
Community Involvement Coordinator
City of Bellevue Crossroads Mini City Hall
Our volunteer smiled back and said, "These bags are provided by a wonderful group of people from EB Fellowship church. And this is exactly what they are here for."
Not only do the bags mean the world to every recipient who receives one, it means so much to our staff at MCH to be able to give them to those who need them. The volunteer said to me after the customer left, "It feels so good to make a difference, these bags are awesome!"
They are AWESOME and so are each and every one of you!
We know it is a struggle to procure donations and keep this program going. All of you and the work you do for our community is so appreciated. There really are no words to describe what an impact this program has, one person at a time; one Ziploc bag at a time.
Warm Regards and Hugs to all,
Barb Tuininga,
Community Involvement Coordinator
City of Bellevue Crossroads Mini City Hall
Packing Emergency Food Bags at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue, WA
Packing Emergency Food Bags
Ready to serve.
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Emergency Food Bag for kids.
Volunteers, adults and kids serving a meal.
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Emergency Food Bags for Adults.
Children helping pack Emergency Food Bags.
Serving a meal at the Salvation Army.
One of the many meals served.
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