The Enduring Lesson of Caring for the Children who Assemble Meal Packets

Notes from Margaret Gorman The children and youth of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, Unitarian Universalist in Charlottesville (TJMC UU), and the children of Children's Garden Preschool in Earlysville, Virginia have now assembled meal packets for three years. The director of Children's Garden, Maria Brown, and I (director of the meal packet project at the church) recently had an email discussion of the impact this project has on our children. We agree that while the goal is nutritional support for the caregivers and patients or outpatients at the University of Virginia Medical Center, the effect on our children and youth is profound. What follows comes from our exchange. I wrote to Maria: "For me it is very rewarding to watch the children and youth assemble meal packets again and again. They come into the Sunday school room, look at the stacks of food and supplies, and are eager to get to work.  They say things like, 'This is fun,' and can teach new participants how to make the meals and why we do this. I like the way they 'own' this service project and how they understand they truly help people with it. My hope is this repeated act of service helps lay a foundation for a life of caring and giving." I then asked: "Now that your children have made meal packets for three years, do you see any carry-over for them? Do the older children (four year-olds) remember making meals before?... The meals are beautiful and I just LOVE the way you used envelopes for the cards! If I were a child, this would mean that my message is really important. " Maria replied: "The children who have done this project in the past DO remember doing it from previous years, and I have two girls who even helped explain what the project is to the children who are new this year! They do take ownership, and know which item of food was  sent in by their parents, and in some cases, helped pick out the item they were bringing in! I don't know if you have the ability to do the same with your younger children, having their families sign up to bring in specific foods, in whatever quantity will work for your situation, but I found that it really did make an impression on my children." Maria continued: "The way I did it, with my preschoolers, was to lay out all the food, grouped by meals (dinner items), and then snacks, and each child assembled one packet, choosing food from each "group", such as either oatmeal or cereal plus either an apple or berry bar for the breakfast, etc. That way, they had some choice; they had ownership of a bag.  I also had each child help 'sign' all cards, so the cards received by  recipients  this year have all the children's names on it. I want recipients  to know that all of us care about them and we are thinking about them. This year the children signed by putting their thumbprint on the card in the color ink of their choosing... then  I made their print into a flower.  At the top of the card it said, 'Made with Love by The Children's Garden'.  I hope this helps!  We will do this project again next year, and hopefully for many years to come." Final Comments: Thanks to Maria Brown and Children's Garden for the 16 meal packets for 2013, and thanks to the continuing support of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist for the religious education meal packet project.  In this month of  May the sixth graders put together 156 meals. I am looking forward to using some of Maria's tips when our youngest children make meals this summer. If you, our reader, want to know more about assembling meal packets, look at this link to the IHS Food Program.  Please contact me with your questions and ideas. Just send a note to the IHS e-mail, and it will be transferred to my attention very shortly. Margaret Gorman IHS Food Packet Coordinator

May Start Gets a Boost with Junior League of Charlottesville (JLC) Grant

Infant Car Seat Program a Little Closer to this Year's Goal IHS was selected as a recipient of a Spring 2013 Community Grant from the Junior League of Charlottesville (JLC) in the amount of $750.00 to support our Baby Fund which is dedicated to indigent UVA Medical Center pediatric patients needs.  Specifically, these funds will be used to purchase infant car seats. Hillary Dack, the 2012-2013 JLC Vice Chair, said in her letter to IHS, "We received a large number of excellent grant applications for this funding cycle, but your outstanding dedications to strengthening our community through the organization's efforts was evident through your application. We are proud to support your vital work in our community." The JLC Community Celebration to highlight the Junior League's partner agencies this year was hosted on May 1, 2013 at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia in Charlottesville. IHS Board member, Sam McLawhorn,  attended and personally received the grant  from Margaret Bolton Baudinet, JLC's Community Vice President. Comments from Sam The IHS Baby Program's primary objective is to provide the infant car seats through UVA Office of Social Work for indigent families who simply cannot afford to purchase this "must have" safety device when an infant is released from the Hospital. The car seats must be new, and three different sizes are requested based on the size of the child upon release. IHS has been actively providing the infant car seats for two years. The first year projection was for thirty (30) seats for all UVA pediatric clinics; however, the end result was forty-four(44) seats. Our expectation over the next year is for no less than fifty (50) seats. This JLC grant will be so helpful in reaching that goal.  Thank you ... Junior League of Charlottesville! A Note from UVA Social Worker Vikki Bravo who is retiring May 10th Hi to the Board of the Volunteer Army of I H S, I love you guys! I have been at U VA 15 years  and a social worker 36 years. It  has been a privilege to do this work. I see the best of the human spirit. People in very difficult circumstances find that they have strength they didn't know they had. And I H S has given them the extra help to receive medical care with dignity. It has been a joy working with you all, and I look forward to continuing in the Volunteer Army.  Love,  Vikki

A Big Boost for the Full-Day Meal Packet Program

Notes from Margaret ... IHS Coordinator Children writing personal notes for meal packets Friends of the charity will be pleased to know that our appeal over the last month brought forth an excellent response from several groups for a terrific March delivery. The following groups are annual contributors. Their dependability assures that we reach our annual goal. Readers of our e-mails and blog postings realize that IHS provides about 250 full-day meals monthly to the UVA Medical Center Social Work Office for underfunded caregivers of patients. The meals are made for IHS and then IHS volunteers deliver every two weeks so that all social workers have access. Social Workers know of outpatients or caregivers in need of something to eat, and they respond quickly. Please take notice of the wonderful kids and parents who make this program a success. If you need to know more about this program for your kid's group, just click on the following link for the Food Program and Guide. Thanks to the following groups for your recent generosity     The children of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, Unitarian-Universalist (TJMC), Charlottesville Religious Education program took time during two Sundays in March to assemble 386 meal packets. Children from the first through sixth grade loaded plastic meal bags, designed greeting cards, boxed the packets and checked for quality control of their work.     Church family assembling meals They had a lot of help from parents and other adults in the church. However, so many of the children have made meal packets in the past that they can now work with limited supervision. They are now the ones who teach the children and adults who are unfamiliar with the IHS meal packet project about who it serves and how to assemble the meal packets. This church community is gratified to see the intellectual and emotional connection that the children, youth and adults feel toward the meal packet recipients. It is a practical expression of their desire to express their faith by helping those who need assistance. The funds for purchasing meal packet supplies came from generous donations by members and friends of TJMC in August 2012, during the church's monthly "Social Action Collection." The TJMC Food Pantry Program also helped the shoppers obtain many items used in the meal packets. Cub Scout Pack 79 of Crozet, Virginia met just before the snow storm on Sunday March 24 to assemble 40 full-day meal packets. Cub Scout Master Dave Vance tells us that the scouts worked so quickly that no one had time to take a photograph of them at work. He said, "I was really impressed with the vigor the Cubs attacked the packets." Pack 79 is chartered to the Crozet United Methodist Church. The leaders who helped out included Lisa and Jeff Saucerman, Chris Scott, Jaime Brady and Ryan Miracle. About 20 scouts from Tigers (first grade) to Webelos I (fourth grade) assembled the contribution. Cub Scout Pack 183 and Scout Troop 3 of Louisa, Virginia met on March 26 for an assembly session. They made 84 full-day meals. Kathleen Church, the coordinator for the scout program which dedicates two events annually in March and October to support this IHS program, arrived at the IHS Lake Monticello Office in Palmyra, Virginia with a car load the very next day. Molly Michie Pre-School, 717 Rugby Road in Charlottesville, Virginia is not forgotten. Lori Linville's class of 5-year olds was visited on February 6 by T. Wade and Elisheva Clegg. The Cleggs were invited by parent Rachel Thielman to speak to a very enthusiastic group who produced 12 full-day meal packets and wrote lovely notes for placement inside each plastic Ziplock bag. The class's packets were added to the March totals. FINAL COMMENTS March was a very productive month! The total packets delivered: 522. Thanks to all the participants for devoting your time and funds for the underfunded outpatients and their caregivers who will have a full-day meal while in the UVA Medical Center. Sincerely ... Margaret Gorman,  IHS Meal Packet Coordinator

ON Call ... 24/7

What does 24/7 Really Mean? Quite literally it means that this charity can be reached by all UVA Social Workers by simply picking up the phone.  Not just during normal day time hours, but before and after midnight, seven  (7) days a week. It means that the few social workers who have night duty, but especially in the Emergency Department (ED), have the security of knowing that we expect to be called for temporary assistance as needed.  Case in Point ... regarding shelter When a patient was released following eye surgery, the waiting period happened to push past midnight. The patient, along with a spouse, could not drive with this impaired eye condition. The spouse (over 80) was not eligible to drive their car the two hours back home. The social worker checked with UVA Hospitality House, even though it was very late,  but every room was filled. Our phone rang at about 12:30 AM. The social worker said, "I have this situation, and their age coupled with the fact that they simply can't afford a hotel room, is leaving me without options." Of course,  there was ONE option, and she had me on the line.  A hotel room was secured in about ten minutes and the couple was placed in a taxi. Their car remained in the garage. Access is the Key and Immediacy Critical On every social worker computer is a form entitled, "Lodging Authorization."  When a social worker makes contact, he or she will have the form already displayed in front of them.  The IHS contact will also have a form. The social worker will relate a situation in progress, and with permission of the patient or family member,  receive permission to have IHS seek to secure a hotel room, or perhaps pay for lodging in Hospitality House. The patient or caregiver will not know exactly who is assisting them. The social worker will have already screened and approved that the person(s) is indeed eligible to receive assistance. IHS will then initiate calls to several hotels which have worked with us for the last four years. We are familiar to all desk clerks in several very generous lodging establishments. The desk clerk will simply ask for name, address, length of stay, and provide a reservation number. Then - the IHS contact will fax a completed reservation form to the hotel guaranteeing payment, and call the social worker to indicate that the room is ready.  Mission accomplished until next call. Yes ... it's a Good Working System ... However, it is only without any cost to those being assisted. This charity's 24/7 volunteers are not paid. In fact, we are also one of the largest annual donors to assist with expenses. The real challenge is to make sure that every month without fail that all hotel bills are tabulated and paid in a timely manner. The ability to be a Constant Servant for the Least Able Our record of excellence for paying our bills at selected hotels depends on individual donations, Commonwealth of Virginia (CVC) annual payroll deductions from state workers, and a continuing need for grants to sustain a never-ending need.  It is now time to expand and ask clubs, businesses, schools, churches and more individuals to consider us in their outreach programs.  REMEMBER -  IHS is providing UVA Social Workers the most immediate response for assistance when no other source is available.   NO OTHER AGENCY, DEPARTMENT, CHARITY, CHURCH, GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL WITH MEANS HAD EVER  OFFERED TO MAKE THIS A REALITY.  NOW that the charity has proven itself for four(4) years  as that 24/7 contact, perhaps each of the entities mentioned would like to review their giving habits, perhaps even become an annual sponsor,  and allow us to sustain.  We could use the funds ... one hotel room and a full-day meal packet at a time. Sincerely ... Thomas Wade Clegg III

Just Keeping You Posted!

A Quick Review of  IHS actions for January 2013 Donor participation tends to slow in the initial months of each year, but the needs we provide do not slow..  Apparently, as the distance from the very rushed holiday period widens, the greater the opportunity for everyone to consider that indigent and underfunded families continue to arrive in Charlottesville for treatment at UVA Medical Center, often without adequate funds for food, lodging, prescription and co-pay, etc.  The month with Valentine's Day offers a terrific chance for extended giving!  January 2013 statistics:  IHS Lodging support:  13 overnight rooms which served 15 people  (Total billing not received but estimate for January hotel rooms: $ 650.00) IHS Food purchases for making meals  for Social Work office and for stocking shelves and office refrigerators  at UVA Hospitality House: $ 839.86 Full-day meal packets delivered by IHS  to stock Social Work Office cabinet:  192 meals  (value $ 1,152.00) New Infant car seats obtained and kept for Pediatric Clinic:  5 premie seats, 2 regular seats  (value: $ 368.63) IHS funds provided to Social Work fund for indigent prescriptions & co-pays: $ 1,000.00 There is now an urgency for donors to make full-day meal packets during February-March From January 2012, we were so fortunate to have about 392 full-day meals which was the carryover  from December 2011. Those packets assisted with hospital deliveries for the first two months of 2012.  However, we had only half as many packets as we entered 2013, and our stock is now depleted. When this happens, we must dip into the food account much deeper for purchase of food items and then personally assemble in the IHS storage office.  Therefore, it is urgent that we reach out to previous donors, such as Sunday School classes, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Day Care schools, high school clubs, and families to consider us for collection and assembly sessions during the next 60 days. We really need your help for keeping the stock available for our every 2-week delivery to social workers. Remember ... our average full-day meal packet need is 250 packets per month! Access our information on the IHS Food Program and the Guide for how to make meals and suggestions for items to include. The emphasis is on two entrees (microwavable cups or soup cans with flip-tops for ease of opening), one fruit and one applesauce cup, pack of crackers, granola bar, oat meal packet, a packet with spoon, fork & napkin, and all items placed in a Zip Lock gallon bag. The final important item is a personal "We wish you wellness" type note from the person making the packet. Mis, Zoe, Reese (our neighbor) and Skye proudly displaying their work! The single January donation of full-day meal packets came from one family! Rachel Thielmann, a Charlottesville mother of three very productive and enthusiastic girls, twins age 6 and the younger age 5, called to announce that they had made thirty-five (35) meals over a period of weeks, and were ready to deliver.  So, Elisheva and T. Wade Clegg met this generous group for a visit in Charlottesville for pickup of their meals.  We also learned that the girls are eager to get to work on more full-day meals in the months ahead. Thanks ladies for your generosity! Final Thoughts Please consider inviting us to your school, club, church, business or even a family or neighborhood meeting in Central Virginia, and allowing us 5-10 minutes to speak to the group and show examples of full-day meals.  You set the goals for what is possible based on the size of your  group.  Whatever can be made over a period of a month or more will become a part of lifting our load for those who so very much need and appreciate having a nutritious packet to get them through their day.  If you need more advice or tips, simply e-mail us at info@interfaithhumanitariansanctum.org and ask.  Thanks so much for your assistance. Sincerely ... Thomas Wade Clegg III

IHS Receives Second Grant to Support Food Programs

New Year's 2013 Gift has arrived! We received a second straight dedicated food grant from the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF).  IHS had appealed for continued support, which would allow us to continue to provide and stock food for underfunded guests at the UVA Hospitality House, and for making full-day meal packets for the Office of Social Work in UVA Medical Center for caregivers without funds who are monitoring loved ones, especially parents in Pediatric Clinics who can be stranded for weeks, even months, awaiting progress for their children. This Grant can potentially represent from 33-39% of needed funding for food This New Year's gift received by IHS in late December was a grant for $8,000!   Forty-eight organizations are receiving $336,800 in grant awards to help secure vital needs within their programs.  Twice per year, the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band in CACF awards gifts through a competitive grant cycle. To place the IHS Food Program funding in real terms, consider this ... The Full-day Meal Packets dedicated for use by social workers in the Medical Center: The actual number of full-day meal packets provided to recipients in 2012 was almost 2,500. The value of food for making a meal packet can vary with very deliberate shopping, whether bought and assembled by contributor groups, or bought and assembled internally by IHS staff. The range of value per packet has increased from five dollars to about six dollars each.  In other words this past year, the value of full-day meal packets was about $15,000. Funds spent and value of food items donated for the UVA Hospitality House: The average monthly value for the last 12 months was about $430. The total for 2012 was about $5,250.   The values from above indicate that actual food value provided was about $20,250. Projected needs for 2013 is based on increased quantity of meals and cost of food:  Projected need up to 3,000 packets (or about $18,000) annually, and increased UVA Hospitality House expenses of no less than $6,000. Total projection 2013: $24,000. The $8,000 grant for the IHS Food Program represents from 33-39% of total costs: This is a very sizable assist for meeting projected goals. The charity's food program for indigent and underfunded patients and caregivers who travel from considerable distances for treatment at UVA Medical Center could not have met its 2012 objectives without the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band in CACF. This new grant assures stability in 2013, as we continue to build a program for community group involvement with making full-day meals, and raising an awareness, especially in the medical community for stable support through the state pay-roll deduction program known as the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC). The Foundation committee understood that we were still short funded during this on-going effort to build a following for contributions. The IHS Food Program is now the most expensive category for the charity The other unmet needs, which we have sought to meet and strengthen the safety net, are lodging, co-pays & prescriptions, travel, and support with infant car seats and infant clothing, etc. for indigent families being served in UVA Pediatric Clinics.  This latest gift from Bama Works of Dave Matthews Band in CACF is solely dedicated for  insuring that nutritional needs are not neglected for the underfunded visitors to UVA Medical Center. IHS is considered the "go to" charity when a UVA social worker calls. Since all requests are screened and approved by social workers, there is no delay in response. The same can be said about the generosity of Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF) and The Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band committee who screened and approved our efforts to feed hungry people a long way from home. They have again reacted with a most timely gift, which is so important to so many. Sincerely ... Thomas Wade Clegg III

Yes Virginia ... It Was a Productive Year ... Thanks to Your Support

We don't have the luxury of contributors who would like to match your donations, but we promise to  continue to use every penny to serve those distance patients and families through UVA social staff to meet some very basic immediate needs. Those needs include shelter and food while coming from hundreds of miles for a chance to see a doctor.  And we promise to continue as a no paid group of volunteers to maintain a 24/7 presence for social workers, while using our own personal funds in this worthy task. That is how we plan to match your consideration with whatever is possible to assist in the year ahead.    Allow for just a Moment for us to share the Difference this Charity has made in 2012 IHS provided 109 commercial hotel rooms which temporarily served 191 guests who could not be accommodated in the UVA Hospitality House (HH), and paid for extended stays for 14 guests who could not afford the smallest fee at HH. IHS provided full-day meals through Social Workers who identify caregivers who are underfunded for their temporary stay near a loved one. More specifics below. IHS provided emergency co-pay and prescriptions as requested by social workers for indigent patients. IHS will have provided 45 infant car seats by this weekend for parents leaving the hospital with their child, but who find themselves without funds to secure a new safety seat. IHS asked Santa to make a Special Stop in Ivy on December 8th  The annual Christmas gathering hosted by the Marjorie Adam Realty Team in Ivy, Virginia was once again a wonderful afternoon for Marjorie's clients and their children.  IHS asked Santa to come to Charlottesville and spend about four hours talking to children, while photos were taken for placement into family memory books.  The activity allowed attendees to donate to IHS. Many of the children return every year and apparently are being well fed, for they are growing wonderfully.  They have noticeably changed over these 5 years, but Santa doesn't seem to age.  A special thanks again to Marjorie Adam and her family for her support in this excellent fund-raising event each holiday season.  IHS provided the Christmas Dinner Turkeys for the UVA Hospitality House Mary Jackson, Supervisor, reported that twenty-one (21) guests enjoyed a special meal on December 25th in the Hospitality House.  Staff prepared side dishes, and IHS provided organically raised pre-cooked turkey to feed about 24 people. Whole Foods Market donated the ham for this annual dinner.  One never knows exactly how many guests will be required to stay over a holiday, while still in out-patient treatment at UVA Medical Center; however, Mary said the food provided was more than enough for this year's visitors. In case you didn't know ... IHS is the only consistent provider of food items every week to ten days to stock the kitchen at Hospitality House (HH). The process of providing items is handled very directly by e-mail.  Mary Jackson sends a list usually on a Friday, with those items which are running very low. For example, yesterday (Sunday) December 30, the list read as follows:  Bacon (several pounds), Milk 2 gallons, Orange juice 2 gallons, Bread (several loaves and any bakery breads you can obtain fresh or frozen), eggs 2-3 dozen, Hot pockets (large box), 20 frozen dinners, cheese (large packet), fruits (any variety in bags), fruit cups (or small cans for individual use), and Laundry detergent (any kind any size) if possible.  This list can vary and may include paper plates, cups, bowls and plastic utensils and napkins, margarine, other juices, applesauce cups, can  vegetables, cereals, coffee and filters, sugar packets, creamers, drinking water by the case, etc.  These are examples of must have items. The consistency of support provided by IHS friends and the December 2011 grant for 2012 from Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF) has made it possible to meet every HH request within 24 hours.   THANKS TO ALL! The 2012 Meal Packet Program Projection was on Target Before this week ends, IHS will have provided 2,488 full-day meals to Social Work in year 2012.  The projection was placed in the range of 2,500-3,000. The numbers continued to slide upward, but even without an increase in numbers, food item costs to make a full-day meal of quality have increased. If you calculate 2,488 meals at about six dollars each, that's $14,928.00. To take this a step further, 1,476 full-day meals were made by volunteer groups who purchased and assembled meals as a part of their community outreach programs. If you scroll through our blog postings at http://www.interfaithsanctum.blogspot.com, you will see the names of all those who made it possible to meet our requirement monthly.  That meant that 1,012 meals were assembled by IHS from food items purchased to meet the 2012 requirement. Our Wish this coming year? Quite frankly,  it's  to have more groups exposed to this charity and its never-ending effort to strengthen the safety net.  Allow us to bring more happiness to situations which need a strong injection of our community generosity.  It's not so much to ask, is it?  Wishing You a Happy New Year & Blessings ... T. Wade and Elisheva Clegg