When a catnap turns into a home…

I am a Baltimore inner city native. Raised on the streets I’ve seen the filth and sadness of our city; I’ve been in fights, slept in alley ways, and begged for food.  I have also seen the kindness and beauty that permeates Baltimore.

Almost a year ago I wondered into the parking lot and courtyard of the Franciscan Center. Not many people know that there is a lush little spot between Maryland Avenue and Howard Street where the grass is soft and green and there are trees that bloom in the spring and provide shade to the summer heat.

I had only expected to stay the afternoon; maybe get a meal and try to nap a little in the sun. That sunny soft grass felt like heaven when I lay down to rest a bit. Really, I didn’t mean to sleep all afternoon, but I felt so safe. You can imagine how surprised the employees were when, after closing the Center for the day, they found me sleeping under a tree. I had expected them to run me off or at least get upset, but they didn’t. Instead, to my own shock, one of them spoke kind words to me and scratched me behind the ear. How long had it been since someone was that kind to me?

They didn’t tell me to leave or get mad that I was a little dirty, so I decided to stay the night. The streets can be scary and it was only for one night.

I admit that the next morning when the employees started to arrive I was nervous. I stood there, next to the stairs to the Center and found that I was shaking a little. I was afraid. But I found that I also wanted to trust. I just about fell over when a woman bent down and opened a can of the best smelling food I’ve ever seen. She even had a bowl hiding in her bag. I know it was a little rude of me, but I ate the whole thing in under a minute.

That was the beginning. Since then the people who work at the Franciscan Center have taken me in. I’m no longer living on the streets. They give me food and water every day; I’ve put on a pound or two. They even made a little door in the storage shed where my bed is now. This past winter they gave me extra blankets and on a really cold night one of them showed up and put pocket heaters under my blankets.

I used to be homeless, but I now live at 101 West 23^rd Street. I used to be kicked around and forgotten, but now I have a family who feeds me, loves me and misses me when I’m not around. There are a lot of folks like me in this city. We come in all shapes and sizes. We all feel hungry and forgotten at times. We all have needs. We all want to be loved.

I’ve never had a real bed before; but now I do, I even have my own hairbrush, and a name. They call me Francis. I was told that I am named for a saint who cared equally for all creatures and taught that we should do the same in every way possible. I am grateful, and in my own way I try to honor the work of this great saint. It isn’t always easy; I find it especially hard to be kind to the mouse that lives around the corner. But I keep trying.

It is the week to put food in your mailbox!

Last Friday, at the Franciscan Center, Lt. Governor Brown, Mayor Rawlings-Blake,(along with many others) launched the 26th annual Harvest for the Hungry, a state wide healthy food drive.

 

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Marylanders are encouraged to donate healthy non-perishable foods by simply leaving them in or near your mail box this week. This year Safeway is pitching in and offering $10. pre-packed bags that you can purchase and then add them to the donation boxes.

The Charles Village Safeway is collecting for the Center! If you would like to volunteer this week, we still need help. Call or email Michael Parker for details, Michael’s Email or 410.467.5340 ext 113.

Thank you and have a great week.

Why You Should “Give Up” Healthy Foods for Lent?

written by Ed McNally, Executive Director

With the sacred season of lent upon us, many Christians will be thinking of ways to make this time of prayer and self denial meaningful and spiritually enriching. One suggestion we have at the Franciscan Center is for you to “give up” some of your healthy foods!  Yes, you heard me right; instead of denying yourself candy or sweets, why not take the time to deliberately sacrifice some fresh fruits and vegetables by donating them to the poor and homeless right here in Baltimore!

We invite you to make this lent a time of raising healthy awareness by giving items you might not ordinarily consider donating to our pantry and help us feed the poor and homeless by giving them some of your fresh fruits and vegetables.

Think about it, if you donated two or three 10 pound bags of potatoes, or fresh oranges, to the Franciscan Center’s pantry those very same fresh nutritious items would be in several grocery bags feeding hungry families within 24 hours!

Often times our pantry receives thousands of wonderful nonperishable items form generous donors, but some of the most important and healthy food items never make it into the food system for the poor and needy because people often think it will only go to waste.  Here at the Franciscan Center, you can be assured that the food you give, whether it is nonperishable items or fresh wholesome produce, we will use it as soon as possible! That’s because we have the capacity to both store the food and the demand to put your donated food, even fresh produce, right into our bags of groceries that feed thousands of hungry families in Baltimore.

And the ideas of what you can give are more than just potatoes and oranges!  We would love to receive bags of salads, carrots, green beans, apples, celery, onions, garlic! Our clients would love to be able to have fresh lettuce, eggplant, cauliflower, cucumbers, collard greens, kale, green peppers and red peppers, and much more – the list could go on and on!

This is all part of our effort to help those in need by honoring their inherent dignity: if we give people in need the good healthy foods we all enjoy, then we help the poor and hungry by honoring their bodies with food that is healthy and wholesome.

What better way to observe lent as a season of prayer and deeper spiritual awareness than to honor everyone’s right to food?  Won’t you join us?  Share with others, especially the poor, some of your food – good food, real food.  Sharing your food in this way is both healthy and holy because it is a gift given in lent, a time of almsgiving and helping those in need.  It will also be an act of kindness and love, a real sign of Christian charity because it will honor those in need in a simple and effective way.

I hope you will make this lent a special time of sharing some of your food with the poor by donating fresh produce to us here at the Franciscan Center.  Together we will give people who often don’t have a choice the chance to enjoy good nutritious food with their families.  Together we can really make a donation of food an act of compassion and caring for body, mind and spirit!  May you have a blessed lent and a holy time filled with grace!

Peace and all good!

Is the Franciscan Center Baltimore’s Newest Concert Venue?

Maryland songwriter and acoustic guitarist Ken Gutberlet lent his vocal styling and fret-work last Thursday as hundreds of people enjoyed a hot nutritious meal in the Center’s dining room.

The line waiting for lunch wrapped around the ramp, out the door and down along Mace Street. As people file in from the cold they are welcomed by the smells of baked chicken, steamed greens and warm bread. Volunteers greet each and every person, while a staff member or two directs some to other programs. Those waiting for lunch begin to notice the melotic voice and harmonious guitar cords floating over the hum of conversation.

Ken Gutberlet has been playing Baltimore’s music scene for more than a decade and is also an accomplished music instructor. His laid back attitude and eagerness to connect with the people around him was clear as he made conversation between songs.

One gentleman told me, as we sat listening,

“This guy is really talented, look at how his fingers race over that guitar. He makes it look so easy.”

When asked if he likes having music with lunch the same client said,

“I eat lunch here every week. If I didn’t, some days I wouldn’t eat at all. But it ain’t about putting slop on a plate. The food is really good, it actually tastes pretty good, all the time. And having a concert, that is cool too. I appreciate it.”

In the past few months, the Center has been host to many talented musicians from our charming city, and around the globe. The Reverend Dred Scott and his jazz band headlined at the Center twice. Emily Righter, renowned opera singer, entertained and enchanted the clients before returning to Austria where she is a principle at Salzburger Landestheater. And the Center has welcomed Peabody Institute’s student quartet, who played classical selections from Mozart and Chopin.

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So who is headlining at the Franciscan Center next? Keep an eye on our facebook page or twitter to find out!

And remember: everyone has talents to share, and gifts to give. You can make a difference in someones life by sharing what you have. What are you going to share with the world this year?

(If you would like to volunteer at the Center, please let us know, we have so many needed opportunities for you, your family, or group! Michael would love to hear from you.)

 

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

‎”In this season of the Earth’s bounty and harvest, we have so much to be thankful for: faith, family, friends, co-workers, jobs… let us keep grateful hearts for all that is given to us, and share our gifts and talents with those who come to us for service.” -Judy Dobson, Center’s Social Worker

Each moment, every decision, we impact people around us. Often the simplest choice can dramatically change the trajectory of others.

As we gather with our family and friends this weekend, please remember that every choice we make, or don’t make, can make a difference.

Is he asking for Change, or is he asking for CHANGE? Follow a man as he affects multiple peoples’ lives with just one dollar, proving that it doesn’t take much to be the change in someone’s life. Written and directed by Sharon Wright.

via Change For Dollar Movie.

 

Baltimore Family Battles Cancer & Poverty

They had their daughter later in life than they expected. But why not? The two of them have a lot of love to give, good jobs, a home. So, at 53 and 38, Paul and Louise welcomed their beautiful baby into their lives. From the first moments of breath she brought more joy and connection than they thought possible, becoming parents didn’t even register as an adjustment. It was a natural trio.

She is now 12 years old and in the 7th grade. She loves to learn and laugh. But laughter has been missing from home for a while. Her teachers noticed that she is a little thin, and sometimes comes to school dirty.

A couple years ago Paul was diagnosed with bone cancer. The hopes and laughter that this tight trio share began to shift, and Paul couldn’t help but begin to wonder if he would see his beautiful daughter grow up. The cancer took his left leg, and he underwent a hip replacement. Now confined to a wheelchair, Paul found his roll as provider for his little family impossible. Everything has changed. Each day this family wakes with the knowing that life, and the hope and dreams they had for their future is forever lost somewhere in the dream world, and the reality leaves little hope.

As adjustment after adjustment entered their home the trio remains rooted in their love for each other. However some of the ‘adjustments’ are more than any family should have to endure. Last winter most nights were cold, as the fear of increased heating bills griped Paul and Louise. Living on less than $800.00 a month just doesn’t seem to stretch far enough, and week by week the bills flow in.

After a long winter the little family found that their utility bills were more than they could afford. Paul and Louise spent spring trying to come up with ideas on how to make it through the coming hot summer. Fear and anxiety came to live with the family, and set up camp in the center of their lives.

One afternoon Paul and Louise’s daughter came home from playing at her friends to find a new life adjustment had arrived. Life without electricity.

No more air-conditioning for the hottest summer days. No more cooked meals. No lights after dark. No more hot showers.

Without electricity Paul began to travel to Giant Grocery every morning to re-charge his electric wheelchair. Fear and anxiety hitchhiked along for the ride.

Over three months passed as the family lived in the darkened home. Through a referral from the utility company Paul and Louise came to the Center. Armed with little hope they had left, and a stack of overdue bills, they sat down with a volunteer and quietly asked for help.

$197.27.

That is how much money they needed to qualify for a Fuel Fund grant, BGE matching credits, and $500.00 in CII (Baltimore Community Foundation) funds.

Less than two hundred dollars, the access to partnering programs, and a volunteer to guide the way. That is all it took.

That is all it took to turn the lights back on. To have a hot shower, and see the toothbrush. To be able to read at night. To enable Louise to prepare a warm meal. That is all it took to tell fear and anxiety to move out of the house, and to make room for love and dignity to grow.

There isn’t a happy ending to this story. The struggles are still present. However, at this moment, they know they are not alone.

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Special Thanks to the Abell Foundation, Baltimore Community Foundation, Fuel Fund, Constellation Energy and United Way of Central Maryland for supporting the Franciscan Center through generous grants that enable us to provide hope for families like this one.

Top 10 Reasons To Volunteer

Today is Volunteer Appreciation Day here at the Center. 

1. Your family could use the break.
2. You don’t have to pay taxes, because you don’t get paid.
3. It gives you new stories to discuss with your therapist.
4. Because you know you look hot in plastic gloves and a hair net.
5. You can practice your silly accents and no one will be the wiser.
6. Gets you out of work.
7. A place where talking to yourself out loud is OKAY.
8. It makes you look like a rock star to your Facebook Friends.
9. There is such a thing as a FREE LUNCH
10. The good karma points will earn you a future day of guilt-free debauchery. 

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We are deeply thankful to the groups and individuals who give their time, talents and heart to the Center and our clients. Last year we had over 9,700 volunteer hours. Without these committed people the outreach and positive impact we have on our community would be impossible to achieve.  

Take time today and thank someone in your life that you know volunteers. Then, take the step to give your time and talents. You never know how much impact you can make on the community around you, and perhaps within yourself. 

Who we are helping…

The intention of the Franciscan Center is to tell you the real life stories of the community that we serve everyday. Here is a short story about a family, that we were able to assist, with the help from our partners. We hope to share more of these in the coming days.

A 65 year old client and 50 year old wife, along with their 12 year old daughter have been without power for 3 months. Client uses an electric wheelchair because of an above-the-knee amputation and hip replacement, due to cancer. Without power this client had to recharge his wheelchair at Giant Supermarket. The $197.27 from United Way qualified this client for a Fuel Fund grant, BGE matching credits and $500.00 in CII funds, resulting in power for this families home.

Being Homeless: The American Dream?

With every face, and every conversation at the Franciscan Center a story is told. Many of the people who come to us for one need, often find a willing ear, which meets a deeper need.

On January 11^th of this year Frank came to the Center for the first time. Referred by DSS for emergency food from our pantry, out intake volunteer took the time and made an effort to listen to Frank’s story. It was her intention and hope that she could make Frank, even for those few moments, know that he is cared for.

It was during that moment that our volunteer learned that Frank was living in an abandoned building on North Avenue, just a few blocks from the Center.  No heat, no lights, no bed…just a blanket or two and rats running throughout the building. 

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Frank was born in Nigeria, and came to the United States about 20 years ago. For 19 of those years he lived what he describes as ‘the American dream’. Hard work, saving, and following his goals Frank lived in a nice 3-bedroom home, with a “big car” and a “big TV”. He says that he loved his work as an in-home caregiver for elderly people with health problems. But then he developed a serious health problem of his own. Frank explains that he underwent bypass surgery and suffered complications that ultimately forced him to stop taking care of others.

Like so many, he ran out of money, and was evicted. Without a home, he lost his car and every belonging that defined his ‘American dream’.  The volunteer listening to Frank’s story could clearly see his heart break, and felt hers crack with empathy. She encouraged him to go to Baltimore City’s Code Blue Shelter but he preferred returning to his abandoned building. So we gave him some blankets and warm clothing in addition to the groceries. Our volunteer told him to come back soon and let us try to help him.

After Frank left, our volunteer did her homework, made phone calls, and took notes. When Frank did return she was ready, and contacted Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) where she made arrangements for him to be evaluated the next day. His blood pressure was so high physician gave him an EKG, called an ambulance and had him taken to Mercy Hospital. From there Mercy quickly transported Frank to Union Memorial where he had cardiac stents implanted. Frank would later share that the HCH physician called him a ‘dead man walking’ upon looking at his EKG results.

Health Care for the Homeless placed Frank in its “Convalescence Unit” which, at that time, was located at the American Rescue Workers’ Shelter in South Baltimore.  While living in the shelter, Frank traveled to the Center once a week and our social workers went to the shelter once a week to visit him, keep his spirits up, offer a listening ear, and make sure he knew that he is supported and cared about.

When Frank’s medical condition stabilized it was time to help him find hope, and pursue a new-revised ‘American Dream’. A home, and his citizenship.  Our volunteer took him to St. Matthew’s Immigration and Outreach Service Center (IOSC) where an immigration attorney completed the application for Frank to apply for citizenship.  Frank has passed his citizenship test and his swearing-in ceremony was in July!

While Frank was in the HCH Convalescent Unit, the HCH social worker worked with him  to locate permanent housing.  She helped him apply for public housing and senior citizen housing operated by Catholic Charities.  Given the projected waiting times to get in, the Franciscan Center’s volunteer took Frank to apply for senior housing at Gallagher Mansion and to check out a private apartment.  He was planning to move into another apartment when Catholic Charities called to interview him for an opening at Trinity House in Towson. What a miracle that he was able to get in there so quickly!  

So what difference, because of taking a moment to listen and care, has the Franciscan Center been able to make in Frank’s life?

• When he was hungry, we fed him.
• When he was cold, we gave him warm clothes and blankets.
• When he was sick, we helped him get medical care.
• When he was homeless, we helped him find shelter.
• When he was in despair, we gave him hope.  (Frank often says hope is the most important thing we’ve give him.)
• When he was a stranger, we welcomed him and made him part of our family.

As far as concrete services go,

• We provided bus tokens and rides to certain appointments so he could apply for citizenship and explore housing options.
• We also provided pastoral counseling (Everett Jefferson) and support to keep Frank’s spirits up.
• We advocated for him, reaching out to other agencies to help him obtain medical treatment and housing and apply for citizenship.
• We gave him sheets, towels, dishes, pots and pans and a few other items for his new apartment.
• We also contacted the Assistance Center of Towson Churches to help him get furniture.  The Assistance Center delivered a bed, a nightstand and a table with 4 chairs to his new apartment.

At the end of the day, when we all go our homes, do we think about those who live in our communities who find themselves with broken dreams, and rats? At first glance it looks like the Franciscan Center has given Frank a lot. But in reality, we have only given him two things: a listening ear with a caring heart, and the desire to show him the dignity that he deserves as a human, and as a neighbor.

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If you would like to do more, please consider supporting the Franciscan Center or one of the partners that we mentioned. We also need donations of clothing, food, house hold items, money, and time.

Giving By Example

Ever known someone who just chooses to go the extra mile? Every time? No matter what?

Well we do. A little over a year ago Anita joined us through Ignatian Volunteers. (If you don’t know about them, check them out!) Anita began working on the second floor with Responsive Services. She became quickly familiar with the programs of the Center, our clients and the ways in which we try to meet the needs of our community.

So… just being apart of this work is enough to warrant a blog post of thanks. But, that isn’t the end of Anita. Instead of two days of service Anita is usually at the Center four days a week. Sometimes five. She comes in early, she stays late. She has mastered a complicated program where we are able to help clients with utility assistance, and has been instrumental in facilitating hundreds of families to keep their electricity running. The words from her lips are filled with encouragement and thankfulness, and are always boosting the entire Franciscan Center Team!

Anita’s quick smile and bright eyes welcome you, and her keen, inquisitive mind attentively mines for details that perhaps others might miss. She is quick with reassurance, and takes her time.

Frank, a client, came to the Center for Emergency Food. Anita wouldn’t allow this man to walk away with just groceries. She has worked tirelessly to make sure that he no longer sleeps in an abandoned building. (Frank’s heartfelt story will be published August 29th) His is just one of many ongoing stories of people that the Center touches.

Today is Anita’s birthday. She arrived hours early, to help clients she had to reschedule after the earthquake yesterday afternoon. And, this evening, she is working late. Making phone calls, connecting clients to programs, and truly making a difference in our community. When she leaves the Center tonight she will stop by a hospital to make sure a client is mending well.

Anita would never call herself inspirational. Instead she points to the people we serve, and finds inspiration through them.

“We’re grateful to every client we have the privilege to serve.  For at the Franciscan Center, we get to witness God’s grace at work every single day — in all our lives.  And we get to see first-hand the miracles as clients regain their dignity and rebuild their lives.” -Anita

Our thanks dear Friend.