family matters october 2014
DESCRIPTION
Family Matters is a publication of Bethesda Project, a caring family for Philadelphia's homeless.TRANSCRIPT
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 Hun-ger 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
October 2014
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
continued from page 1
Also along the Main Line, Avero Bar Italiano in Wayne will be hosting a spe-
cial 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 International House Philadelphia. Culinary 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 Pro-
ject! 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/
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Half-Marathon On Sunday, Sept. 21, guests from Our Brothers’ Place shelter got up and out at 6 a.m. to volunteer at the Phila-delphia Rock ’N’ Roll half-marathon. We corralled the racers into different groups before the starting gun. Then we collected discarded cloth-ing 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 [email protected] for details!
Out and about!
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!
Dinner and painting at Malvern Prep
On Sept. 26, guests from Our Brothers’
Place participated in the first of three din-
ners 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 sup-
ports 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 [email protected].
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.
Out and about!
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 in-
creased 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 mis-
sion of the organization, “to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have
none.”
Save the date!
Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with
us on LinkedIn!
1630 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
Tel: (215) 985-1600
Fax: (215) 732-8214
www.bethesdaproject.org
FROM THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIFE