Dish-Houston

That's a whole lot of turkey! And it's a HUGE, wonderful gift for the Houston Food Bank thanks to Randalls! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Randalls Food Markets donated 1,500 turkeys to the Houston Food Bank for distribution via 15 of their local hunger relief member agencies to families at risk for hunger in our community.  These turkeys are the equivalent to approximately 15,000 pounds of turkey, which is more than 28,000 protein-rich servings!!

Pictured:  Randalls Food Markets President Paul McTavish (left) and Houston Food Bank President/CEO Brian Greene. 

Volunteers from Open Door Mission and McTavish and Greene helped load the donated turkeys into agency vehicles.

DISHIES, Here's why we need to support organisations like Houston Food Bank and Star of Hope Mission...

Hunger Statistics: 

                • 865,000 unique individuals require assistance from HFB annually

• Nearly 900,000 people live in poverty in our 18-county area (15% of the population)

• One in four children in Harris County lives at or below poverty level

• 137,000 different people are fed each week with the help of Houston Food Bank.

• 47% of the hungry in Southeast Texas are children

• 94% of individuals needing food assistance are not homeless

• Nearly half of households in need have at least one working adult

CLICK HERE to help Houston Food Bank  Star of Hope Mission

**** Update**** June 6, 2011

The Semi arrived Saturday morning and they are still unloading it and sifting through things. The amazing Semi driver is actually volunteering there while the truck is being sorted out so it's truly a mission of love!

A HUGE DISH THANK YOU to the person who donated the funds for the truck and set the entire thing up...they wish to remain in the background but you know who you are and God has a special blessing for you!!

Thank you to all who donated, you've made a very loving and positive difference in people's lives and believe me when I tell you they are all very thankful. Speaking to them on the phone today and hearing the excitment when their kid got a bicycle from our truck, or a new pair of shoes because they had been running around barefooted since the storm. You are a blessing to others and that makes you a beautiful soul that shines in the darkness when we all need to find our way. THANK YOU!!

Our deadline for accepting donations was Saturday May 28 at 5 pm. PLEASE DO NOT take any more items to our donations locations because we will NOT have a way to get them to Joplin.

Thank you for your tireless generosity, kindness and desire to help others, Houston. When this is all finished check back here for some amazing stories about the beautiful heart our gorgeous city has and how it's shared that heart with others in need.

Blessings and Love

LF

Ok DISHIES! This is where we can show the world...one more time...just how amazing Houstonians really are!

As you well know, the town of Joplin, Missouri was hit by a massive tornado Sunday. over 35% of the city was literally blown away.

DISH'S Aunt's house is a slab now. The Hospital where DISH'S Grandmother was just last week was horribly damaged. This is an awful happening and DISH is asking YOU to help out!

DISH is doing a relief drive for clothing, food, diapers, wipes, toothbrushes, pet items and food...anything you can think of that you use in your everyday life is needed up there.

The gorcery stores are either out of items completely or have been damaged so folks can't shop there.

The list of donation drop off points is here and will be growing so please keep this page up and refresh it as our partners list grows!

Thank you in advance for giving back and helping others. Remember....I doesn't have to be in our city to be in our hearts and need our help.

DISH is working with the Red Cross in Mo so if you'd like to make a financial donation, please make it out to them and we'll deliver it for you.

ALSO...The Animal Adoption and Rescue Center needs financial donations as well. There are scared, homeless pets all over the city right now and folks have spent a lot of the day chasing after them to put them in the shelter so they can have a safe place to be.

Blessings and Love to you! - DISH

Drop Off Locations

DISH is proud to introduce The Community Cloth! 

Community Cloth is a microenterprise initiative empowering refugee women in Houston by expanding opportunities for female refugee artisans. The Cloth supports women who want to create and sell handmade, indigenous arts and crafts such as woven bags, knitted scarves, embroidered linens, household goods and more. All profits from sales go directly to the artisans. 

Although refugee women face tremendous barriers, they also have many strengths and we should support them in by putting those strengths to use to help themselves. 

Through producing and selling their wares, the women have an opportunity to express their culture and heritage, learn new skills that will assist them in transitioning to life in the US, and obtain much-needed supplemental income.

AND HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN HELP HOUSTON!!! 

September 1st is The Community Cloth - DISH Sonsored "Happy Hour for a Cause" event that launches Smart Meals as a retailer of Community Cloth items.  As all Cloth items are locally produced by hand from refugee women artisans working hard to support themselves and their families, our mission falls nicely in line with Smart Meals' philosophy of using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. The event will offer guests an opportunity to purchase the latest Cloth items and learn about both The Cloth's and Smart Meals' missions.

Star of Hope President and CEO, Hank Rush, has announced that the homeless mission’s downtown Women and Family Emergency Shelter at 419 Dowling, has reached a record overflow. “During this last week, each night we have averaged about 100 women and children waiting for beds. This is unprecedented,” he said. The shelter has been at its 256 person capacity, with a waiting list, for two years. “We always experience extra people in the summer – but this year because of the extreme heat and the economy – we’re seeing more children, more families and lots of new faces.” said Rush. The homeless women and children on the waiting list spend the night on a pallet inside the shelter, out of the heat and asleep in the atrium area. The Men’s Center has been at or near its 300 person capacity every night this year.

The record numbers and weak economy have created a major challenge for the homeless mission. “More people mean more food, more utilities and extra staff.  Our donations have dropped considerably. Currently, we’re experiencing about a $700,000 short fall. Soon we won’t be able to deal with the overflow and we’ll have to cut programs and turn people away …we hope we don’t get to that point,” Rush said. The Star of Hope chief is optimistic. “It’s been my experience that Houston is one of the most generous cities in the country. But it’s a historic fact – when the temperature goes up, the donations go down. We need the city to open its “summer heart” and help us help their neighbors in crisis.” said Rush.

Houstonians are encouraged to donate cash, canned, non-perishable food, gently used clothing and even volunteer hours. Specific immediate needs include towels, blankets, diapers, water and toiletries. Star of Hope’s Summer of Hope campaign boast a new “giving” feature- texting. It’s now possible to donate $10 to Star of Hope by safely texting “SOH” to 20222. For more information on “ways to give”, visit sohmission.org. 

HEY DISHIES!!! We really need to come together to help Lori Hudson. She just lost her husband of 5 years this weekend and is 6 mos pregnant with their first baby. A fund has been set up, PLEASE help. Be a blessings to others and you will be blessed back. xo