The FOCUS Alert newsletter announces upcoming volunteer opportunities and fundraising events at FOCUS, including a cupcake tasting fundraiser and volunteers needed for their summer programming. It provides updates on staffing changes with Viola Abbitt leaving FOCUS after an internship. The newsletter also shares information about advocacy opportunities related to raising the minimum wage for tip workers and supporting the federal Farm Bill.
The FOCUS Alert newsletter announces upcoming volunteer opportunities and fundraising events at FOCUS, including a cupcake tasting fundraiser and volunteers needed for their summer programming. It provides updates on staffing changes with Viola Abbitt leaving FOCUS after an internship. The newsletter also shares information about advocacy opportunities related to raising the minimum wage for tip workers and supporting the federal Farm Bill.
The FOCUS Alert newsletter announces upcoming volunteer opportunities and fundraising events at FOCUS, including a cupcake tasting fundraiser and volunteers needed for their summer programming. It provides updates on staffing changes with Viola Abbitt leaving FOCUS after an internship. The newsletter also shares information about advocacy opportunities related to raising the minimum wage for tip workers and supporting the federal Farm Bill.
The FOCUS Alert newsletter announces upcoming volunteer opportunities and fundraising events at FOCUS, including a cupcake tasting fundraiser and volunteers needed for their summer programming. It provides updates on staffing changes with Viola Abbitt leaving FOCUS after an internship. The newsletter also shares information about advocacy opportunities related to raising the minimum wage for tip workers and supporting the federal Farm Bill.
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FOCUS Alert
May 3, 2013 Welcome to the FOCUS Alert an occasional short publication spreading the news of our common work together. You are receiving this because you have shared your email address with us. You may unsubscribe at anytime (scroll to bottom for directions).
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Cupcakes for a great cause Farewell to Viola Abbitt Volunteers needed Healthy Choices: Food Pantry Demo FOCUS Summer Worship Returns Gardening in a Bucket Heads to Albany Family Shelters 7. Advocacy Opportunity
1. Cupcakes In the mood for a delicious cupcake?
Come out and support FOCUS at the Cupcake Tasting fundraiser. Information below:
2. Farewell to Viola Abbitt
Viola Abbitt leaves FOCUS after an 8 month internship with FOCUS through her studies at Meadville Lombard Theological School. Vee as most people at FOCUS know her, has been a bright presence in the lives of many people connected to FOCUS. Vees contributions have been enormous. She has participated in the breakfast programs, the food pantry, organization of service fairs, creation of a prayer wall for breakfast guests, community outreach, and beyond.
We wish you the very best Vee!
3. Volunteers Needed As FOCUS enters the warmer months of the year, were also preparing for our summer programming. If youve been thinking about getting involved or volunteering for the first time at a FOCUS program, give it a try! All are welcome. Gardening in a Bucket Gardening in a Bucket provides Food Pantry guests with the tools and supplies they need to grow their own vegetables. Volunteers needed to assist guests in assembling their own take-home bucket during pantry hours. Any time slot between 10-1pm. Contact Becca for more info: beccal@focuschurches.net Breakfast Express A buffet-style breakfast for our neighbors. Volunteers needed Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 7-8:45 AM. Contact Beth for more info: bethg@focuschurches.net The Community Harvest Garden Volunteer for this project and get your vitamin D as well as the fun of gardening and the satisfaction of growing vegetables for a worthy cause! Produce goes to the FOCUS Interfaith Food Pantry. Contact beccal@focuschurches.net
443-0460 Share Grow Volunteer
4. Healthy Choices Food Pantry Demo
Cornell Cooperative Extensions Ruth Steel demonstrates cooking skillet tuna casserole - using ingredients from the interfaith food pantry. Seventeen families (including Gerald Fordham, pictured) taste-tested and took home the recipe. Later this month CCE will be cooking up healthy French Toast.
5. FOCUS Summer Worship Returns!
JULY 7 Emmanuel Baptist Church AUGUST 4 Trinity United Methodist Church SEPTEMBER 1 First Presbyterian - ALL SERVICES BEGIN 9:30 AM -
6. Gardening in a Bucket heads to Albany Family Shelters
During May and June FOCUS staff and volunteers head out to Marillac and Schuyler Inn (shelters for families experiencing homelessness) to engage all the children in an art & horticultural project. Everything from choosing containers, painting pots, planting tomato and pepper seedlings, to learning about photosynthesis and hydration. When families transition to permanent housing, the kids take their garden with them. Volunteers are welcome please call the FOCUS office for times and locations: 443-0460.
6. Advocacy Opportunity Did you know? Tip workers in restaurants and elsewhere were not included in the recent minimum wage bill that passed the state legislature.
New York State should raise the minimum wage for tip workers to the same level as other workers. Presently, most tip workers in NYS receive a minimum wage of 69% of other workers. Twice as many restaurant workers qualify for food stamps / SNAP benefits compared to other workers. 88% of all tip workers are over the age of 20 and 72% are female.
Federal Farm Bill: Action Alert
Access to nutritious food, support of beginning farmers, conservationall of these are linked to the federal Farm Bill, and yet Congress has let opportunity after opportunity slip by to pass a fair Farm Bill and address these injustices. Call your representatives today and tell them to sign-on as co-sponsors to important marker bills. Click here to look up your rep and find out if they have co-sponsored the bill. Read more about the bills here: http://www.hungeractionnys.org/?page_id=2556
FOCUS Advocates Meetings: Please join us!
May 8, 8am: Albany County Executive Dan McCoy to meet and greet at Breakfast Express. May 9, 11:30 am: Meeting with Assemblywoman Pat Fahy. For more information, contact FOCUS at 443-0460 or info@focuschurches.net
Did you know that FOCUS has a presence on the web on our website, Facebook, and Scribd? Find us online today! www.focuschurches.net
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email info@focuschurches.net! If you have received this message in error, or would no longer like to be a FOCUS subscriber, please send an email to news-unsubscribe@focuschurches.net with the subject "unsubscribe."
