Rear: David Johnson, Executive Director, Malisha Hampton, Site Manager
Seated: Joshua Hren, Site Assistant, Barron Davis, Volunteer
Meet new Execute Director David Johnson
On January 1st, or thereabouts, Friedens Board of Directors and Staff welcomed David Johnson, our new Executive Director. When interviewed for this article, David mentioned that when he applied for the job, he was impressed by how much the staff and also the Board of Directors participate in the food program at Friedens. He gives credit to Frieden's for celebrating the mission of the Church (and of Friedens Pantry), to show compassion to those in need.
David came to us from Bucketworks, and arts and cultural center on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Milwaukee, where he was the Adminstrative Director (and ran their cyber cafe). In terms of future direction, David says he'd like to explore areas of service so that Friedens can become a teaching or training center, promote urban agriculture, and/or develop synergies with nearby urban growers.
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Frieden's staff and volunteers.
Rear: David Johnson, Executive Director, Malisha Hampton, Site Manager Seated: Joshua Hren, Site Assistant, Barron Davis, Volunteer |
Archived News
The contents of the Summer 2007 newletter are reprinted here.
2008 Lenten Appeal
Friedens extends thanks to all those who participated in the 2008 Lenten Appeal. Your contribution is greatly appreciated and will play an important role in our mission to combat hunger, poverty and injustice in our community. To date, we have received $3,200 in contributions.
It has been a season of great change and we said farewell to our beloved management team of Margaret Rumpf and John Dubord and welcomed a new one in Malisha Hampton, Site Manager and David E. Johnson, Executive Director. While these are increasingly troubled times for our community, we are excited about the direction our new team will take us, and are confident that we will make significant strides toward fulfilling our mission in the months and years ahead.
If you have not yet sent in your Lenten donation, there is still time to add it to our tally. We are still $7,100 short of our goal. Your contribution will make a difference. Thank you for your support and prayers.
Other 2008 Spring News
Friedens Welcomes Three New Directors and New President
We want to welcome three new memebers to the Board. They are Bob Haffner, Paulette Harder and Kathy Wojtecki. Having only ten out of the twelve members allowed by our bylaws, the board still seeks two more members.
We first wish to announce that Cletus Hasslinger has been chosen to succeed Brother David Schwab as the President of the Board of Directors.
Bob Haffner, a resident of Muskego, is a long time member of Zion UCC. He became involved with Friedens when we set up our satellite at an MPS school. Bob is self-employed in the construction business. He was previously the chair of the Mission Board at Zion, and led groups of volunteers to Honduras and New Orleans. He likes the idea of working with a larger food pantry where he can have a greater impact.
Kathy Wojtecki, a resident of Greenfield, was a teacher for MPS for 33 years and retired in 2001. Kathy started volunteering at Friedens when it was on 24th and Vliet, and thoroughly enjoys both the work and the guests. A member of Greendale Community Church since 1961, she loves to volunteer at her church and Friedens.
Paulette Harder resides in Menomonee Falls on the west side, and is a long time member of Plymouth UCC church on the east side. She works with the Department of Natural Resources to develop a green corridor in the Kettle Moraine area. Paulette was previously a Board member of Guest House, where she served as president. She also worked at our 24th and Vliet pantry for several years.
What Do You Know About Hunger?
In 2005, the US Census Bureau reported that Milwaukee is the 9th poorest city in the United States. 25% of its resident live below the poverty line. And we know that "where there is poverty, there is hunger." The Wisconsin Research Policy Institute states that Milwaukee lost 30,000 family-sustaining jobs between 1999 and 2003. FoodShare use is up 94% in Wisconsin, with recipients indicating that benefits only last about 2˝ weeks. Then families turn to pantries and meal programs. 211@IMPACT, the area’s 24/7 helpline, says that it receives more than 25,000 calls each month for food assistance. Hunger is the number one reason for calls to 211.
So What Can We Do About Hunger?
Are we going to be like Ted and allow the compassion we feel to be moved to action? We would like to suggest the following:
Pyramid Pete Meets Ted Chisholm
By Cletus Hasslinger, Vice President, Friedens’ Board of Directors
We are sharing the story of nine-year-old Ted Chisholm because his actions on behalf of children who are hungry set him apart as an extraordinarily compassionate individual.
A third grader at Willow Glen School in St. Francis, Ted said that one day he observed a girl crying during lunch.
"I asked her what was wrong, and she said that because she forgot her lunch money, she was given only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with cheese."
According to Ted their class had just learned about petitions being a peaceful means for affecting change.
" That night I organized a petition asking Chartwells Food Service, which serves Willow Glen School, to provide a side of fruit or vegetables to go along with the sandwich. That would be fair because kids would get enough to eat and not be humiliated for not having lunch money," said Ted.
On Wednesday, 29 students and two teachers signed Ted’s petition. "No one was pressured to sign. Then on Thursday I [took] the petition to the principal’s office." According to Ted, the principal read the petition and scheduled a meeting with Chartwells’ staff who agreed to talk with Ted and his class the following week.
" I prepared a speech and a power point presentation for the meeting," said Ted. "At the meeting Chartwells presented their point of view and the students asked good questions. Chartwells agreed to give the kids more food."
So we asked Ted, if he had plans for future petitions? "I have some ideas on what we can do as a school to create a slush fund for kids whose families forget to give them money or a lunch," he said.
Ted based his presentation on Chartwells’ mascot, Pyramid Pete, who says that kids should have balanced meals.
Where Does the Real Meaning In Life Come From?
The following paragraph was written by Herb Miller and published in his book "Stewardship Preaching." Permission to use this excerpt has been granted by Abingdon Press. Edited to fit the format.
"Some 200 years ago, the French educator, Alexis de Tocquesville came to America to study the newly independent republic. In Democracy in America he pointed to traits in Americans that are applicable today. ‘I have seen the freest and best educated [people} in circumstances [that seem to be] the happiest in the world. Yet, it seemed to me that a cloud habitually hung on their brows and they seemed serious and almost sad in their pleasures. They never stop thinking of the good things they have not got. They clutch everything and hold nothing fast.’
"We have grown more knowledgeable and secure over the last 200 years, but. . .The forces that hammer at us have turned us into a nation of seekers. Part of our search has been prompted by a sense that our lives are empty, confusing, monotonous, unrewarding. We search for meaning and inspiration, for a workable formula that can lead us to a joyful, contented, satisfying existence." [Give to Live, Douglas M. Lawson]
The answer is so obvious that we can fail to see it. Real meaning in life does not come from getting things, but from giving —giving of our resources, of our time, of ourselves.
Our Mailing Address:
Friedens Community Ministries, Inc. Marcia Coggs Human Services Center
1220 West Vliet Lower Level
P.O. Box 05411
Milwaukee, WI 53205-0411
Phone: 414.289.6030
Fax: 414.289.8935
E-mail: friedens AT milwpc DOT com
Creating Opportunities, Seeking Justice