MOE 2008
January 2008
We donated some of MOE’s delicious home made candy to The Free Lunch Program. The Free Lunch Program (FLP) is one of the quiet services in the Iowa City area. It began in January 1983 when two therapists from the Community Mental Health Center, wishing to address the concerns of their clients, spoke to a Lenten study group at St. Mary's Parish about the need for a free meal for the needy in the community. The response was, “Let's do it.”
By 1989, the Free Lunch Program had become a designated United Way agency and expanded t
o a 6-day-a-week meal program with over 35 different religious, student, neighborhood, and social groups providing the meals. Volunteer teams prepare and serve nutritious meals using their own food or the food from local restaurants, grocery stores, and food distributors via Table to Table Food Rescue Organization, and from items in the Free Lunch pantry obtained through HACAP. The Free Lunch Program prides itself on having the coffee on by 9 a.m. and lunch served by noon.
Respecting the dignity of the guests has been the cornerstone of its service. This guiding principle of unconditional respect and hospitality has been as integral to the program as the hot, nourishing meals.
* An average of 105 people per day are served lunches.
* The FLP serves over 34,000 noon meals a year.
* In a year, FLP guests eat over 7,000 self-served breakfasts.
January 2008
We spent a Saturday morning packing up hundreds of computers to be shipped to West Africa through the Wider-Net program. The Wider-Net Project, a service organization based at the University of Iowa, is improving digital communications in developing countries. Launched in 2000, the WiderNet Project distributes millions of digital library materials via the innovative eGranary Digital Library, trains computer technicians, coaches decision-makers in African universities, provides cutting-edge research on information technology issues facing the developing world, and donates computer equipment to partner universities.
April-May 2008
In honor of Mothers, we decided to have a Mother’s Day Bazaar to raise money for breast cancer research. We made note cards, bath salts, bath sachets, aprons, teacup birdfeeders, colorful candle holders, hand made soaps and baked goods and sold them during the month of May. We also picked flowers from our gardens and arranged them in bouquets to sell. A local artist donated jewelry and sets of cards and a girls volleyball team donated 20 take and bake apple pies to the cause. All together we raised $1400.