Chefs For Change Postponed Again
With the present challenges presented by the delta variant and after careful consideration, we decided to postpone the September Chefs for Change dinner with Chef Matthew Kelly last month. While it saddens us not to come together after a successful dinner in July, the safety of everyone involved is our priority. We hope that the pandemic will have waned by March, and safely gathering together for our signature series will once again be the exciting event we have all come to love. Matthew Kelly has assured us that he has some tricks up his sleeve and is looking forward to cooking for you all when the time is right. In the meantime, if you had planned to contribute at the September dinner and still want to be able to do so, please go to fmfnc.org/donate.
We are putting rejuvenated energy into our Chefs for Change Gala, which will be held virtually on December 3rd. In addition to the Virtual Gala, we’ll be hosting our silent auction online again. It was so successful last year that we raised twice as much as previous years. If you have an idea for an auction item or experience, please email Shana at shana@fmfnc.org. We really appreciate all of the community support we had last year to make the auction and virtual event such a success! Tickets will go on sale very soon and the information will be shared in two weeks.
Thank you for continuing to think about and support the families experiencing homelessness at FMF. Chefs for Change this year was a challenge but we’re already thinking about how we can guarantee events next year while still ensuring safety. More details to follow!
In-Person Return
In-person programming is back and we are so happy to have volunteers back in the building! On August 24th we resumed in-person programming and volunteering on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we could not be more excited to be able to begin to reconnect in person with our amazing community of volunteers who make the work we do truly special!
So far we have already welcomed two long-time partners, McMannen UMC and Immaculate Conception to kick things off. Families enjoyed meals prepared by the volunteers from our faithful congregations. An exciting addition to our weekly rotation is our recently formed partnership with Durham Tech Community College's Early Childhood Program, providing two interns that will serve with FMF for the semester in our childcare room while their parents and older siblings all enjoyed scheduled workshops.
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering please visit our website for a list of volunteer opportunities or contact our Volunteer Coordinator Associate Imani Vincent at imani@fmfnc.org with questions.
Back-To-School Thank You
We wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who donated school supplies and backpacks. After reaching out to our community we received an outpouring of support that resulted in not just every child in our care having brand new supplies and clothes, but also allowed us to stock up and be able to provide them as the year goes on.
This was an incredibly generous effort by our partners in the community and we wanted to make sure to take time to recognize their efforts.
Two partners, in particular, came through in a big way to make this happen. Martha Funstein and the Assistance League of the Triangle provided a set of new clothes, shoes, and supplies for every child in our care without a second thought and we cannot thank them enough. Additionally, a new partnership with Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina provided $2,500 worth of new clothing for school-age kids who weren't already served by the Assistance League, as well as a check for $2,500 to support our ongoing Programming needs. Both organizations loved the opportunities to shop for brand new back-to-school clothing. Thank you to both of these organizations for stepping up for our kids!
New Faces!
This summer has brought many new and exciting things to FMF, including two new staff members; David & Tiffani! Tiffani King is joining us as a part-time Early Childhood Specialist, helping us support the children in our care. A graduate of UNC-Greensboro (Go Spartans!), when she is not with us Tiffani works full-time teaching pre-k in the Orange County School System. Tiffani is playing a big part in our efforts to expand our childcare services and we are very excited to have her on board!. David Glenn was born and raised in Durham before leaving for Appalachian State for undergrad and finished his education at UNC with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. He is no stranger to FMF, as he was a part-time Team Associate with us before he headed back to school and we are thrilled to have him back. David enjoys camping, kayaking, and is a terror on the Disc Golf course! David is joining our team as a full-time Family Services Coordinator and we are excited and lucky to have him with us!
Move Outs
There are lots of things to celebrate this month! Our kids are going back to school for the first time in over a year, volunteers and in-person programming are back, but most importantly August saw several of our families leave the shelter and enter into permanent housing!
Our work is never easy but seeing families find their way home makes everything worth it. Thank you to everyone who supports our mission, you all played a part in making this possible!
In-Kind Update
Our community continues to humble us with the incredible generosity you have shown to meet our in-kind needs.
Bedding is still high on our priority list, however, as the shelter continues to stay busy we are in need of a wider range of items in the coming month. In addition to twin and full-sized comforters, we are also in need of cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items (deodorant, hair products, body soap, mouthwash, bar soap, toothpaste, etc), and liquid laundry detergent.
With back-to-school sales ending soon now is the best time to take advantage of the discounts and help us meet the needs of our families. Check in at our in-kind donation page at fmfnc.org/in-kind for an up-to-date list of our needed items. If you have any questions or would like to set up a drop-off time please contact our Development Associate Brady via phone at 919-683-5878 or email at brady@fmfnc.org. Our Contact Information *{{Organization Name}}* *{{Organization Address}}* *{{Organization Phone}}* *{{Organization Website}}*
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