Email - Volunteer Updates - January 2014

Greetings, Wonderful Breakthrough Volunteers!

Happy New Year, lovely volunteers! It's been a great 2013 and since you're probably snowed in somewhere or holed up to avoid the freezing temps right now, I thought I'd take a moment to share with you just how awesome you are! With your help, we were able to provide almost 1,000 meals to the guests staying at Breakthrough's men's and women's facilities in 2013. That's no small feat! And providing those meals helps Breakthrough spread their dollars to impact more people, more programs and more lives! Thank you for all that you do to support Breakthrough Urban Ministries! 

And now for some news. We've been thinking and praying about ways to make these meal-serving opportunities more complete for our volunteers. And although we're not exactly sure what that will look like just yet, we're hoping to roll it out in March as part of our 2nd Thursdays meal-serve. While we figure it out and in the meantime, we're taking a break from the 2nd Thursday meal serves at the men's facility. But don't worry! For January and February, we'll still have one meal-serving opportunity each month at the women's facility on the 3rd Fridays. Read more about this month's meal serve below! 

JANUARY MEAL OPPORTUNITY
We're taking a break from the men's meal-serving opportunity for a couple of months, but will offer a new & improved men's serve soon. In the meantime, come serve with us at the women's facility on the 3rd Fridays! Just let me know if we should save a spot for you.  :)  

• Women's Serve - Friday, 1/17 - (3330 W Carrol Ave) 
  Come on out to help prepare the meal, or maybe to lead a song or two or even a craft! We can always use help in the kitchen, but for anyone that might be more relationally gifted, we'd love your help building relationships with the lovely women at Breakthrough and music or crafts is a great way to do it. Just let me know if you can make it and I'll save a spot for you!

THANK YOU BIG SERVE VOLUNTEERS!

December's BIG Serves were a huge success! Our volunteers did an amazing job of helping the guests at Breakthrough feel loved this Christmas season. The holidays can be a very challenging time for the homeless guests staying at Breakthrough - a time when they're acutely aware of their homeless circumstance. The BIG serves give us a way to provide unique experiences for these guests that they might not otherwise have. A HUGE Thank YOU to the volunteers who made these BIG serves possible - you helped someone feel blessed and loved! (Read more about the Men's BIG Serve here. Details for the women's serve to follow.)

BREAKTHROUGH HAS A WISHLIST!

If you've served with us at Breakthrough, you've probably noticed there's a few things they could use at the facilities. And some folks have asked what they can donate that would help Breakthrough. So I asked Breakthrough - what do you need? Turns out that they publish and regularly update a Wishlist. Take a look at the list and see if you can help provide just one thing on their list. It might even be something you already have and don't know what to do with... (hello, travel-size toiletries!) ;)

BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR

Breakthrough is a robust organization and they have lots of ways to get involved in all of the different things they do - like homeless intervention, fresh market, job readiness training and even programs for kids. You should really come out to one of their Behind the Scenes Tours to learn more about the many ways that Breakthrough is partnering with folks living in poverty on the west side of Chicago. Tours are on the first Monday of each month. For more information or to register for the tour,click here.

Thanks, everyone! Hope to see you soon!
Love and Hugs!

Amanda! 

Taking a Break From 2nd Thursdays

For January and February, we're going to take a break from serving a meal at the men's facility. Working with Soul City Church, our goal is to develop a more comprehensive serving experience for volunteers who might want it. We're not exactly sure what that will look like yet, but we're open to feedback so if you have some thoughts you'd like to share, please let me know!

If your New Year's Resolution was to volunteer more, fear not! You'll still have plenty of opportunity to serve at the women's facility every third Friday.

Thanks, everyone! We're looking forward to serving a meal with you in 2014!

Breakthrough's Wishlist!

If you've served with us at Breakthrough, you've probably noticed there's a few things they could use at the facilities. And some folks have asked what they can donate that would help Breakthrough. So I asked Breakthrough - what do you need? Turns out that they publish and regularly update a Wishlist. Here are some items that are specific to the kitchen and preparing meals:

• Melamine/Dishwasher-Safe Plates, Bowls and Cups 
• Reusable Utensils or Silverware 
• Napkins 
• Handheld Can Openers 
• Chef Knives 
• Knife Sharpener 
• Kitchen Towels & Oven Mitts 
• Heavy Duty Commercial Aluminum Foil 
• Heavy Duty Aluminum Pans (half and full size) 
• Coffee & Coffee Filters 
• Sugar 
• Creamer 
• Disposable Goods (plates, bowls, cups, napkins, paper towels, utensils)

Additional items are listed for Day Guests (people who don't stay overnight) and Residents (guests who live at Breakthrough) and their kids programs too. View the complete Wishlist page here.

BREAKTHROUGH BASICS
Throughout the year, I've had a few volunteers ask me about the guests who stay at Breakthrough. So I wanted to give some basic info: there are usually between 30-35 male guests who stay overnight at Breakthrough's facility. There are many more who come during the day to access the laundry, showers and resources to get clothes and meals. You can learn more about Breakthrough's Adult Support Network. And if you're interested in other ways that Breakthrough is serving the West Side of Chicago, including their children's programs and fresh market, click here to visit their website (don't worry - it's clean and easy to navigate).