Soul Food is a weekly sharing of thoughts, prayers and experiences that nourish Bethesda members in our work of being family to those who have none.  It is emailed each Monday to all staff and volunteers, and to those others who wish to request it. 

 

If you would like to receive Soul Food every week via email, simply send your email address to soulfood@bethesdaproject.org.

 

The following are recent Soul Food emails distributed by Director of Community Life Tony Medwid:

 

July 26, 2010

I used to go from shelter to shelter, but never felt alone. I think the people at My Brother's House and St. John's Hospice made the difference for me. When I was with them, I had the sense that God hadn't given up on me – that He still cared about me and was still sticking with me. -- Current Bethesda Resident

 

July 19, 2010

I miss you all so much!!! (Even though) my internship is up, I would like to volunteer on weekends -- I really want to come in and see everyone. For my first essay requirement for college I have chosen to write about Poverty in Philadelphia. I chose this topic because I had such a good experience with Bethesda and I feel such passion for helping people in need. Thank you so much - I could not have asked for a better internship!! -- From a Summer Intern's letter

 

July 12, 2010

 

 
Shaun Donovan, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary, called homelessness "a preventable tragedy." That is especially true in such a wealthy nation.
 
The latest homeless statistics in a government report show the need for more funding: 1.6 million people spent time in shelters last year. There are about 3,000 homeless people in Philadelphia.
 
Those numbers will likely only rise as more veterans return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The numbers are already going up as a result of the recession, high unemployment, and mounting foreclosures. Families have been especially hard-hit, with the number of homeless jumping by 30 percent from 2007 to 2009.
 
 

-- From 7/05/10 Inquirer Editorial: Ending Homelessness

 

Independence Day 2010

 
Set free the oppressed, break every yoke;
Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
Cloth the naked, and do not turn your back on your own.
 
 

-- Isaiah 58

 

June 28, 2010

 
"Foxes have holes and birds have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
 
 

-- Luke 9:58

 

June 21, 2010

Number of homeless down,
but homeless families up
Roughly 170,000 families spent at least one night in a shelter in 2009, up from 159,000 families in 2008 and 131,000 in 2007, according to the Housing and Urban Development Department's annual report to Congress released Wednesday. That increase, the report said, "is almost certainly related to the recession."
Overall, 1.56 million people spent at least one night in emergency shelters or transitional housing, the report said. One-third of those individuals were part of a homeless family.
Chronic homelessness dropped 30 percent since 2006, which the report said may be due to an increase in resources.
 

-- The Associated Press

 

June 14, 2010

 
A pessimist sees a glass of water as being half-empty;
An optimist sees the same glass as half-full.
 

But a compassionate person sees a glass of water
And starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.
 
 

-- G. Donald Gale

 

 

June 7, 2010

For three years, running the homeless to success
In 2007, a North Dakota transplant named Anne Mahlum came up with an unusual way of helping the city's homeless population: She would start a running club for them, encouraging self-sufficiency while promoting good health. Since then, Back on My Feet and its unlikely premise have exploded. The Philadelphia-based nonprofit has already expanded to Baltimore, Boston and Washington, D.C. A Chicago chapter is expected to open before year's end.
The organization marks its third anniversary this month and will soon announce its 2011 expansion plans, which include reaching into five more cities. That growth rate far exceeds anything Mahlum imagined when she first asked a few homeless men to join her on her daily run.
What's been built is more than a running club, although attending the thrice-weekly 5:35 a.m. runs is important. Participants in Back on My Feet are rewarded for their commitment to the exercise and encouraged to transfer it to other areas of their lives. That could mean earning a GED or finding a job or moving out of the shelter and into a personal home.
"These people encourage you. They don't view you differently because of your past," said Antonio LaBoy, 49, as he looked around at the 40 people gathered before dawn to run together. "I look and I see unity of the group. I see friendship. These people are my friends."
 

-- NATALIE POMPILIO, Philadelphia Daily News

 

Memorial Day Weekend, 2010

 
This weekend remember our homeless veterans:
 

23% of homeless population are veterans
33% of male homeless population are veterans
47% Vietnam Era
17% post-Vietnam
15% pre-Vietnam
67% served three or more years
33% stationed in a war zone
25% have used VA Homeless Services
85% completed high school/GED, compared to 56% of non-veterans
89% received Honorable Discharge
79% reside in cities
16% reside in suburban areas
5% reside in rural areas
76% experience alcohol, drug, or mental health problems
46% white males compared to 34% non-veterans
46% age 45 or older compared to 20% non-veterans
 
National Coalition for the Homeless

 

May 24, 2010

Please be Our Guest! THIS EVENT IS INFORMAL AND ATTIRE IS CASUAL, BUT
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR A BOWTIE
IN HONOR OF ANGELO’S CLASSIC SIGNATURE FASHION!
Broad Street Ministries is located across the street from the Kimmel Center
two blocks south of the Walnut-Locust subway

Bethesda Project bids a fond farewell to Angelo Sgro, Executive Director, as he retires after ten years of loyal service to Bethesda Project, and decades more of serving Philadelphians struggling with homelessness and mental illness. We hope you will come to thank Angelo and enjoy ballpark food and laughter with the Bethesda Project family at this special event.

 

May 17, 2010

We had so little to bring -- but look what God did with it. -- Phyllis Martin, Bethesda Project Co-founder

 

May 10, 2010

Jon Bon Jovi tours Dallas homeless shelters as part of charitable mission
 

By JANA J. MARTIN / The Dallas Morning News
After two sold-out weekend shows in Dallas at the American Airlines Center, Jon Bon Jovi played to a much smaller crowd on Monday. And it wasn't in typical rock star fashion.
Instead, he continued his education on how communities can combat homelessness, taking tours of CityWalk@Akard and the Casa Youth Emergency Shelter.
"It's one soul at a time," Bon Jovi said.
Since Bon Jovi started the nonprofit Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation) in 2006, he has built 250 affordable housing units in Philadelphia to the tune of $6 million.
 

May 3, 2010

I was really glad when I heard that Father Domenic will be our new director, because he understands us. I look forward to being friends with him again. -- Longtime Bethesda Resident

 

April 26, 2010

Our goal is to build a community where the human spirit may flourish: a place that provides quality housing and supportive services, where we can share with one another our unique personal resources, acknowledge our God-given dignity and goodness, and experience the opportunity for personal transformation. -- from the Bethesda Project Vision Statement

 

April 19, 2010
 

April 12, 2010

All the great religions insist
that the test of true spirituality
is practical compassion.
 

-- Karen Armstrong
 

April 5, 2010

After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said: Do you understand what I have done? You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. -- John 13: 12-15, From the Holy Week Liturgy

 

March 29, 2010

Once on the Great Sabbath the rabbi of Roptchiz came home from the house of prayer with weary steps. "Why are you so tired?" asked his wife. "I had to speak of the poor and their many needs for the coming Passover." "And what did you accomplish with your sermon?" his wife asked. "Only half of what is needed," he answered. "I think the poor are now ready to receive. But I don't know whether the rich are ready to give." -- Tales of the Hasidim

 

March 23, 2010

 

March 22, 2010

Recent data from the National Conference on Citizenship reveals that 72% of respondents have cut back on civic involvement because of the current recession but 40% of respondents who are frequent participants in religious services have increased their level of civic engagement.
Over the last four years Bethesda Project volunteer visits are up by 98% and volunteer hours have increased by 68%, thanks in large measure to the volunteer coordination efforts of our Community Life Assistants during those years: Nora Spriggs, Rebekah Rosenfeld, Nicki Olivier and Junior Fisco.

Our thanks to them and to YOU!

 

March 15, 2010

Brotherly Love: One School's Homeless Project
Students at the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School in Center City Philadelphia are helping the homeless one sandwich at a time.
Every Thursday for four years, 17-year-old Antoine Adams has manned the meat and bread line, feeding those living on the street. In that time, he's learned something about himself. "It really makes me grateful for what I have," Antoine said, "and to be a part of this, I'm really honored."
Every student brings in a dollar to pay for the weekly $800 to $1000 cost for the homeless project. Sixteen-year-old Sharee Morgan said those that directly work on it learn something about homelessness and something special about themselves.
In four years, the group has made 54,000 sandwiches and raised thousands of dollars to fund the project. But as one student put it, the rewards they get are priceless.
 

March 8, 2010

He that does good for good's sake
seeks neither paradise nor reward
but is sure of both in the end.
 

-- William Penn
 

March 1, 2010

Fraternity brothers pitch in to ease the hurt of homelessness
Joshua Deephouse slips into his sleeping bag and lays his head down on the thin plastic covering the ground. The temperature tonight is hovering just above 30 degrees; he feels every rush of air through his tent and hears every sound as he prepares to sleep outside.
The Temple University senior and president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity chapter organized a camp-out to raise awareness over the plight of homelessness.
"It's a different experience if you're not accustomed to camping," said ATO fraternity vice president Matthew Jacob. "We do this once a year; homeless people, they don't have a choice — and that's the whole point of this camp-out."
 -- For story and video: http://www.temple.edu/newsroom/2009_2010/02/stories/Campout.htm
 

February 22, 2010

Suburban homelessness rising
Homelessness in rural and suburban America is straining shelters this winter as the economy founders and joblessness hovers near double digits — a "perfect storm of foreclosures, unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing," in one official's eyes.
"We are seeing many families that never before sought government help," said Greg Blass, commissioner of Social Services in Suffolk County on eastern Long Island. "We see a spiral in food stamps, heating assistance applications; Medicaid is skyrocketing," Blass added. "It is truly reaching a stage of being alarming."
 

-- The Associated Press, February 17, 2010
 

February 15, 2010

I'll tell you what it really means
to worship the LORD:
 
Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly.
Free those who are abused!
Share your food with those who are hungry;
share your home with the poor and homeless.
Give clothes to those in need; don't turn away your relatives.
 
Then your light will shine like the dawning sun,
and you will quickly be healed.
 
   -- Isaiah, 58: 6-8

 

February 8, 2010

We are a family of friends which most of our members never had. We understand that real care for the poor and the little people of the world means being in love for the long haul. -- Gary Smith

 

February 1, 2010

There are three rules for dealing with those who come to us:
  1. Kindness;
  2. Kindness;
  3. Kindness.
   -- Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

 

January 25, 2010

The first couple of times we came, it was kind of tough; then everything changed. I remembered the names of some of the guests and one of them said, "Welcome back!" They knew me and I knew them. It was just a human kind of thing. -- College Volunteer at OBP

 

January 18, 2010

 

 

January 11, 2010

We are a family of friends which most of our members never had. We understand that real care for the poor and the little people of the world means being in love for the long haul. -- Gary Smith

 

January 4, 2010

I don't like to think about when I was homeless. It was hard -- I was really down on myself. Then something happened -- I remember coming into the shelter at Christmas time and receiving some really nice Christmas gifts -- the real thing. I was so touched that people were willing to take a chance on a 'bum' like me. -- Formerly Homeless Staff Person

 

December 28, 2009

The Work of Christmas
 
  When the song of the angels is stilled,
  When the star in the sky is gone,
  When the kings and princes are home,
  When the shepherds are back with their flock,
  The work of Christmas begins:
  To find the lost,
  To heal the broken,
  To feed the hungry
  To release the prisoners,
  To rebuild the nations,
  To bring peace among people,
  To make music in the heart.
 
  -- Howard Thurman

 

December 21, 2009

 
 Join us and Mayor Nutter to commemorate
  Homeless Memorial Day
 Today: Monday, December 21
City Hall Courtyard
4:30-5:30 PM
We will REMEMBER
homeless and formerly homeless Philadelphians
who died during 2009
and CALL for a renewed commitment to end homelessness.
 
Participating organizations: Arch Street United Methodist Church – Bethesda Project – Broad Street Ministry – Catholic Health East – Covenant House – Depaul USA – Dignity Housing – Episcopal Community Services – Homeless Advocacy Project – Horizon House – House of Grace Catholic Worker – Impact Services Corporation – JEVS – Lutheran Settlement House – Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania – Pathways to Housing –Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center – PRO-ACT – Project H.O.M.E. – Public Health Management Corporation – Ready Willing & Able – Resources for Human Development/Ridge Center –RHD/People's Choice & Silver Springs Centers – SELF Inc. – St. Francis Inn – St. John’s Hospice – Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission – Tenant Union Representative Network – Traveler’s Aid Philadelphia – Youth Emergency Service

 

December 14, 2009

Hunger, family homelessness on rise in U.S. cities
The U.S. Conference of Mayors said cities reported a 26 percent jump in demand for hunger assistance over the past year, the largest average increase since 1991.
Middle-class families as well as the uninsured, elderly, working poor and homeless increasingly looked for help with hunger, which was mainly fueled by unemployment, high housing costs and low wages.
Looking ahead to 2010, cities said they expect it will be difficult to meet increased demands for food due to the impact of state and local budget cuts, a decrease in grocery store donations and higher food costs.
Just over three-fourths of the cities reported a jump in homeless families due to the recession and lack of affordable housing. Individual homelessness, on the other hand, was level or down in 16 of the cities.
 

-- REUTERS, December 8, 2009

 

December 7, 2009

Through the Cracks

Stimulus money for the homeless doesn't help those in the most dire need.
(The...) chronically homeless, (Angelo) Sgro says, need intensive and long-term case management — the very thing that was de-funded by the Bush administration, and which nobody wants to fund now. "That's what's missing from the federal stimulus, any kind of long-term case management," Sgro says, "I'm disappointed. I thought we'd be able to use this money to help the chronically homeless."
 

-- Isaiah Thompson, City Paper, 12/01/09

See article:
http://citypaper.net/articles/2009/12/03/federal-stimulus-bill-philadelphia-homeless-shelters
 

November 30, 2009

I remember what it's like.
 
When I see people on the streets, I remember how I got from there to where I am now. I go up to them and say, "Hi, do you know about Bethesda?"
 
That's how it started for me. -- Bethesda Resident/Community Life Council Member
 

November 23, 2009

You got yourself a choice, being a giver or being a taker. When you make that choice, you decide the kind of person you're gonna be. -- Shelter Volunteer at the Philadelphia Marathon
 

November 16, 2009

Students to sleep outdoors, host food drive
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, sponsored by Campus Ministry, will help educate the Villanova community about the issues of poverty around the globe.
In addition to the events on Sunday, Nov 15, others include canned goods collections, reflections, a food drive, a clothing drive and several speakers.
During last year's Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, over 130 runners signed up for the Hunger Run, raising over $1,300. At the sleep-out last year, 35 of the 50 attendees slept outside the entire night.
 

-- The Villanovan
 

November 9, 2009

Be not forgetful to offer hospitality to strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
 

-- Hebrews 13: 1-2
 

November 2, 2009

I felt useless and helpless and remember crying out: "God, help me, I can't take this anymore! Take my hand and show me the path." Just then I received some phone numbers from my social worker, and chose one at random. It turned out to be Bethesda at 722 North Broad Street. The next day I spoke with Kevin; on Friday I talked with Mary Ellen, and on the next Monday I moved in to my new room. That was some kind of record! I was so elated that I played '722' that week and won enough for my deposit as well! Now, you know Someone is looking out for me.
 
I am filled with gratitude today. I believe in God, and I believe in myself. -- Former Bethesda Resident
 

October 26, 2009

We were blessed with the first hand experience of being able to help and talk with the poor. ...(W)e came to realize that except for their lack of material foods, we were much alike. -- St. Michael's Prep (Silverado, CA) after Bethesda In-Service
 

October 19, 2009

Is it not one of our problems today that we have separated ourselves from the poor and the wounded and the suffering? We have too much time to discuss and theorize and have lost the yearning for God which comes when we are faced with the sufferings of people. -- Jean Vanier
 

October 12, 2009

I was raised in an orphanage and didn't have a family when I was a child. So I never knew what people were talking about when they talked about their families. Even as an adult, when I'd walk down the street, I always wanted to peek into people's houses to see what families were like. I'm old now, but thanks to Bethesda I think I know. -- Bethesda Resident
 

October 5, 2009

Homelessness is not just being without a roof, it is the collapse of a world, of security, personal relationships and of dignity. It is the loss of the ability to lead a 'truly human' life. -- First International Meeting for the Pastoral Care of the Homeless
 

September 28, 2009

 
Kol Tzedek Synagogue (West Philadelphia)
Sponsors Food Donation on Yom Kippur
 
"Bethesda" derives its name from "Beit" and "Chesed," meaning "house of loving-kindness" in Hebrew. The founders of Bethesda Project -- a prayer group from Daylesford, PA -- drew inspiration from Isaiah 58 when they saw homelessness on the rise in the late 1970s:
 
Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul?...
Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?...
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou
bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?
 
Help us answer Isaiah's challenge through small contributions -- like donating food.
-- that can add up to a huge difference in someone's life
Please bring any of the following to Calvary when you come to Yom Kippur services!
- ground coffee
- dry spaghetti
- canned beans and other canned goods
- macaroni & cheese
- other staples in box or canned forms
http://www.kol-tzedek.org

 

September 21, 2009

 
Did film (Soloist) get a mental illness right? By Dan Gottlieb
 
Dear Dan,
I watched the movie The Soloist about Steve Lopez's relationship with Nathaniel Ayers , the inspirational homeless musician in L.A. I'm wondering if you can share your insights on the authenticity of the movie, especially regarding the relationship between Ayers and Lopez and the mental illness symptoms of the homeless people depicted in the film. I'm a theology teacher in a Catholic high school and in my senior classes, we study homelessness: the realities, causes and consequences. I'm thinking that this movie may be useful. I look forward to any insights you can offer me. - Suzy Eyler
 
"...our responsibility as a community is to do what we can to see (the) diamond." – Dan Gottlieb
 
For Dr. Dan Gottieb’s complete response, click here
 

September 14, 2009

My brothers and sisters,
what good is it if people claim they have faith
but don't act like it?
Can that kind of faith save them?
 
Suppose a brother or sister has no clothes or food.
Suppose one of you says to them,
"I hope everything turns out fine for you.
Keep warm.
Eat well."
And you do nothing about what they really need.
Then what good have you done?
 
It is the same with faith.
If it doesn't cause us to do something,
it's dead.
  -- James 2, 14-18
 

September 7, 2009

Fred was cooking up breakfast for the men at Sanctuary, talking all the while about his plans for the future. Then, after a short silence and in a voice gruff with purpose, he promised: "You wait, someday I'm going to be a tax paying citizen again". -- Bethesda Staff Person
 

August 31, 2009

Special thanks to (the staff) for getting us organized and overseeing our work. It was great to see how they interacted with the people coming through - knowing their names, dealing with them with such great respect and dignity and treating them like individuals and not homeless people - their compassion and kindness was extraordinary. It was a great experience. -- Bethesda Café Volunteer
 

August 24, 2009

Caring is the privilege of every person
and is at the heart of being human.
  -- Henri Nouwen
 

August 17, 2009

"God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God, my friends, is with the poor and God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden this is an adventure." -- Bono at the NAACP award, March 2007
 

August 10, 2009

Phila. center to aid homeless veterans
On any given night across the country, an estimated 131,000 veterans are homeless - living in shelters, on streets, or doubling up with friends.
 
President Obama has declared "zero tolerance" for homelessness among those who have served in the military, and a newly created center in Philadelphia will help his administration decide how best to tackle the problem.
 
In October, the Department of Veterans Affairs will open the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans in University City, near the VA Medical Center of Philadelphia. Its purpose will be to steer national policy, conduct research, and educate the operators of VA programs on the most effective methods for reducing homelessness.
 

-- By Jennifer Lin, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/09/09
 

August 3, 2009

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
  -- The Merchant Of Venice
 

July 27, 2009

A man brought Elisha twenty loaves of bread. Elisha said, "Give it to the people so they can eat." "There's not enough here for a hundred people," his servant said. "Just give it to them," Elisha replied. "The LORD has promised there will be more than enough." The servant served the bread to the people. They ate and still had some left over, just as the LORD had promised. -- 2 Kings: 4:42-44

Bethesda thanks all of our friends who supported the 2009 Picnic with their gifts of donuts, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, sandwich rolls, coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, beverages, chips, cookies, fresh fruit, water balloons, gift cards, tents, and other practical expressions of your love.
185 of our Bethesda family members feasted on your kindness and generosity.
 

July 20, 2009

Growing up I always knew that families celebrated birthdays with parties, but it wasn't until I came to Bethesda that I experienced it for myself. It still surprises me that people I don't know would want to celebrate my birthday. -- Bethesda Resident
 

July 13, 2009

Just a few nights ago, homeless men slept in the doorways of an empty two-story building along an alley between the Loews Hotel and St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Center City.
 
But yesterday, a crane arrived to begin tearing down the old school to make way for permanent housing for homeless men and women.
 
Eighteen months from now, 79 people battling mental illness or addictions will move into a $25 million, eight-story apartment building.
 
The facility will have 24 rooms for formerly homeless men and women working with the Bethesda Project to recover from addictions, and 55 efficiency apartments for homeless people with mental illness working with Project H.O.M.E.
 
"This building is important," said Angelo Sgro, Director of Bethesda Project, "because we are creating desperately needed permanent, supported housing for people with special needs in an area of the city with an abundance of social services, transportation, and social opportunities."
 

-- By Jennifer Lin, Inquirer Staff Writer, July 9, 2009
 

July 6, 2009

I read about a woman who recalled that her aunt's home was not only beautiful, but welcoming. She said, "It's as though you've received a hug the moment you step in."
 
Years ago, when I heard that we were going to have 'security personnel' at the new shelter (Our Brothers' Place), I was concerned that it wasn’t going to feel very much like 'family' for our guests. Then I found out we were hiring staff who knew how to give a warm and friendly reception to our guests -- and also pat them down at the same time: a reception that is at once affectionate, safe and secure. It's all in the attitude. -- Bethesda Staff Person
 

June 29, 2009

The volunteers (we send to Bethesda) often think that they are taking God to the city. And that if they don’t, nobody will. And then they find out that some of the homeless people have a very rich faith, and that because of their circumstances, they have nobody but God to rely on. The volunteers realize that maybe it’s their own faith that is shallow. -- Volunteer Coordinator
 

June 22, 2009

First lady to lead Cabinet officers in volunteer efforts
WASHINGTON — Led by Michelle Obama, top members of the Obama administration will fan out across the country next week to participate in community service projects as part of a high-profile effort to spark volunteer work through the summer.

"It's a way of saying you may not think you can do much, but here is something you can do," said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who'll serve breakfast to the homeless at the Second Chance Cafe at The Bridge in Dallas, where he formerly served as mayor.
 
He's worked at the cafe before and wanted to underscore the need for year-round help. "During Thanksgiving and Christmas, people are acutely aware of the need to help feed the hungry, but homelessness and hunger is a year-round phenomenon. During the summer is when they go begging for help," Kirk said.
  By Steven Thomma, McClatchy Newspapers
 

June 15, 2009

First Ever Report Card On Homeless Children Released
  by KYW's Kim Glovas
The first ever national report on homeless children has been released. The National Center on Family Homelessness unveiled the report at a forum in Philadelphia. The report, titled "America's Youngest Outcasts," is the first ever attempt at providing hard information on the number of homeless children in each state, their health and where they stand educationally.

Pennsylvania stands 14th in the national ranking of taking care of its homeless, and has more than 43,000 homeless children.
  KYW Newsradio Tuesday, 09 June 2009
 

June 8, 2009

You who are rich, the poor have been appointed your companions in this life. You see them burdened by not having things, while you are burdened by having things. In not having things, the poor have nothing to support them; you, in having much, are weighed down.
 
By helping them with their need, you can diminish your own load. -- St. Augustine
 

June 1, 2009

"I was a little afraid before I went into the church shelter, but, you know, the men were, you know, like human beings. I mean, not 'like', but really were just normal people. Serving the meal and eating with the men was, like, really fun. I think I learned a lot!" -- High School Volunteer
 

Memorial Day, 2009

"About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. Current population estimates suggest that about 154,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year…. Right now, the number of homeless male and female Vietnam era veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war..." -- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
 

May 18, 2009

I feel truly blessed to have found an outlet, a place I can give to – the right place at the right time. I can step out of my comfort zone. I found this group opportunity to serve and I am so grateful to have received so much in return.
 
I am truly blessed. I have been given a gift. -- Bethesda Volunteer
 

May 11, 2009

I think there’s enough stuff in the world to go around, but folks have to be thinking that way to make it happen. -- Bethesda Shelter Guest
 

May 4, 2009

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create,
to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love,
and to be greater than our suffering
 

-- Ben Okri

 

April 27, 2009

 
  Hollywood looks at mental illness
Friday, April 24th, 2009
By: Maiken Scott
mscott@whyy.org
The film The Soloist opens today. Mental health advocates are glad the movie, based on a Steve Lopez book, is drawing attention to mental illness and homelessness. They hope audiences take away the right lessons from the film.
  To listen to the 4 minute interview, click on:
  http://whyy.org/cms/news/health-science/behavioral-health-health-science/2009/04/24/hollywood-looks-at-mental-illness/7117

 

April 20, 2009

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

 

And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. -- Acts 4

 

April 13, 2009

 

April 6, 2009

After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said: Do you understand what I have done? You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. -- John 13: 12-15, From the Holy Thursday Liturgy

 

March 30, 2009

At every Seder, Jews open the door to beckon the spirit of Eliyahu, the prophet Elijah. Elijah was a farmer in the 9th century, who was a fighter for freedom and independence for common people. Before he died, he promised he would return once each generation in the guise of a homeless person. He said he would know, by the way he was treated, whether people had reached a level of humanity that would make them ready for the messiah. -- Bethesda Staff Person

 

March 23, 2009

These people loved me back into shape.
My mind’s cleared up. I’ve got my self esteem.
I wake up happy.
 
 

-- Bethesda Resident

 

March 16, 2009

When I was at the Bethesda Café (8th and Arch Sts) on Sunday night there was a new guest, 21 years old and crying. She had nothing but the clothes she was wearing. She came over to me, we prayed and she continued crying. But what she said to me was exactly what and why we do what we do.... She aid she feels SAFE at the Café. -- Bethesda Café Volunteer

 

March 9, 2009

 
Please join us for our annual Volunteers Appreciation Night!
 
If you have prepared, delivered or served
Bethesda casseroles, meals, or snacks;
 
If you have led Bingo, songs, work groups, discussions
or special presentations at our houses;
 
If you have talked with us, listened to us, surveyed us,
taken us shopping, cleaned our corridors, or worked in our gardens;
 
If you have been friends and family to us,
we want to thank you on:
 
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Old First Reformed Church
4th and Race Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106
 
Click here for the invitation, map with directions,
and on-street parking permit
 

 

March 2, 2009

I'll tell you what it really means to worship the LORD:
   
Remove the chains of prisoners who are held unjustly;
  free those who are abused!
Share your food with those who are hungry; and share
  your home with the poor and homeless.
Give clothes to those in need.
   
Then your light will shine in the dark,
  and your darkest hour will be like the noonday sun.
     
    -- Isaiah 58

 

February 23, 2009

Mission Statement
Seeking God’s guidance and believing that we are responsible to each other as members of one family, the mission of Bethesda Project is to find and care for the abandoned poor and be family with those who have none.

Vision Statement
Bethesda Project is a faith-based community dedicated to serving the abandoned poor. We have chosen to focus our energies on those who are homeless.
Bethesda Project’s fundamental commitment is to create a community where men and women on the margins of a complex society find sanctuary and have their basic needs met in the company of a loving, compassionate and caring family. We are also committed to offering programs facilitating social and economic reintegration into society.
Our goal is to build a community where the human spirit may flourish: a place that provides quality housing and supportive services where we can share with one another our unique personal resources, acknowledge our God-given dignity and goodness, and experience the opportunity for personal transformation.

 

February 16, 2009

Bethesda Family Members:

We have appealed to you for help for many things over the years. To the best of my knowledge, we have never asked you to contact government representatives on our behalf. These are not ordinary times, however.

We are faced with an extraordinary challenge to our ability to provide a safe and secure environment to our guests at Our Brothers’ Place (OBP), the shelter we run under a city contract at 907 Hamilton Street.

We have already lost our entire social service staff for fiscal 2010. Further cuts of as much as 30% are contemplated by the mayor. I am convinced that even a 10% cut to the budget at OBP will reduce our program to a warehouse for human beings that is unacceptable to us.

Please visit bethesdaproject.org to learn how to contact city officials and lend your voice to our homeless brothers and sisters.

Thank you,
Angelo Sgro
Executive Director
Bethesda Project

 

February 9, 2009

Being Family with Those Who Have None

When: Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 12:00PM
Where: Bethesda Cafe, 740 Arch Street, 215-685-4610
Cost: FREE

 

Bring your lunch to the Bethesda Project Café and talk with our long-time volunteers about how they make personal connections with homeless men and women. Tony Medwid will lead a discussion about the long-term personal and societal impact of these relationships.

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.

Walk beside me and be my friend."

- Albert Camus

February 2, 2009

You who are looking forward to meeting God in heaven:

attend to him now lying under the arches;

attend to him hungry,

attend to him shivering with cold,

attend to him needy,

attend to him a foreigner.

 -- St. Augustine

January 26, 2009

"Here is a test to find out if your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t." -- Richard Bach

 

January 19, 2009

-- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

January 12, 2009
 

BETHESDA PROJECT IS A PROUD COMMUNITY PARTNER OF
THE FREE LIBRARY'S ONE BOOK, ONE PHILADELPHIA PROGRAM.
JOIN US FOR TWO FREE EVENTS WITH BETHESDA STAFF
AND VOLUNTEERS!
THIS YEAR'S BOOK SELECTION, THE SOLOIST, TELLS THE TRUE STORY OF THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN JOURNALIST STEVE LOPEZ AND STREET MUSICIAN NATHANIEL AYERS. WE WILL EXPLORE ISSUES ABOUT HOMELESSNESS THAT THE BOOK RAISES. CHECK OUT THE LIBRARY'S WEBSITE OR ANY BRANCH FOR A FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS OR TO CHECK OUT A COPY OF THE BOOK.
 
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? A FRANK TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS
WHEN: MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 7:00PM
WHERE: PHILADELPHIA CITY INSTITUTE, LOCUST & 19TH STREET
Angelo Sgro, Executive Director of Bethesda Project and long-time Philadelphia mental health professional and activist, will discuss the perfect storm of social injustice, mental illness, drugs, and economics that contributes to the ongoing homelessness crisis.
 
BEING FAMILY WITH THOSE WHO HAVE NONE
WHEN: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 12:00PM
WHERE: BETHESDA CAFE, 740 ARCH STREET, 215-685-4610
Bring your lunch to the Bethesda Project Café and talk with long-time volunteers of one of the city's largest and oldest homeless services organizations about how they make positive connections with homeless men and women. Bethesda Project Community Life Director Tony Medwid will lead a discussion about the long-term personal and societal impact of these relationships. Beverages will be provided.

 

January 5, 2009

Play Misty for me:

Danny (left) is just one of the people grateful to Sparks (right) for treating him with dignity.
(photo by Tara Murtha)
See the Philadelphia Weekly article: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Tara Murtha:
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/18116/columns--laptop-anthropologist

 

December 29, 2008

 

Profile of Hunger in Philadelphia:

During the last year, requests for food assistance have increased 23 percent in Philadelphia. Those requesting assistance for the first time include families with children, employed persons, and senior citizens who are raising grandchildren.

 

An eight percent decrease in budgets for emergency food purchases during the same period

has forced providers to reduce the amount and variety of food purchased, resulting in a 26 percent decrease in the amount of food distributed in Philadelphia.

 

Profile of Homelessness in Philadelphia:

Overall, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased 3 percent in Philadelphia over the past year.

 

TOTAL POPULATION: 1,449, 634

PERCENT BELOW POVERTY LINE: 23.80%

 

From

U.S. Conference of Mayors 2008 Status Report on Hunger & Homelessness