Monday, July 13, 2009

27th Week Update - Miles Neighborhood Food Collection Project

Hi Folks,

The world is taking notice of the Miles Neighborhood One Can A Week food donation program. Well, perhaps that’s speaking a bit hyperbolically…it’s more like just big websites here in the USA. But big websites are good!

On Thursday the 7th I got an email that read: “The Corporation for National and Community Service, the owner of Serve.gov, would like to post your story of service.” I replied: “The Miles Neighborhood neighbors, the originators of One Can A Week Neighborhood Food Donation Program would be pleased if you posted our story everywhere.” I think they are thinking everywhere, too, because of the legal paragraph that followed their opening sentence mentioned things like “such as, but not limited to.” That could mean the world, you know. So maybe my opening sentence isn’t hyperbole.

One Can A Week on Serve.gov
I registered our program on Serve.gov so anyone looking for a project dealing with hunger in America can find us on that huge government website. To see the listing just click on the link. http://myproject.serve.gov/public/OpportunityDetail.aspx?projectId=11808&subProjectId=4834459

Rebecca Taylor from KVOA News 4 Called
Rebecca wrote and presented that great news story on One Can A Week a few weeks ago. Now she would like to do a more in depth report for Impact, a half hour community service program that airs Sunday mornings at 6 am on KVOA News 4. Our air date is scheduled for August 9th. After the show airs, I will try to purchase a DVD and get permission to place the video on our blog.
Barbara Farragut on 12th Street and Pauline Hechler, Vice President of Development at the Community Food Bank will be joining me in a conversation about hunger in Tucson, the Community Food Banks’ critical role in feeding the needy and our One Can A Week Neighborhood Food Donation Program.

New Arizona Daily Star Sunday Feature
The Star is looking for people to suggest and then write about folks who will someday affect Southern Arizona’s future. Jane See White, the feature editor says, “Perhaps it is a retired person who is pouring his talents into a nonprofit charity. Perhaps it is a scholar or scientist whose work you believe will touch our lives.”

As luck would have it, this Sunday’s article will be written by Pauline Hechler. Her topic covers our One Can A Week program and some background on me.

Pauline has assisted me from the start and her support keeps me always pressing forward. She thinks I may help change Southern Arizona’s future and that is why she is writing the piece. But I can tell you, her encouraging words over the past 6 months have already changed my future.

Hitting Our Summer Stride
The temperature is over 100 degrees every Sunday now and we are tipping the food scales at around 130 lbs. at each Monday weigh-in. This week we collected 132 lbs plus $6.00 in cash. Last week we collected 134 lbs. Averages are good! Also, notice the Ginger Snaps with the purple smiley face. Love it when kids get involved, don’t you?

Safeway Off Again
It turns out that I didn’t get approval to team up with the Community Food Bank and the Humane Society of Tucson this coming Saturday. Because of the slow economy, both charity drives at Safeway, Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer did not generate as many donations as the company had predicted. Consequently, Safeway does not want to support any other program at this time and perhaps not until next year. So I’m thinking about and planning to approach other supermarkets in Tucson for my Saturday food collection program.

Little Cabriolets get heat exhaustion, too
Almost completed my rounds two Sundays ago when I noticed a pool of fluid under the car. Not good. Made it home and Monday discovered the cause. A small cooling system hose popped out of its moorings in a spot very near the bottom of the engine block. Since I am a “top of the engine mechanic” only I am going to have to wait until a ship or two comes in to fix my little friend. Fortunately I have another car that gets the job done but has nowhere near the charm of my 22-year-old, half a million mile Cabriolet.

See you Sunday.

Peter

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