Buddy Quinn and Janice Luongo

By David Eisenberger

Congratulations to the Providence Rescue Mission for receiving this month’s Humanitarian Award for their outstanding service to the homeless community.

For over a year now, five nights a week, the Mission has been feeding and ministering to the men who stay at Harrington Hall. This is an emergency facility that is operated by the State of Rhode Island on the John O. Pastore grounds in Cranston.

They undertook this additional ministry because it came to their attention that due to the state’s financial hardship these men needed help. So to not only bless the men, but also our state, the Mission decided to step to the plate and make a real difference!

The Mission serves an additional 100 plus meals at Harrington Hall at no cost to the state, on top of the 120 meals they currently serve at the Mission!

Testimonials:
“It’s nice knowing that we have a meal we can count on.” – John W.

“Thank You…it is one less problem I have to worry about.” -  Martin

“I think it is great that some people care.” – GBL

Message from Sean Carew:
I want to let you know that the people we serve truly appreciate all that you are doing to help us provide for them. They are always quick to say “Thank you” or “I don’t know where I would have eaten tonight if it was not for the Mission”. You can only imagine what it must be like to be homeless, struggling with addiction, depression and other life challenges and realizing that because of caring people of our community you are going to bed with a full stomach! What a blessing!

We at the Mission consider it a privilege to partner with “House of Hope” and others to help make life more dignified for those that are struggling in our community! The Mission is a non-profit, non-denominational privately funded ministry that since 1999 has provided food, safe shelter, Christian counseling, and other essential service at no charge to those we serve.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and support of the mission. If you want to donate, volunteer, or just want to see what it is all about, call or email to set up a time to give you a tour of the facility.

To contact Sean Carew, call his cell phone at 401-451-4283, Email address: seanprm@yahoo.com, Mission Website:  www.providencerescuemission.org

Contact the Mission
Mailing Address:
Providence Rescue Mission
627 Cranston Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02907
Phone Numbers:
401-274-8861
401-648-6849 – Volunteer Center Phone Line

By Melissa Howard

This month’s Humanitarian Award goes to the Rhode Island Coalition for The Homeless (R.I.C.H.).

Their mission statement reads as follows… “The Rhode Island Coalition is organized to promote and preserve the dignity, comprehensive, and cooperative solutions to the problems of housing and homelessness”.

They succeed in their mission by changing lives, and helping others. They help by advocacy, education, and collaboration.

R.I.C.H. was founded in 1988. They have numerous groups that better help constituents with advising others, or help make decisions that affect the homeless. This organization helps people find their voices so that they can communicate better the issues of being homeless, and find solutions to end it. There’s always someone there to help guide you back on the right path.

Street Sights wants to give thanks to the entire staff at R.I.C.H. for all that they do for the community.

Thank You, and Congratulations.

By Melissa Howard

This month’s Humanitarian Award goes to RI Homeless Advocacy Project (RIHap). Based out of Providence and starting in 2009, RIHap was started with the beliefs that homeless individuals should take an active role in policy making among the shelters and other facilities throughout the state.

They believe that no one knows homelessness better than someone who has or is experiencing homelessness.

They’re mostly known for their peer-to-peer advocacy, as they walk the streets at night to find people who may be sleeping outside on a cold night. They find a way to get this person the help they need or a bed to sleep in for the night.

They have taken an active role in keeping NOP in the budget and helping with the passing of the hate crimes law.

They have weekly meetings on Fridays at 10am at the Matthewson Street Church.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Providence is a multi-faceted place of worship.  Because of the energy of Pastor Paul Lawrence, you’ll find things going on each and every day.

Pastor Lawrence came to Rhode Island from India and got his Doctorate of Divinity in 2007. He and his wife Janet have been affiliated with Mt. Pleasant Baptist since November of 2004.

Mt. Pleasant runs a number of monthly activities. Each 2nd Friday of the month, at the coffee-house social, members of the community gather for good music and a “message Pot-luck suppers”.  Teens meet every second Saturday of the month for a “teen challenge” to spend time in a safe environment with their peers.  For those in recovery, meetings are held every Monday at 7:00pm.

This church not only serves the local community, but also is doing good work in other countries.  Mt. Baptist sponsors an orphanage in Kodaikanal, India, called the James Children’s Home. The orphanage was opened in 1991, when a family was saved from ritualistic suicide.  Currently there are 12 children living at the James Children’s home, along with some of its graduates and nurses who work there.  Pastor Lawrence says the orphanage is expanding and needs support.  Donations can be made to Paul Lawrence Ministries, Inc., 178 Gray Street, Providence RI.  Or visit www.ABCORI.com for more information.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church is located at 262 Academy Ave. Providence, RI, (401) 351-2347

Street Sights presents a Humanitarian Award to The Happy Basket Program located at the Cumberland Senior Center, the monastery, at 1464 Diamond Hill Road. The Happy Basket Program serves Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to people in need. People receive a letter for the Happy Basket through welfare, churches, and school. Some can walk in and ask for a basket, they just need to have an I.D. and live in Cumberland. The Happy Basket Program served approximately 650 Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets this year.

I asked him how he got involved with the program, John answered. Johnston got involved in the Happy Basket Program after working with the Adopt-a-Family program in the 1980s. In the 1990s he worked with Anne Brown, now retired from the Senior Center to start up the Happy Basket.

“We never know if we’re going to make the quantity needed or not. But by some miracle we do it,” said John Johnston, from the Happy Basket. “It always surprises me. Every year we worry, but when that day comes we’re okay. It’s great to watch happen. You have to have faith in the program. We have great volunteers and donors. Their loyalty is great, and I think the world of them.”

“It may be a lot of work but it’s worth it, Johnston said. “Knowing that it’s making a difference in someone’s life is a great thing to see. To get to see the face and smiles is amazing.”

By David Eisenberger and Jenny DiTomasso

Congratulations to Pastor Bob Brooks, Carolina Boyle, Judy McGill, Andrew Wright, and Jeff Meyers at Grace Church for winning this month’s Humanitarian Award. These people help provide a coffee hour and various other functions to homeless and less-fortunate people.

The volunteers serve free coffee from 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays. In the winter, coffee is served from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the church also provides needed warmth on days when the weather is inclement.

The coffee outreach was started by the people of the parish who wanted to open the church to the public. The outreach is now staffed by homeless volunteers who know the clientele the best.

The church wants the people to be respectful of the church, inside and outside, and to keep the property clean. For a while there was friction between the neighborhood and the church. Neighborhood businesses were blaming homeless people for the mess, even though it was actually caused by the buildup of debris when the bars in the neighborhood close down.

Grace Church doesn’t offer only coffee. It hosts A.A. meetings, Young Voices, leadership training, Grace Church Apartments (a HUD program, overseen by the church, with 100 units), and it does maintenance at Grace Cemetery at Trinity Square. The church supports PICA by opening its doors for free meals on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Wednesday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. In addition, the church also works with high school and college students, doing outreach in the United States and South Africa.

According to Pastor Bob, Grace Church aims to focus on vitality, diversity, and authenticity through all the programs it offers its members and the larger community.

The current economic crisis hasn’t hit the parishioners yet, but the future is uncertain. Due to the difficult times, the church plans on expanding its outreach to serve the community.

Since the problem of homelessness is not solved, the church wants to make the conditions more hospitable for homeless people. The church hopes to be a part of the rotating shelter system next winter.

In order to continue the free coffee outreach, Pastor Bob stressed, “We can’t compromise the integrity of the church; people need to be respectful of the surroundings in order to lessen the tension between the businesses and the church.”

Street Sights congratulates Pastor Bob Brooks and all the volunteers at Grace Church.

By Stan Kapelewski and Adrienne Langlois

This month Street Sights is giving awards to all the volunteers and staff members responsible for restarting and maintaining the St. John’s City Meal Site on North Main Street, Providence.

Since its revival last October, the meal site has been operated by an army of fresh volunteers who joined the earlier volunteers, working side by side, devoting a lot of time and hard work.

Thanks to The Providence Center School students and their vocation counselor, Eve Labb; the Brown University H.O.P.E. students; the Providence College students and their coordinator, Shannon Johnson; the Homeless Peoples Action Committee (H.P.A.C.); and all the church volunteers.

Thanks also to Executive Director Tom Veronneau; site manager John Freitas; cooks Tom O’Donnell, Bob Oberg, and Alane Spinney; and volunteers Barbara Kalil, “Stone Cold” Richard Corcoran, Mike MacEwen, Sandy Peterson, John Doherty, Gloria Day, Rosemary Perry, John Haskell, Denise Andrade, Richard Draper, Judy McGill, Kate Terwilliger, Edgar Woznica, Denise Labont, Valexja and Tatjana and Joshua Johnson, Winston and Everett Lima, Elder Knight, Elder Park, Jonathan LaBrecque, Kate Kelly, Kelly Sheehan, Nick Vaz, and Jake Vieira.

To contact the meal site, call 401-331-2590

Testimonials:
“Working at this meal site has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”
– Alane Spinney, cook

“It’s a great place to get a good meal.” –Ray

“The food is always good, and all the volunteers make you feel welcome. I am very thankful.”
– Mark P.

“It’s a wonderful ministry that tries to help out the best that they can.” — Lee

“I missed them when they closed, and now happy that they are back.” — Linda

By Stan Kapelewski

This month’s Humanitarian Award goes to the Mental Health Consumer Advocates of Rhode Island (MHCA)/Oasis, located at 1280 North Main Street in Providence.

MHCA/Oasis is a statewide organization that has been helping its clients since 1985. Its members know from experience that people who suffer from mental illness have much to offer in ways of time, talent, and enthusiasm.

The entire staff at Oasis wholeheartedly invites those who are eager to share their talents to become involved in the organization. It is open 365 days a year and it serves the public in many different ways, from serving daily lunches to conducting peer counseling sessions in a safe environment.

Tony Pierre, executive director, and Geri Lebeau, associate director and shelter manager, are responsible for running a productive six-month shelter program for 10 men and 10 women. It has been in operation for two years and has helped many people get on their feet again.

Pierre said, “I had worked at the Welcome Arnold Shelter for two years and met a lot of people who dealt with the homeless, and I find that the key problem is the communications with the clients. The more you talk to them about their situation, the better you can try to fix it.”

Lebeau said, “There’s never a dull moment. Dealing with people and their problems can at times be challenging but so worthwhile.”

Testimonials:
“They help me get involved with people with the same interests that I have.”
– Susan Lavoie
“Being here has made me a better person by learning the outskirts of my illness.”
– Will
“I joined Oasis for the atmosphere; and it’s clean, with a loving environment.”
– Joseph Lassiter
“They help me with my depression, and keep my mind busy.”      
– Mildred

To contact the staff at Oasis, call 401-831-6937.

By David Eisenberger and Jenny DiTomasso

The recipient of the Humanitarian Award for February is AIDS Care Ocean State (ACOS). The organization opened about 20 years ago with four units of safe, supervised housing, and has expanded to 90 units, according to Stephen Hartley, development director of ACOS.

There are many functions in this diverse organization, which is located at 18 Parkis Avenue in Providence.

It began with the Donate Exchange on Elmwood Avenue, which opened as an HIV/AIDS prevention service.

The need for more services led to further outreach and expansion. One is Adopt a Family, which assists families in need; furnishes food and gifts during the holidays, and offers heating assistance.

Sunrise House, a licensed HIV/AIDS assisted living establishment, provides a setting for at least 10 adults. The goal is to help clients reach health stability and to move back into the community.

Facts Nursery provides a pediatric nursery for babies with crack syndrome or HIV/AIDS. A main focus of this service is to work with mothers and to make sure that the babies are provided for.

Malm Manor, consisting of 10 one-bedroom apartments is funded by the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development.

Another facility, Mount Hope, which is on the verge of opening, will provide more assisted living. Residents are HIV/AIDS positive. All the units are owned by ACOS. Residents are entitled to received round-the-clock monitoring and a 90-day stay at 18 Parkis Avenue.

In the area of prevention and outreach, 75 volunteers go to various locations in the city, offering clean needles and providing a safe place to dispose of used needles. The volunteers stress prevention of disease.

Fundraising includes art auctions, raffles, and word of mouth.

Hartley said, “even with a bad economy, we had more contributions than last year. Money is put into an account, then distributed to the various agencies.”

He sees difficult fundraising days ahead, but added, “I will find the money to run it!” He noted that the gay community has contributed $50,000 dollars and plenty of clothes to ACOS.

AIDS Care Ocean State can be reached at 401-521-3603.