Three of my homeless people's blankets & sleeping bags were stolen a couple of days ago from their camp. :(
If anyone has extra blankets & sleeping bags to donate, please let me know & if possible drop them off at my home. :) Or you could meet me at the parks today or on Saturday. Some of these blankets are always used as pillows too by the homeless.
You can call me at (520)326-2236 from Noon until 10:00 PM.
Thank you for being there for these people !! :)
Feeding the Homeless People in the City Parks of Tucson, Arizona.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Spaghetti, Dinner Rolls, Cucumber Salad & Dinner Rolls
The most exciting news I have today is that Buck from Sugar Pies yesterday spent many hours sprucing up my blog & hooking it up to Facebook & Twitter.
Please check out the "new" blog & let me know what you think. It was really fun being creative together & so rewarding to see the end results. :) Thank you soooo much Buck !! :) Your Angel Wings are growing so. :)
Buck also hand-made 82 yeast dinner rolls to go with the Spaghetti dinner I made for the homeless people last weekend. Those rolls were so yummie & the guys in the parks just loved them :), although they normally don't want any more bread. People donate bread, like bologna sandwiches or peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I have heard so many times already that they love my cooking, because I bring real food, not soup or sandwiches. It's nice to be appreciated. :) I also made their favorite cucumber salad with the sweet & sour cream sauce. I still had a few of Buck's cookies left from last weekend, so some of the people got those too. :)
Jen Y. was going to help me cook, but she hurt her hand coring apples on Friday, so I was on my own cooking the whole meal (for 100 people) on Saturday. :o I was over an hour late getting to the parks & a lot of guys left for their "camps" where they spend the nights. We only fed 27 people on Saturday, but on Monday there were 45. :) They were waiting for me.
:)
Today I called Pima College's Culinary Arts Department to see if some of their students would want to volunteer helping me cook. I am hoping that the students would get credit for the time they'd spend cooking with me. :) I was told to send an email to the college, which I will do this weekend.
It was a pretty quiet week, except for all the new blog design excitement. :)
Please check out the "new" blog & let me know what you think. It was really fun being creative together & so rewarding to see the end results. :) Thank you soooo much Buck !! :) Your Angel Wings are growing so. :)
Buck also hand-made 82 yeast dinner rolls to go with the Spaghetti dinner I made for the homeless people last weekend. Those rolls were so yummie & the guys in the parks just loved them :), although they normally don't want any more bread. People donate bread, like bologna sandwiches or peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I have heard so many times already that they love my cooking, because I bring real food, not soup or sandwiches. It's nice to be appreciated. :) I also made their favorite cucumber salad with the sweet & sour cream sauce. I still had a few of Buck's cookies left from last weekend, so some of the people got those too. :)
Jen Y. was going to help me cook, but she hurt her hand coring apples on Friday, so I was on my own cooking the whole meal (for 100 people) on Saturday. :o I was over an hour late getting to the parks & a lot of guys left for their "camps" where they spend the nights. We only fed 27 people on Saturday, but on Monday there were 45. :) They were waiting for me.
:)
Today I called Pima College's Culinary Arts Department to see if some of their students would want to volunteer helping me cook. I am hoping that the students would get credit for the time they'd spend cooking with me. :) I was told to send an email to the college, which I will do this weekend.
It was a pretty quiet week, except for all the new blog design excitement. :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tortilla Soup & Asst. Sweet Treats
Another eventful week, but let's start with last weekend. :)
Armed with 2 huge pot fulls of Tortilla "Stoup" (it's more like stew than soup), plus individual plastic baggies of tortilla chips I put together & a bunch of fresh, still warm sliced French bread I headed to the parks. On Saturday after feeding 36 people I ran out of soup. Thank God I had two more, although smaller pots at home for Monday, which I knew would not be enough. So on Sunday I bought more chicken, more zucchini, chicken broth & cilantro & started to stretch for Monday what I had left. I had plenty of salsa on hand. :) Monday we fed 35 people & the grand total stands now at 1,588. Drum roll please. :)
Buck from Sugar Pies brought over a variety of sweet treats on Thursday & of course I had to try out one each too. :) He made these incredible "Marzipan Bars" & I am still drooling over those today, just thinking about them. :) Buck also made some "Honey Bars" which were just as yummy :) & he brought over two containers of Spice Cookies called "Pepparkakor", one container for each day. :) What I love best about Buck's sweet treats are that they are not overly sweet & therefore one is able to taste all the ingredients, not just sugar. And you don't get that sugar overload. The recipes for all the above special treats are all on Buck's blog. :) Thank you soooo much Buck for sharing your Love with the homeless people. :)
You've been reading about Marci, my incredible cooking helper every weekend. :) She called me a few days ago to let me know that she fell & had dislocated her elbow. :o Her arm is in a sling now & she won't be able to help cook for a while. Both of us were quite sad, as we are a really great team in the kitchen. We always did this dance of cooking together. :) Please everyone pray for Marci to heal quickly, as she is going to college herself & also taking care of two exchange-students from China. She has a full schedule.
Armed with 2 huge pot fulls of Tortilla "Stoup" (it's more like stew than soup), plus individual plastic baggies of tortilla chips I put together & a bunch of fresh, still warm sliced French bread I headed to the parks. On Saturday after feeding 36 people I ran out of soup. Thank God I had two more, although smaller pots at home for Monday, which I knew would not be enough. So on Sunday I bought more chicken, more zucchini, chicken broth & cilantro & started to stretch for Monday what I had left. I had plenty of salsa on hand. :) Monday we fed 35 people & the grand total stands now at 1,588. Drum roll please. :)
 |
| Marzipan Bars from Sugar Pies |
You've been reading about Marci, my incredible cooking helper every weekend. :) She called me a few days ago to let me know that she fell & had dislocated her elbow. :o Her arm is in a sling now & she won't be able to help cook for a while. Both of us were quite sad, as we are a really great team in the kitchen. We always did this dance of cooking together. :) Please everyone pray for Marci to heal quickly, as she is going to college herself & also taking care of two exchange-students from China. She has a full schedule.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Ground Beef & Rice Burritos & Pin Wheel Cookies
Some organization had a big cook-out of hot dogs, hamburgers & chicken for the homeless at the DeAnza Park last Monday, Labor Day, so we only fed about three people there that day. Since I had lots of the rice dish left over I made burritos with the rice, went back on Wednesday & ended up feeding 107 people altogether during the three days. :o The total fed so far is 1,517 now. :o
After helping me cook three huge boxes of rice for hours, my dear "helping hands" Marci brought her two students fresh from China to Santa Rita Park last Saturday, to show both what Americans do to help each other. Both young men ate with us & looked like they enjoyed the rice. :) They weren't interested in the beans though, which are foreign to them. :) It was really nice to have these two young people with us !! :)
Jennifer R. cooked the big batch of beans & also donated a bunch of chopped up jalapenos to go with the rice dish. Thank you Jennifer, you are great !! :)
Buck baked some wonderful tasting Pin Wheel Cookies last weekend as the sweet treat for the people in the parks. With lots of Love he had put them in two containers, one for each day. And he also baked his Mom's Pound Cake with Lemon Frosting (yummmm) as a treat for Marci & I. Buck is the sweetest man I know !! :) Thank you soooo much Buck Dear !! :)
Speaking of Buck's cookies......... When Carlos & I first set up the back of my SUV each week with the food it always takes us a few minutes to get our flow going to serve it smoothly. Well, this past weekend I forgot to give some of the homeless their cookies along with their food. So I got asked a few times "where's my cookie ??" :) I got a big laugh out of that one. :) Buck, you are spoiling the people in the parks with your sweet treats of Love. :)
I met Bill, the man who called me last week, at DeAnza Park last Saturday & he realized that I am not a crook. Bill decided to meet me at CostCo in a week or so to buy some of the food that I will need for that weekends meals. :)
This is a shout-out to anyone who has a large (14 cup) Food Processor they would be open to donating to this cause. Marci & I are constantly chopping food to get the meals done & since we are cooking such huge quantities a large one would be really helpful. :) It would make things a bit easier & quicker for us.
Shane & Nicole H. from Sierra Vista saw the report about Feeding the Homeless on Channel 4 News last week & sent a wonderful donation to help out. It will feed the people for about 1 1/2 weeks. :) Thank you both, you made me cry tears of joy. :) Thank you also for your beautiful & thoughtful card !!
Thank you Jen Y. for meeting Carlos & I at the DeAnza Park & for your kind donation !! It was really fun to meet you !! :) Hope to see you again & maybe you can eat with us at the park one day. I am making my famous Tortilla Soup this weekend. ;)
Mary Helen, thank you once more for your on-going & caring donations to help out with the food costs. You are my biggest fan & I Love you so !! :)
Many Blessings to all of you for opening your Hearts to this cause. I pray that some day we won't have any more homeless people in this world !! :)
After helping me cook three huge boxes of rice for hours, my dear "helping hands" Marci brought her two students fresh from China to Santa Rita Park last Saturday, to show both what Americans do to help each other. Both young men ate with us & looked like they enjoyed the rice. :) They weren't interested in the beans though, which are foreign to them. :) It was really nice to have these two young people with us !! :)
Jennifer R. cooked the big batch of beans & also donated a bunch of chopped up jalapenos to go with the rice dish. Thank you Jennifer, you are great !! :)
Buck baked some wonderful tasting Pin Wheel Cookies last weekend as the sweet treat for the people in the parks. With lots of Love he had put them in two containers, one for each day. And he also baked his Mom's Pound Cake with Lemon Frosting (yummmm) as a treat for Marci & I. Buck is the sweetest man I know !! :) Thank you soooo much Buck Dear !! :)
Speaking of Buck's cookies......... When Carlos & I first set up the back of my SUV each week with the food it always takes us a few minutes to get our flow going to serve it smoothly. Well, this past weekend I forgot to give some of the homeless their cookies along with their food. So I got asked a few times "where's my cookie ??" :) I got a big laugh out of that one. :) Buck, you are spoiling the people in the parks with your sweet treats of Love. :)
I met Bill, the man who called me last week, at DeAnza Park last Saturday & he realized that I am not a crook. Bill decided to meet me at CostCo in a week or so to buy some of the food that I will need for that weekends meals. :)
This is a shout-out to anyone who has a large (14 cup) Food Processor they would be open to donating to this cause. Marci & I are constantly chopping food to get the meals done & since we are cooking such huge quantities a large one would be really helpful. :) It would make things a bit easier & quicker for us.
Shane & Nicole H. from Sierra Vista saw the report about Feeding the Homeless on Channel 4 News last week & sent a wonderful donation to help out. It will feed the people for about 1 1/2 weeks. :) Thank you both, you made me cry tears of joy. :) Thank you also for your beautiful & thoughtful card !!
Thank you Jen Y. for meeting Carlos & I at the DeAnza Park & for your kind donation !! It was really fun to meet you !! :) Hope to see you again & maybe you can eat with us at the park one day. I am making my famous Tortilla Soup this weekend. ;)
Mary Helen, thank you once more for your on-going & caring donations to help out with the food costs. You are my biggest fan & I Love you so !! :)
Many Blessings to all of you for opening your Hearts to this cause. I pray that some day we won't have any more homeless people in this world !! :)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Potato Salad with Ham & Double Frosting Brownies
Time to catch up on this & last weeks happenings before another weekend comes & goes & a very busy & great two weeks it has been. :)
This Monday Emily Guggenmos from Channel 4 News (NBC) came to the parks to report a segment on me & on Feeding the Homeless for their series called "Making A Difference". It showed on the 4:00 PM News on Tuesday & then again on the morning news the next day. Emily did a wonderful job, even though I was really nervous to be standing in front of a news camera. :) Thank you Emily for being patient with me !! :)
If you would like to watch the report, here is the link to click on:
http://www.KVOA.com/news/tucson-woman-making-a-difference-for-the-hungry/
I received a number of calls & a few donations so far from the news report. Thank you Lupita for your call shortly after the story aired & your very kind donation !! :) My friend Denise was at my house when you called & after you & I hung up, she was so excited & said "I am soooooooooo glad I was here to see this". It was a very precious moment. I even received a call from a former customer from my Rainbow Moods days of many years ago. How fun !! :)
And thank you Steve of Royal Automotive for your donation after you saw the News !! :) You are very much appreciated for your caring. I would like to ask everyone to support Steve, especially the women. He is very, very honest & will repair your vehicle without taking advantage of anyone. Here is the link to his garage http://royalautomotiveservice.com/ & his phone number is 628-1885. I have been taking my vehicle to Steve for years & I was referred to him by another woman.
Here is a funny story to share with you. :) On Wednesday I received a call from an older man who wanted to know how he could help out. I mentioned to him that donating food is great & so would a monetary donation be, which is easier for me, because then I can buy the foods I need for the coming weekends feeding. I don't have much room to store lots of food, since I do this out of my home. He said that "a donation would be fine, but there are so many crooks out there", so he "wants to meet me to make sure that I am not a "crook". :) He will be coming to the park this Saturday. If you look at the TV news report you will see that the hungry homeless people are lined up behind my car to get fed. You also see me handing out plates of food & then you see the people eating in the park, many sitting on the ground. So I got a big chuckle out of being told that I might be a crook. :) I look forward to meeting this man tomorrow. :)
Now to track back to last weekend. We fed 39 people on Saturday & 55 on Monday for a total of 94 altogether. That is the most I ever fed in one weekend. At one point I got really panicky because I realized that I didn't have enough food for everyone. I normally fed around 70 people each weekend. So this is growing bigger as we go along & I am preparing to cook extra for this coming weekend. So far the grand total fed is 1,410 people. :) Wow !!
I was so glad that Jennifer R. came both days to help Carlos & I dish out the food. She also brought a dish of chopped jalapenos for everyone to add to the potato salad with lots of chunks of ham in it that Marci & I made together. I also got creative & put together 10 lbs. of chopped tomatoes & a huge can of corn with a lemon-olive-oil dressing. The jalapenos mixed great in that too. :) Jennifer is planning on joining us whenever her jobs allows. I really enjoy her, she is a lot of fun to be around. :) She is definitely a Blessing.
And so is Buck from http://www.sugarpiesfood.com/ who made two huge sheets of Double Fudge Brownies with Praline Frosting, which were a huge success, as usual. :) Please take a peek at Buck's blog for some really incredible recipes & fun pointers. Buck has been such a positive support of Feeding the Homeless & I know that I always can count on him to donate sweet treats for the people in the parks. His treats are just soooooooooooo good !! :) I like to nibble on one each time too. :) The Brownie recipe is on his blog if you got the craving after reading this. :)
I would like to shout out a great big Thank You to Irina for donating a brand-new SaladShooter to the cause !! :) It was so helpful in chopping the 36 eggs & 2 big jars of pickles for the potato salad last weekend. :)
And I would like to send my Gratitude to Rachel R. for her thoughtful donation to help out with the increasing cost of the utilities from all the cooking.
Also to the dear lady with the three children at DeAnza Park last weekend, who told me she read about me in the Tucson Weekly & then squeezed a donation into my hand. I wish I had your name & email address, so I could thank you in that way.
Thank you also Steve R. for your second donation & for keeping your word on continuing to help out. :)
Thank you goes to Gary Mc.... for also helping out & your really dear words & your card was very pretty. :) If you are reading this, please send me your email address.
Liz G., thank you so much for your check & your caring !! :)
Thank you everyone for helping to make this possible & for opening your Hearts to the people in the parks who at least spend two less days being hungry. They are so grateful to you all for the wholesome & nurturing food we together are able to give them. Maybe as time goes we can add another day & another day after that. It is in God's hands.
Not too long ago there lived a Lakota Holy Man & Spiritual Leader by the name of Fools Crow who performed many Miracles & healed many people during his time long on earth. He always called himself a "Hollow Little Bone" for Creator to work through. He used to say that it was his job to keep his Hollow Little Bone clean, so Creator could use him each & every day. He had this exercise he did cleaning himself out each morning, taking out the bad & filling himself with the good. :)
All of us are Hollow Little Bones helping together to make this Feeding the Homeless project possible. Thank you soooo much each & everyone of you !! :)
This Monday Emily Guggenmos from Channel 4 News (NBC) came to the parks to report a segment on me & on Feeding the Homeless for their series called "Making A Difference". It showed on the 4:00 PM News on Tuesday & then again on the morning news the next day. Emily did a wonderful job, even though I was really nervous to be standing in front of a news camera. :) Thank you Emily for being patient with me !! :)
If you would like to watch the report, here is the link to click on:
http://www.KVOA.com/news/tucson-woman-making-a-difference-for-the-hungry/
I received a number of calls & a few donations so far from the news report. Thank you Lupita for your call shortly after the story aired & your very kind donation !! :) My friend Denise was at my house when you called & after you & I hung up, she was so excited & said "I am soooooooooo glad I was here to see this". It was a very precious moment. I even received a call from a former customer from my Rainbow Moods days of many years ago. How fun !! :)
And thank you Steve of Royal Automotive for your donation after you saw the News !! :) You are very much appreciated for your caring. I would like to ask everyone to support Steve, especially the women. He is very, very honest & will repair your vehicle without taking advantage of anyone. Here is the link to his garage http://royalautomotiveservice.com/ & his phone number is 628-1885. I have been taking my vehicle to Steve for years & I was referred to him by another woman.
Here is a funny story to share with you. :) On Wednesday I received a call from an older man who wanted to know how he could help out. I mentioned to him that donating food is great & so would a monetary donation be, which is easier for me, because then I can buy the foods I need for the coming weekends feeding. I don't have much room to store lots of food, since I do this out of my home. He said that "a donation would be fine, but there are so many crooks out there", so he "wants to meet me to make sure that I am not a "crook". :) He will be coming to the park this Saturday. If you look at the TV news report you will see that the hungry homeless people are lined up behind my car to get fed. You also see me handing out plates of food & then you see the people eating in the park, many sitting on the ground. So I got a big chuckle out of being told that I might be a crook. :) I look forward to meeting this man tomorrow. :)
Now to track back to last weekend. We fed 39 people on Saturday & 55 on Monday for a total of 94 altogether. That is the most I ever fed in one weekend. At one point I got really panicky because I realized that I didn't have enough food for everyone. I normally fed around 70 people each weekend. So this is growing bigger as we go along & I am preparing to cook extra for this coming weekend. So far the grand total fed is 1,410 people. :) Wow !!
I was so glad that Jennifer R. came both days to help Carlos & I dish out the food. She also brought a dish of chopped jalapenos for everyone to add to the potato salad with lots of chunks of ham in it that Marci & I made together. I also got creative & put together 10 lbs. of chopped tomatoes & a huge can of corn with a lemon-olive-oil dressing. The jalapenos mixed great in that too. :) Jennifer is planning on joining us whenever her jobs allows. I really enjoy her, she is a lot of fun to be around. :) She is definitely a Blessing.
And so is Buck from http://www.sugarpiesfood.com/ who made two huge sheets of Double Fudge Brownies with Praline Frosting, which were a huge success, as usual. :) Please take a peek at Buck's blog for some really incredible recipes & fun pointers. Buck has been such a positive support of Feeding the Homeless & I know that I always can count on him to donate sweet treats for the people in the parks. His treats are just soooooooooooo good !! :) I like to nibble on one each time too. :) The Brownie recipe is on his blog if you got the craving after reading this. :)
I would like to shout out a great big Thank You to Irina for donating a brand-new SaladShooter to the cause !! :) It was so helpful in chopping the 36 eggs & 2 big jars of pickles for the potato salad last weekend. :)
And I would like to send my Gratitude to Rachel R. for her thoughtful donation to help out with the increasing cost of the utilities from all the cooking.
Also to the dear lady with the three children at DeAnza Park last weekend, who told me she read about me in the Tucson Weekly & then squeezed a donation into my hand. I wish I had your name & email address, so I could thank you in that way.
Thank you also Steve R. for your second donation & for keeping your word on continuing to help out. :)
Thank you goes to Gary Mc.... for also helping out & your really dear words & your card was very pretty. :) If you are reading this, please send me your email address.
Liz G., thank you so much for your check & your caring !! :)
Thank you everyone for helping to make this possible & for opening your Hearts to the people in the parks who at least spend two less days being hungry. They are so grateful to you all for the wholesome & nurturing food we together are able to give them. Maybe as time goes we can add another day & another day after that. It is in God's hands.
Not too long ago there lived a Lakota Holy Man & Spiritual Leader by the name of Fools Crow who performed many Miracles & healed many people during his time long on earth. He always called himself a "Hollow Little Bone" for Creator to work through. He used to say that it was his job to keep his Hollow Little Bone clean, so Creator could use him each & every day. He had this exercise he did cleaning himself out each morning, taking out the bad & filling himself with the good. :)
All of us are Hollow Little Bones helping together to make this Feeding the Homeless project possible. Thank you soooo much each & everyone of you !! :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Schedule of Feedings in the Parks
I just love it when things ripple out. :)
Mara from Peaceful Spirit told me today that her daughter Tara's U.S. Government Class teacher at the Catalina Foothills High School read my story from the Tucson Weekly "Meals in the Park" to the class this week. I need to talk with Tara still to see what the teachers purpose was in using my story. How exciting is this though ?? It is wonderful & so important that we teach our kids early on to help others in need & to make a difference in others lives. :)
Buck, those 70 Honey Spice Cookies you baked & brought over were incredible !! :) The combination of the sugar, salt & molasses was so perfectly balanced & I ended up with none left, as I fed exactly 70 people this past weekend. I got to try one cookie though, since someone didn't want one, probably a diabetic person. And again, many of the people ate their cookie first, just like last week's muffins. Thank you for your kind dedication to this cause !! :) I Love You !!
Carlos & I went over to the DeAnza Park again both on Saturday & again on Monday. We found lots of homeless people there & I will continue to go there too now every time, as long as I have food left. :)
If you read the early entries in this blog you will remember that Feeding The Homeless for me began with a homeless Navajo man who came to my door in early January of this year. He wanted to call his sister up on the Reservation. I also blogged then that I tried to find him the next weekend to give him food, but never did find him & still hadn't until now. Well, Darryl showed up on Monday at the DeAnza Park & I was quite surprised to see him. I was able to tell him that all of this began seven months ago because of him.
Thank You Laurel for another monthly check for water for the people in the parks !! :) Your love is spreading all over Tucson !! :)
Thank You also to Mike (m&M) for donating a case of water & some plastic cutlery, which I use a lot of every week, especially the spoons & folks (not knives). :) I am very grateful for your thoughtfulness !!
I received the dearest & very touching email from Jennifer R. a couple of days ago. She wants to help cook & is planning on donating fresh vegetables that her & her house mates grow themselves in their backyard, as soon as they are ripe. :) Jennifer is also volunteering to provide some healthcare to the Homeless, if or when needed. She is a nurse. Isn't that awesome ??!! :) Again, things are rippling out !! :)
Jennifer also suggested that I blog about what days I cook & might need help & what days & times I go to the parks, so people can find me there. Here it goes:
When I make food that needs to be served cold, like potato salads, pasta salads, or Gazpacho soup, I need to cook on Friday, so it can chill over night. If meals are served hot, then I cook on Saturday afternoon, so I can take the food while it is still hot. Right now in the summer I make a lot of cold salads with meats in them or tuna, etc.
Normally I arrive at the Santa Rita Park on the corner of 22nd Street & 3rd Ave. on Saturdays & Mondays around 5:15 PM. Depending on how many people I feed I am there anywhere between 15 - 30 minutes.
From there I go to the Santa Rosa Park, which is off 22nd Street & 10th Ave., north of the intersection on 10th Ave. I am there not very long, as there are just a few people to feed.
After that I head over to DeAnza Park, which is on the southeast corner of Speedway & Stone & arrive there around 6:00 PM. There, Carlos & I sit & eat after everyone is fed & most of the food is gone.
These are just guidelines & are not cast in stone. It always depends on how many people are at each park & how long it takes to feed everyone. :)
I won't be in the parks this coming weekend. I am going to the White Mountain Apache Reservation to participate in a traditional Puberty Ceremony there. :) I am really jazzed already about it all !! :)
Bye for now !! :)
Mara from Peaceful Spirit told me today that her daughter Tara's U.S. Government Class teacher at the Catalina Foothills High School read my story from the Tucson Weekly "Meals in the Park" to the class this week. I need to talk with Tara still to see what the teachers purpose was in using my story. How exciting is this though ?? It is wonderful & so important that we teach our kids early on to help others in need & to make a difference in others lives. :)
Buck, those 70 Honey Spice Cookies you baked & brought over were incredible !! :) The combination of the sugar, salt & molasses was so perfectly balanced & I ended up with none left, as I fed exactly 70 people this past weekend. I got to try one cookie though, since someone didn't want one, probably a diabetic person. And again, many of the people ate their cookie first, just like last week's muffins. Thank you for your kind dedication to this cause !! :) I Love You !!
Carlos & I went over to the DeAnza Park again both on Saturday & again on Monday. We found lots of homeless people there & I will continue to go there too now every time, as long as I have food left. :)
If you read the early entries in this blog you will remember that Feeding The Homeless for me began with a homeless Navajo man who came to my door in early January of this year. He wanted to call his sister up on the Reservation. I also blogged then that I tried to find him the next weekend to give him food, but never did find him & still hadn't until now. Well, Darryl showed up on Monday at the DeAnza Park & I was quite surprised to see him. I was able to tell him that all of this began seven months ago because of him.
Thank You Laurel for another monthly check for water for the people in the parks !! :) Your love is spreading all over Tucson !! :)
Thank You also to Mike (m&M) for donating a case of water & some plastic cutlery, which I use a lot of every week, especially the spoons & folks (not knives). :) I am very grateful for your thoughtfulness !!
I received the dearest & very touching email from Jennifer R. a couple of days ago. She wants to help cook & is planning on donating fresh vegetables that her & her house mates grow themselves in their backyard, as soon as they are ripe. :) Jennifer is also volunteering to provide some healthcare to the Homeless, if or when needed. She is a nurse. Isn't that awesome ??!! :) Again, things are rippling out !! :)
Jennifer also suggested that I blog about what days I cook & might need help & what days & times I go to the parks, so people can find me there. Here it goes:
When I make food that needs to be served cold, like potato salads, pasta salads, or Gazpacho soup, I need to cook on Friday, so it can chill over night. If meals are served hot, then I cook on Saturday afternoon, so I can take the food while it is still hot. Right now in the summer I make a lot of cold salads with meats in them or tuna, etc.
Normally I arrive at the Santa Rita Park on the corner of 22nd Street & 3rd Ave. on Saturdays & Mondays around 5:15 PM. Depending on how many people I feed I am there anywhere between 15 - 30 minutes.
From there I go to the Santa Rosa Park, which is off 22nd Street & 10th Ave., north of the intersection on 10th Ave. I am there not very long, as there are just a few people to feed.
After that I head over to DeAnza Park, which is on the southeast corner of Speedway & Stone & arrive there around 6:00 PM. There, Carlos & I sit & eat after everyone is fed & most of the food is gone.
These are just guidelines & are not cast in stone. It always depends on how many people are at each park & how long it takes to feed everyone. :)
I won't be in the parks this coming weekend. I am going to the White Mountain Apache Reservation to participate in a traditional Puberty Ceremony there. :) I am really jazzed already about it all !! :)
Bye for now !! :)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
American Goulash, Beans, Corn & Sugar Donut Muffins
Time is sure flying by. I can't believe another week has past already & it is time to catch you all up again on all the happenings. :)
Buck from "Sugar Pies" brought over 35 Sugar Donut Muffins last week (thank you so very much Buck) & at the end of Saturday I only had 3 left. I gave those to a special family in the Park on Monday, who weren't there on Saturday & didn't get any then. The muffins were soooo good & the homeless people loved them so much !! :) I saw some of them eat the muffins first, before even eating their meals. :) And a big meal we had this time, thanks to more donations that come in !!
Marci, my wonderful new helper, helped me cook American Goulash last Saturday & we had beans & corn with bacon in it to go along. Also I had left-over cucumbers in that yummy sauce, German tomato salad (about 10 lbs. of it), & to top it all off there was some really great fresh Italian Pugliese bread. Carlos & I had quite some time dishing it all out, but eventually we developed a good rhythm.
There was food left on Monday after we had fed everyone in the two Parks, so we went to a third Park on Speedway & Stone for the first time & fed another slew of people there. :) It started getting dark already as people were lining up for food. Many hungry people there too. :o
Altogether we fed 67 people during this past weekend & a total of 1,246 people in less than 7 months. :) It is really fun for me to see that number grow every week, it feeds my Spirit.
Thank you Marci for being such an incredible helper & for knowing what to do in the kitchen to get things done !! It was really fun to whip up this huge meal with you & all the laughs were great too !! I soooo appreciate you & my right wrist & arm feel a little better too. I'm looking forward to cooking with you again this Friday. :)
A lot of THANKS also goes to my special 82 year young friend Katherine K. for your donation check for food, you are so appreciated & I Love You Dearest !! :)
Rachel & Mike thank you once more for another donation, you have become a constant supporter in this adventure of feeding the homeless & I thank you with all my heart for your steadfastness !! :) I Love You two lots & am glad that we are connected from the Heart.
Thank yous also go out to Kathy for your wonderful donation, you really surprised me with your generous check !! :) And also to Barb for helping out with your kind donation !! :)
Due to everyones help I was able to stock up on some food that was on sale, like Safeway had lean ground beef for $1.29 per lb. & I now have about 17 lbs. in the freezer. I was also able to get a whole bunch of Kraft mayonnaise at Food City for 99 cents & some for $1.49 each for a big jar, which is at least half-price or better. Since I am making a lot of cold pasta or potato salads these days, the mayonnaise will be used up quickly & the price was just a perfect deal. It is nice to have a little bit of a financial reserve, so I can stock up on these bargains when they become available.
Thank you each & everyone of you & may you be Blessed Always & in All Ways !! :)
More to come next week. :)
Buck from "Sugar Pies" brought over 35 Sugar Donut Muffins last week (thank you so very much Buck) & at the end of Saturday I only had 3 left. I gave those to a special family in the Park on Monday, who weren't there on Saturday & didn't get any then. The muffins were soooo good & the homeless people loved them so much !! :) I saw some of them eat the muffins first, before even eating their meals. :) And a big meal we had this time, thanks to more donations that come in !!
Marci, my wonderful new helper, helped me cook American Goulash last Saturday & we had beans & corn with bacon in it to go along. Also I had left-over cucumbers in that yummy sauce, German tomato salad (about 10 lbs. of it), & to top it all off there was some really great fresh Italian Pugliese bread. Carlos & I had quite some time dishing it all out, but eventually we developed a good rhythm.
There was food left on Monday after we had fed everyone in the two Parks, so we went to a third Park on Speedway & Stone for the first time & fed another slew of people there. :) It started getting dark already as people were lining up for food. Many hungry people there too. :o
Altogether we fed 67 people during this past weekend & a total of 1,246 people in less than 7 months. :) It is really fun for me to see that number grow every week, it feeds my Spirit.
Thank you Marci for being such an incredible helper & for knowing what to do in the kitchen to get things done !! It was really fun to whip up this huge meal with you & all the laughs were great too !! I soooo appreciate you & my right wrist & arm feel a little better too. I'm looking forward to cooking with you again this Friday. :)
A lot of THANKS also goes to my special 82 year young friend Katherine K. for your donation check for food, you are so appreciated & I Love You Dearest !! :)
Rachel & Mike thank you once more for another donation, you have become a constant supporter in this adventure of feeding the homeless & I thank you with all my heart for your steadfastness !! :) I Love You two lots & am glad that we are connected from the Heart.
Thank yous also go out to Kathy for your wonderful donation, you really surprised me with your generous check !! :) And also to Barb for helping out with your kind donation !! :)
Due to everyones help I was able to stock up on some food that was on sale, like Safeway had lean ground beef for $1.29 per lb. & I now have about 17 lbs. in the freezer. I was also able to get a whole bunch of Kraft mayonnaise at Food City for 99 cents & some for $1.49 each for a big jar, which is at least half-price or better. Since I am making a lot of cold pasta or potato salads these days, the mayonnaise will be used up quickly & the price was just a perfect deal. It is nice to have a little bit of a financial reserve, so I can stock up on these bargains when they become available.
Thank you each & everyone of you & may you be Blessed Always & in All Ways !! :)
More to come next week. :)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Potato Salad with Chunks of Ham, Creamy Cucumber Salad
This has been another most exciting week, so where do I begin to share it with you ?? :)
Many of the following happenings are the results of the heartfelt story Mari Herreras wrote for the Tucson Weekly.
Thank you so much Steve for sending the donation check you promised in your email & the same to Blanche, the dear lady who found me in the park serving food while she walked her cute lil' puppie !! Thank you dear Blanche !! It is always incredible when people keep their word & really come through !! :) Both of you are very, very appreciated & together you are providing the meals for two weekends. :)
I received many emails from kind people offering their helping hands, wanting to help cook & serve & it looks like I am making some new friends through this. :)
Debby, the massage therapist, & I finally connected, she left a most touching message on my machine. She will start massaging my wrists & arms for free next week to help them heal & get stronger, so I can chop & stir & blog easier again. :) I can't wait to meet you in person Debby. :)
Buck is another incredible human being I connected with through Mari's story. He has his own blog called "Sugar Pies" & shares a wonderful recipe each week. Please look up Buck's blog on Google, his skills are amazing. :) Buck has heard my prayer about wanting to take sweet treats along with the meals to the homeless. He is going to donate the first goodies for this weekend & these are all treats that he made himself for the homeless. Buck had been helping the homeless before, while nursing & living in South Carolina. His Heart is wide open & beautiful. :)
Thank you Buck also for adding my story to your blog & for adding your own kind comments to it !! :)
Buck, the homeless loved the cucumbers you gave me the recipe for & so did I. The juice from the ingredients & the cucumbers mixed so well with the potato salad & made everything much juicier & a little bit sweet. It was great even without the onion. ;) Although I added onion powder. :)
Of course there were people that saw the story in the Tucson Weekly & had their own agendas of trying to exploit the situation. Oh well !! Life happens in all sorts of different ways & I had lots of experiences like that throughout my years of having my own business. I see them coming now from miles away.
Thank you dearest Vicky & my dear Mary Helen for your donations once more !! :) My gratitude is big & I am sending many good thoughts your way. May all that you share so freely always return to you in many, many wonderful ways !! :)
A big thank you also goes to Carlos for helping me by chopping a seemingly unending amount of 36 eggs, many pickles, cutting up a 10 lb. ham, & for stirring it all up so well, so well so that a very strong plastic stirring spoon broke. :) I love watching you stir things, you do it so eloquently with one spoon. :) I can only do it with two.
Thank you Merri for chopping a jar of pickles for the potato salad.
Katie, the cooler you donated is coming in very handy to be able to take more water to the parks. Thank you for your continued thoughtfulness & your caring !! :)
Maureen, thanks to you & all the cookies you donated I was able to take treats on Monday & Tuesday along with the food to the homeless. :) And I still have some cookies left for whenever I need some treats next.
Yes, I went three times this week to the parks. I had food left over from Saturday & Monday, so I went back on Tuesday & fed some more people. :)
We are inching towards having fed 1,200 people in 6 1/2 months. :o
That number amazes me. :)
Right now there are less people in the parks than previously & I think it is because it so hot in Tucson these days. We have been & still are in the triple digits. Some of the homeless might be staying in areas of Arizona where it is cooler during these summer months. Since it is my first year of doing this, I am still learning the trends & the ropes.
Emily Guggenmos from Ch4 NBC News called & she will come to the park at the end of this month to do a story on my feeding the homeless for their news series called "Making A Difference". All the exposure hopefully will help me to continue to get the donations necessary to keep feeding everyone in the parks. I don't want fame from this, I just need the exposure to get the support of everyone who is inclined to help out to keep this going as long as I physically can do it. I will be 67 at the end of next month & at times my body lets me know my age. :) But my Spirit is young & I soooo enjoy doing this !! :)
Aging has its own set of lessons, but to me the gifts of earned wisdom totally outweigh the hurdles of the aging body. :) As I get older I get happier & more contend & things that used to be so important aren't important anymore. It's like a trade-off, although a really good trade-off !! I wouldn't want to be a single day younger. Yes I would like to have a body that is much is more agile, but I love my life the way it is & all the wisdom that comes with it. :)
My next prayer is to be able to take fresh fruit & fresh vegetables along with the meals each time I go. It was great to be able to take the cucumbers last weekend & the homeless all were really excited about the new addition to the meals. :)
This brings another very exciting weekly report to an end. Life is wonderful & filled with so many magical moments each day. :)
Again thank you each & everyone of you who is helping to make this possible !! :)
It is an incredible experience when people pull together to make a difference in other people's lives & with an open & loving Heart !! :)
Many of the following happenings are the results of the heartfelt story Mari Herreras wrote for the Tucson Weekly.
Thank you so much Steve for sending the donation check you promised in your email & the same to Blanche, the dear lady who found me in the park serving food while she walked her cute lil' puppie !! Thank you dear Blanche !! It is always incredible when people keep their word & really come through !! :) Both of you are very, very appreciated & together you are providing the meals for two weekends. :)
I received many emails from kind people offering their helping hands, wanting to help cook & serve & it looks like I am making some new friends through this. :)
Debby, the massage therapist, & I finally connected, she left a most touching message on my machine. She will start massaging my wrists & arms for free next week to help them heal & get stronger, so I can chop & stir & blog easier again. :) I can't wait to meet you in person Debby. :)
Buck is another incredible human being I connected with through Mari's story. He has his own blog called "Sugar Pies" & shares a wonderful recipe each week. Please look up Buck's blog on Google, his skills are amazing. :) Buck has heard my prayer about wanting to take sweet treats along with the meals to the homeless. He is going to donate the first goodies for this weekend & these are all treats that he made himself for the homeless. Buck had been helping the homeless before, while nursing & living in South Carolina. His Heart is wide open & beautiful. :)
Thank you Buck also for adding my story to your blog & for adding your own kind comments to it !! :)
Buck, the homeless loved the cucumbers you gave me the recipe for & so did I. The juice from the ingredients & the cucumbers mixed so well with the potato salad & made everything much juicier & a little bit sweet. It was great even without the onion. ;) Although I added onion powder. :)
Of course there were people that saw the story in the Tucson Weekly & had their own agendas of trying to exploit the situation. Oh well !! Life happens in all sorts of different ways & I had lots of experiences like that throughout my years of having my own business. I see them coming now from miles away.
Thank you dearest Vicky & my dear Mary Helen for your donations once more !! :) My gratitude is big & I am sending many good thoughts your way. May all that you share so freely always return to you in many, many wonderful ways !! :)
A big thank you also goes to Carlos for helping me by chopping a seemingly unending amount of 36 eggs, many pickles, cutting up a 10 lb. ham, & for stirring it all up so well, so well so that a very strong plastic stirring spoon broke. :) I love watching you stir things, you do it so eloquently with one spoon. :) I can only do it with two.
Thank you Merri for chopping a jar of pickles for the potato salad.
Katie, the cooler you donated is coming in very handy to be able to take more water to the parks. Thank you for your continued thoughtfulness & your caring !! :)
Maureen, thanks to you & all the cookies you donated I was able to take treats on Monday & Tuesday along with the food to the homeless. :) And I still have some cookies left for whenever I need some treats next.
Yes, I went three times this week to the parks. I had food left over from Saturday & Monday, so I went back on Tuesday & fed some more people. :)
We are inching towards having fed 1,200 people in 6 1/2 months. :o
That number amazes me. :)
Right now there are less people in the parks than previously & I think it is because it so hot in Tucson these days. We have been & still are in the triple digits. Some of the homeless might be staying in areas of Arizona where it is cooler during these summer months. Since it is my first year of doing this, I am still learning the trends & the ropes.
Emily Guggenmos from Ch4 NBC News called & she will come to the park at the end of this month to do a story on my feeding the homeless for their news series called "Making A Difference". All the exposure hopefully will help me to continue to get the donations necessary to keep feeding everyone in the parks. I don't want fame from this, I just need the exposure to get the support of everyone who is inclined to help out to keep this going as long as I physically can do it. I will be 67 at the end of next month & at times my body lets me know my age. :) But my Spirit is young & I soooo enjoy doing this !! :)
Aging has its own set of lessons, but to me the gifts of earned wisdom totally outweigh the hurdles of the aging body. :) As I get older I get happier & more contend & things that used to be so important aren't important anymore. It's like a trade-off, although a really good trade-off !! I wouldn't want to be a single day younger. Yes I would like to have a body that is much is more agile, but I love my life the way it is & all the wisdom that comes with it. :)
My next prayer is to be able to take fresh fruit & fresh vegetables along with the meals each time I go. It was great to be able to take the cucumbers last weekend & the homeless all were really excited about the new addition to the meals. :)
This brings another very exciting weekly report to an end. Life is wonderful & filled with so many magical moments each day. :)
Again thank you each & everyone of you who is helping to make this possible !! :)
It is an incredible experience when people pull together to make a difference in other people's lives & with an open & loving Heart !! :)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Address & Information for Donations and/or Helping Hands
The the response to the article in the Tucson Weekly called "Meals in the Park" is just amazing. :) Many wonderful people have asked for my address to send donations to & some are wanting to help with the work part. :) This will make everything much easier for me, as the fund raising part of this endeavor is very time consuming for me. And I always need help with the chopping, peeling, slicing, cooking, etc.
Here is the information for donations or any other helping hands:
L. Karin Elliott
3364 E. Popinac Loop
Tucson, AZ 85716
520-326-2236 (Noon to 10 P.M.)
email: LKarinElliott@aol.com
I am not set up for charge cards, as this is not a business, just gifts from the heart for people in need.
Also, I received an email from the Newsroom of our local Channel 4 (NBC). They would like to come to the park & do a live report for the news on this. Wow !! :)
I am trying to integrate back into Tucson, which is not so easy after being on the Hopi Reservation for almost 3 days. The life there is much slower & peaceful than in the city. And the Kachina Ceremonies are always mind altering in a wonderful way.
Irina donated 6 large pizzas today & together we then took them to fed a bunch of homeless people in the two parks. We tried to make up a little bit for my not bringing any food this past weekend for the first time because of my being out of town. They all LOVED the pizza, it was a huge TREAT for everyone. :) Thank you sweet Irina for your generosity & kindness !! :) You are so precious to me, dear Sister of my Heart !!
While delivering the pizzas a woman & her cute lil' dog walked up to me & said that she recognized me from the article in the Tucson Weekly & could she have my address, she wants to send a donation check to help out. :) It is incredible how it all ripples out & gets bigger & more fun. The MIRACLES are just amazing !! :) And all of you are amazing too with your loving kindness in supporting me with this !! :)
A great big "Thank You" also goes to my dearest friend Laurel in Oregon for sending another check this month for food, in addition to her buying all the water for the homeless each month !! Laurel, you are an Angel !! :)
It is 4:00 in the morning & I need to get some sleep now. Good Night to you all & may you sleep with the Angels !! :)
Here is the information for donations or any other helping hands:
L. Karin Elliott
3364 E. Popinac Loop
Tucson, AZ 85716
520-326-2236 (Noon to 10 P.M.)
email: LKarinElliott@aol.com
I am not set up for charge cards, as this is not a business, just gifts from the heart for people in need.
Also, I received an email from the Newsroom of our local Channel 4 (NBC). They would like to come to the park & do a live report for the news on this. Wow !! :)
I am trying to integrate back into Tucson, which is not so easy after being on the Hopi Reservation for almost 3 days. The life there is much slower & peaceful than in the city. And the Kachina Ceremonies are always mind altering in a wonderful way.
Irina donated 6 large pizzas today & together we then took them to fed a bunch of homeless people in the two parks. We tried to make up a little bit for my not bringing any food this past weekend for the first time because of my being out of town. They all LOVED the pizza, it was a huge TREAT for everyone. :) Thank you sweet Irina for your generosity & kindness !! :) You are so precious to me, dear Sister of my Heart !!
While delivering the pizzas a woman & her cute lil' dog walked up to me & said that she recognized me from the article in the Tucson Weekly & could she have my address, she wants to send a donation check to help out. :) It is incredible how it all ripples out & gets bigger & more fun. The MIRACLES are just amazing !! :) And all of you are amazing too with your loving kindness in supporting me with this !! :)
A great big "Thank You" also goes to my dearest friend Laurel in Oregon for sending another check this month for food, in addition to her buying all the water for the homeless each month !! Laurel, you are an Angel !! :)
It is 4:00 in the morning & I need to get some sleep now. Good Night to you all & may you sleep with the Angels !! :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tucson Weekly "Meals in the Park" Article
ah pek
If you click on the link right above here (ah pek) you will be able to read the story written in the "Tucson Weekly" newspaper about my feeding the homeless. :) It is called "Meals in the Park".
If you click on the link right above here (ah pek) you will be able to read the story written in the "Tucson Weekly" newspaper about my feeding the homeless. :) It is called "Meals in the Park".
Chicken & Zucchini Alfredo Pasta Salad
Another week & more excitement to share !! :)
Today the "Tucson Weekly" newspaper published the wonderful story Mari Herreras wrote about my feeding the homeless called "Meals in the Park". It is lovely & I wish you could read it. I just don't know yet how to attach links to this blog. The article went out to many of you via email & some I mailed using "snail mail". Of course I don't like the photo of myself, but isn't that normal ?? Aren't we always critical of the photos of ourselves ??!! Thank you Will Ferguson for taking the picture, you did a great job !! :) This is not a reflection of your talent, it is just me being self-critical & human, I guess. :) I am hoping that the story will generate donations for more food & maybe even the treat of a cookie once in a while. :) As of this Monday together we all have fed 1,100 homeless people. :) How incredible is that number ??!!
Thank you so very, very much Mari for putting your Heart into my story !! :) I hope that you & Will will come to join us for some of the meals in the Parks at times. We all enjoyed having you there with us & you are always welcome !! :)
A great big Thank You goes to Jean & Leesa in Canyon, Texas, for the huge box of clothes & especially all the T-shirts from Leesa that were donated. The ladies clothes I will either take up to the Reservation or incorporate into the Sixth Annual Native American Christmas Project this year. On Monday I took all those new T-shirts with me for the homeless to go through. They all were gone within 5 minutes, except a few of the smaller (medium) ones. You should have seen the excitement & it impressed me that most everyone only took one shirt, so everyone else could have one too. :) Again, the comradery there is phenomenal.
Thank you also Jean for the check you snuck into the clothes package. :)
You have no idea how much it was needed & how you rescued me. :) I had borrowed from the homeless drinking water fund to be able to feed everyone last weekend. With your generous help I was able to pay the water fund back (which I had planned to do somehow) & I even have homeless food money left over for the next weekends meals. :) I am sending you a great big gratitude hug & I hope that I will meet you someday !! :)
We are having triple digit temperatures still here in Tucson & are waiting for the Monsoons to arrive, so it will cool off a little. I have learned that some of the homeless people "hang-out" inside the Libraries during the day to read & to use the computers there. And it is cool inside. :) A clever way to stay comfortable while reading & learning. :) It amazes me how creative people can be to survive.
This coming weekend I am taking a dear friend from Ohio up to the Hopi Reservation for a Kachina Dance in the village of Hotevilla. Those who know me well know that I was very close to Dan Evehema, who was one of the Hopi Eldest Elders in Hotevilla, who were holding the world together with their prayers. This will be the first weekend in six months that I have not cooked or taken food to the homeless. It will feel strange, but it also will be nice to have a little break from cooking. I'll be cooking for my "Hopi Family" though, but a much smaller amount. :)
Will be back to blogging weekend after this coming one. Bye for now.
Today the "Tucson Weekly" newspaper published the wonderful story Mari Herreras wrote about my feeding the homeless called "Meals in the Park". It is lovely & I wish you could read it. I just don't know yet how to attach links to this blog. The article went out to many of you via email & some I mailed using "snail mail". Of course I don't like the photo of myself, but isn't that normal ?? Aren't we always critical of the photos of ourselves ??!! Thank you Will Ferguson for taking the picture, you did a great job !! :) This is not a reflection of your talent, it is just me being self-critical & human, I guess. :) I am hoping that the story will generate donations for more food & maybe even the treat of a cookie once in a while. :) As of this Monday together we all have fed 1,100 homeless people. :) How incredible is that number ??!!
Thank you so very, very much Mari for putting your Heart into my story !! :) I hope that you & Will will come to join us for some of the meals in the Parks at times. We all enjoyed having you there with us & you are always welcome !! :)
A great big Thank You goes to Jean & Leesa in Canyon, Texas, for the huge box of clothes & especially all the T-shirts from Leesa that were donated. The ladies clothes I will either take up to the Reservation or incorporate into the Sixth Annual Native American Christmas Project this year. On Monday I took all those new T-shirts with me for the homeless to go through. They all were gone within 5 minutes, except a few of the smaller (medium) ones. You should have seen the excitement & it impressed me that most everyone only took one shirt, so everyone else could have one too. :) Again, the comradery there is phenomenal.
Thank you also Jean for the check you snuck into the clothes package. :)
You have no idea how much it was needed & how you rescued me. :) I had borrowed from the homeless drinking water fund to be able to feed everyone last weekend. With your generous help I was able to pay the water fund back (which I had planned to do somehow) & I even have homeless food money left over for the next weekends meals. :) I am sending you a great big gratitude hug & I hope that I will meet you someday !! :)
We are having triple digit temperatures still here in Tucson & are waiting for the Monsoons to arrive, so it will cool off a little. I have learned that some of the homeless people "hang-out" inside the Libraries during the day to read & to use the computers there. And it is cool inside. :) A clever way to stay comfortable while reading & learning. :) It amazes me how creative people can be to survive.
This coming weekend I am taking a dear friend from Ohio up to the Hopi Reservation for a Kachina Dance in the village of Hotevilla. Those who know me well know that I was very close to Dan Evehema, who was one of the Hopi Eldest Elders in Hotevilla, who were holding the world together with their prayers. This will be the first weekend in six months that I have not cooked or taken food to the homeless. It will feel strange, but it also will be nice to have a little break from cooking. I'll be cooking for my "Hopi Family" though, but a much smaller amount. :)
Will be back to blogging weekend after this coming one. Bye for now.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tortilla Soup
A funny thing happened at the Park last Saturday. :) For many months now I have been feeding this Native American man there, but he never really spoke to me. I always saw him sitting & reading a lot, so many times I offered him books that friends had donated. Last weekend he approached me & wanted to know why I feed all these people & why I come back week after week. What is my motive he wanted to know. I told him that this is a gift from my heart to the people there & that I have no reason to do this, other than to make a difference in this world. He proceeded to tell my that the heart is a muscle & that is all it is. It has nothing to do with Love. He kept at me & ended up challenging my Native American spiritual believes. It was all pretty harmless, but it is amazing how a couple of beers can change a persons personality so much !! It was the first time in all these months that I saw him not sober. I always thought that he doesn't drink. Native American people's metabolism doesn't absorb alcohol like our bodies do, so it doesn't take much for them to be intoxicated.
Thank you Becky for bailing me out with your donation for food at the last minute last Friday !! :) Because of your kindness I was able to buy all the salsa that went into the tortilla soup. You are wonderful !! :)
And thank you Rachel Dear, you also bailed me out with your monthly donation last week. Because of you I was able to buy the zucchini that went into the three big pots of soup. I so appreciate what you do every month for the Homeless !! :) And I love the beautiful card with all the purple pansies on it you sent !!
Very much thanks goes also to Laurel-Angel for providing another month of water for our Homeless, especially in this heat. :) It is supposed to be 109 degrees this coming Thursday. :o Today it was 103. Laurel, thank you for your lovely words in your card !!
Mari from the "Tucson Weekly" also chipped into the Food Fund & that really touched me deeply too. Thank you Mari for your caring & for being a part of all this by joining us again while we ate at the Park :) & for writing about this in the "Weekly", which will be in next Thursday's edition on July 22nd. A young man also sat with us & ate, his name is Will & he took the photos of the Homeless & I for Mari's article. Thank you Will, you are very special. :)
It is really difficult most of the time to get enough money together to buy the food & things needed to serve the food on. Sometimes I have to juggle things & borrow from other funds, or even my own bills. I really appreciate everyones help & always send prayers of Gratitude your way !!
Please keep supporting this great cause, so together we can make a small difference in a bunch of people's lives. :)
Good Night now.
Thank you Becky for bailing me out with your donation for food at the last minute last Friday !! :) Because of your kindness I was able to buy all the salsa that went into the tortilla soup. You are wonderful !! :)
And thank you Rachel Dear, you also bailed me out with your monthly donation last week. Because of you I was able to buy the zucchini that went into the three big pots of soup. I so appreciate what you do every month for the Homeless !! :) And I love the beautiful card with all the purple pansies on it you sent !!
Very much thanks goes also to Laurel-Angel for providing another month of water for our Homeless, especially in this heat. :) It is supposed to be 109 degrees this coming Thursday. :o Today it was 103. Laurel, thank you for your lovely words in your card !!
Mari from the "Tucson Weekly" also chipped into the Food Fund & that really touched me deeply too. Thank you Mari for your caring & for being a part of all this by joining us again while we ate at the Park :) & for writing about this in the "Weekly", which will be in next Thursday's edition on July 22nd. A young man also sat with us & ate, his name is Will & he took the photos of the Homeless & I for Mari's article. Thank you Will, you are very special. :)
It is really difficult most of the time to get enough money together to buy the food & things needed to serve the food on. Sometimes I have to juggle things & borrow from other funds, or even my own bills. I really appreciate everyones help & always send prayers of Gratitude your way !!
Please keep supporting this great cause, so together we can make a small difference in a bunch of people's lives. :)
Good Night now.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Potato Salad with Kielbasa, Fruit Salad
1,022 Homeless people have been fed as of this past Monday, July 5th, in the 5 1/2 months I have been doing this !! :) Wow, this number blows me away.
I would like to thank each & everyone of you once more for helping to make this possible !! :) It is amazing what can be achieved when caring people pull together to make a difference !! :) Thank You All !! :)
Last week I received an email from a woman by the name of Mari who works for the local free newspaper called the "Tucson Weekly". Someone had sent her my blog & suggested that she would do a story on me. She wondered if she could come by to do an interview. Mari came over last Friday to interview & to help peel & cut up a lot of potatoes for the salad I was making for that weekends meals. :) And then on Saturday she came along to help with the meals in the parks. :) Mari even sat at the second park & ate with us there. We all ended talking until about 8 P.M., it was really fun. Mari is such a lovely woman & I am honored to know here. She has a very big & open Heart !! :) Thank you Mari for helping out with the cooking too. This coming Saturday Mari will come to the parks again with me, this time with a photographer to take pictures for her story.
Hopefully the exposure will help to bring in more donations, so I can take lots of fresh fruit & vegetables along every weekend. Right now there is no money for that.
Lizzy also came over last Friday to help with the chopping, peeling & cutting up of things. :) Thank you Lizzy, you helped give my sore wrists a huge break. :) And our little 3 year old Naomi kept all of us entertained. She helped in her own special way. ;)
Delmar (one of my homeless friends), thank you for all the cans of green beans you donated to the cause !! :) Everyone loved them to go along with their potato salad, Kielbasa, fruit salad & chips.
E-Z (aka Carlos, another homeless friend), thank you with all my heart for watching over me at the parks lately & for being there every week now, helping me so very much with dishing out the food & handing out water to everyone !! I very much appreciate your caring help !! :) Keep open your heart, keep smiling, & life will bless you in so many unexpected ways !! :) You'll see !! :)
My friend Katie came over last Sunday with an enourmous bowl of fresh cut-up fruit of watermelon, cantelope & honey-dew melon left over after a political gathering. She also brought over a bunch of huge bags of tortilla chips, some of which I took to the parks last Monday. Thank You Katie, the Homeless loved all the fruit & it was gone pretty quickly, especially in this heat. It was so thoughtful of you to donate all this wonderful food to the cause !! :) This coming weekend I am cooking Tortilla Soup, since you brought over all those tortilla chips, which will work out perfectly. :)
I also wanted to thank Dawn in Massachussetts, for all the clothes she mailed to help. :) You are incredibly kind & you are one of the Blessings in all of this !! The clothes most likely will go to the Native American Christmas Project this year, since it is for women & children. I will go through it & see what I can take to the parks, where there are mostly men though. Dawn is on a limited income & she goes out & buys new clothes to make a difference !! :) What an Angel you are !! :)
I would like to thank each & everyone of you once more for helping to make this possible !! :) It is amazing what can be achieved when caring people pull together to make a difference !! :) Thank You All !! :)
Last week I received an email from a woman by the name of Mari who works for the local free newspaper called the "Tucson Weekly". Someone had sent her my blog & suggested that she would do a story on me. She wondered if she could come by to do an interview. Mari came over last Friday to interview & to help peel & cut up a lot of potatoes for the salad I was making for that weekends meals. :) And then on Saturday she came along to help with the meals in the parks. :) Mari even sat at the second park & ate with us there. We all ended talking until about 8 P.M., it was really fun. Mari is such a lovely woman & I am honored to know here. She has a very big & open Heart !! :) Thank you Mari for helping out with the cooking too. This coming Saturday Mari will come to the parks again with me, this time with a photographer to take pictures for her story.
Hopefully the exposure will help to bring in more donations, so I can take lots of fresh fruit & vegetables along every weekend. Right now there is no money for that.
Lizzy also came over last Friday to help with the chopping, peeling & cutting up of things. :) Thank you Lizzy, you helped give my sore wrists a huge break. :) And our little 3 year old Naomi kept all of us entertained. She helped in her own special way. ;)
Delmar (one of my homeless friends), thank you for all the cans of green beans you donated to the cause !! :) Everyone loved them to go along with their potato salad, Kielbasa, fruit salad & chips.
E-Z (aka Carlos, another homeless friend), thank you with all my heart for watching over me at the parks lately & for being there every week now, helping me so very much with dishing out the food & handing out water to everyone !! I very much appreciate your caring help !! :) Keep open your heart, keep smiling, & life will bless you in so many unexpected ways !! :) You'll see !! :)
My friend Katie came over last Sunday with an enourmous bowl of fresh cut-up fruit of watermelon, cantelope & honey-dew melon left over after a political gathering. She also brought over a bunch of huge bags of tortilla chips, some of which I took to the parks last Monday. Thank You Katie, the Homeless loved all the fruit & it was gone pretty quickly, especially in this heat. It was so thoughtful of you to donate all this wonderful food to the cause !! :) This coming weekend I am cooking Tortilla Soup, since you brought over all those tortilla chips, which will work out perfectly. :)
I also wanted to thank Dawn in Massachussetts, for all the clothes she mailed to help. :) You are incredibly kind & you are one of the Blessings in all of this !! The clothes most likely will go to the Native American Christmas Project this year, since it is for women & children. I will go through it & see what I can take to the parks, where there are mostly men though. Dawn is on a limited income & she goes out & buys new clothes to make a difference !! :) What an Angel you are !! :)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Burritos
Made burritos with rice, chorizo, corn, beans, cheese & salsa for the Homeless this weekend. They are always popular & I've made a lot this time, so it looks like I will be going back to the parks on Monday & maybe even on Tuesday this coming week. :) Yeay !! :)
As of yesterday together we have fed 903 people. :) This number just amazes me. After this coming Monday & Tuesday we will be very close to 1000 people. :o
Thank you Maggie & Brian for donating a lot of the food for next weekends meals & for donating a lot of odds & ends, so to speak !! Three different men got socks each & were really happy to have them. The backpack went to a Tohono O'odham Indian homeless woman, who was excited to have one of her own now. Many of the cloth bags went to the other people in the two parks. And I found two people needing laundry soap who were grateful to receive what you donated. The blanket I will hang onto for now until it gets colder again. I have my ears open for the people who need pillows. Brian's shoes also found some happy feet yesterday. :)
Thank you Mary Helen for another donation for the Homeless Food Fund !! You are soooo appreciated & I soooo appreciate you being a true constant in this wonderful adventure !! :)
Also a great big thank you goes to Mike & Eric for donating books, which are always welcome. :) The novels & "who done it" books are always really popular with the homeless. I take the books with me every week & little by little they all are getting taken.
Thank you dear Vicky for helping with the Food Fund !! :) You are awesome, especially since you are a single Mom of three !! I Love You lots my Spirit Daughter. :)
Yesterday I spoke on the phone with one of the wholesale suppliers of my store. Kathy makes truly inspirational key tags & she suggested that I listen to a song called "Moments" by the group Emerson Drive. She said that it was about a homeless man & that the song makes her cry every time she listens to it. I went onto the Emerson Drive website, listened to the song & ended up crying too. It is so touching & so true for many of the people that live in the parks. It will touch your Hearts too. :)
Thank you also to everyone in the parks for being my friends & for being my protectors when needed, which is not very often. I get an adverse person on an average of about once a month. I feel that I am protected from what I call "Upstairs" & I have a lot of Faith in that. :) Faith is so important in these times we live in & it will help carry us through, along with us all pulling together & helping each other. :) I hope that this blog will inspire you & I pray that it all will ripple out to get bigger & bigger & all over this country.
More in a few days ........................
As of yesterday together we have fed 903 people. :) This number just amazes me. After this coming Monday & Tuesday we will be very close to 1000 people. :o
Thank you Maggie & Brian for donating a lot of the food for next weekends meals & for donating a lot of odds & ends, so to speak !! Three different men got socks each & were really happy to have them. The backpack went to a Tohono O'odham Indian homeless woman, who was excited to have one of her own now. Many of the cloth bags went to the other people in the two parks. And I found two people needing laundry soap who were grateful to receive what you donated. The blanket I will hang onto for now until it gets colder again. I have my ears open for the people who need pillows. Brian's shoes also found some happy feet yesterday. :)
Thank you Mary Helen for another donation for the Homeless Food Fund !! You are soooo appreciated & I soooo appreciate you being a true constant in this wonderful adventure !! :)
Also a great big thank you goes to Mike & Eric for donating books, which are always welcome. :) The novels & "who done it" books are always really popular with the homeless. I take the books with me every week & little by little they all are getting taken.
Thank you dear Vicky for helping with the Food Fund !! :) You are awesome, especially since you are a single Mom of three !! I Love You lots my Spirit Daughter. :)
Yesterday I spoke on the phone with one of the wholesale suppliers of my store. Kathy makes truly inspirational key tags & she suggested that I listen to a song called "Moments" by the group Emerson Drive. She said that it was about a homeless man & that the song makes her cry every time she listens to it. I went onto the Emerson Drive website, listened to the song & ended up crying too. It is so touching & so true for many of the people that live in the parks. It will touch your Hearts too. :)
Thank you also to everyone in the parks for being my friends & for being my protectors when needed, which is not very often. I get an adverse person on an average of about once a month. I feel that I am protected from what I call "Upstairs" & I have a lot of Faith in that. :) Faith is so important in these times we live in & it will help carry us through, along with us all pulling together & helping each other. :) I hope that this blog will inspire you & I pray that it all will ripple out to get bigger & bigger & all over this country.
More in a few days ........................
Monday, June 21, 2010
Potato Salad with Ham
Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful Dad's out there !! :)
More good news to report, which always is fun to do. :)
On 5-8-10 I shared with you about "Big" who lives in this old Cadillac in the parking lot of one of the Parks I go to. I was told last weekend that his family helped him out & he now lives in a very small, air-conditioned place (something like a studio apartment) & is no longer Homeless. :) I was so happy to hear that & to realize that he can now put up his legs & has cool air surrounding him. "Big", if you recall, has Edema & his legs & feet were so swollen that he couldn't fit into any shoes.
Last weekend I fed 58 people & this Saturday another 31. The total fed so far is 850 in 5 months. :) I am going back tomorrow with two pots of potato salad with some really delicious spiral-cut ham chunks & lots of pickles & eggs in it too. That ham is really wonderful, I found it at CostCo & got a good deal on it with a discount coupon they sent out this month. :)
I would like to send a great big Thank You out to Irina for her kind donation to the Homeless Food Fund !! :) It came in the nick of time. I was down to $2.89 when I got your donation & was wondering what am I going to cook from that amount this next weekend. May you always be blessed Irina & may Sundance give you all the Blessings you soooo deserve !! :) I am glad that we are becoming friends !!
Much thanks also goes to T-bird, who donated $8.00 to the gasoline fund, which is also always very much needed. I go through a lot of gas going to the Parks & shopping for the food & now water too. :) It all adds up & it all helps lots. :)
Speaking of water .... the Homeless People are so grateful for the cold water I bring now every time. :) It is very hot & dry here these days & will stay so for quite a while to come. Thank You again dearest Angel Laurel for helping out in that way !! :)
I would like to mention to everyone who reads my Blog, to please feel free & pass it on to everyone you know. :) It would so wonderful to have many people reading it & maybe even give me feed-back, or share their experiences with me. I feel we all are together in this & we need each others support. Makes life so much easier & fun that way. :) I would love to see comments sent to me directly to my Blog. Most of you have sent them to me to my email address. So please "pass this forward". :)
Thank You !!
More good news to report, which always is fun to do. :)
On 5-8-10 I shared with you about "Big" who lives in this old Cadillac in the parking lot of one of the Parks I go to. I was told last weekend that his family helped him out & he now lives in a very small, air-conditioned place (something like a studio apartment) & is no longer Homeless. :) I was so happy to hear that & to realize that he can now put up his legs & has cool air surrounding him. "Big", if you recall, has Edema & his legs & feet were so swollen that he couldn't fit into any shoes.
Last weekend I fed 58 people & this Saturday another 31. The total fed so far is 850 in 5 months. :) I am going back tomorrow with two pots of potato salad with some really delicious spiral-cut ham chunks & lots of pickles & eggs in it too. That ham is really wonderful, I found it at CostCo & got a good deal on it with a discount coupon they sent out this month. :)
I would like to send a great big Thank You out to Irina for her kind donation to the Homeless Food Fund !! :) It came in the nick of time. I was down to $2.89 when I got your donation & was wondering what am I going to cook from that amount this next weekend. May you always be blessed Irina & may Sundance give you all the Blessings you soooo deserve !! :) I am glad that we are becoming friends !!
Much thanks also goes to T-bird, who donated $8.00 to the gasoline fund, which is also always very much needed. I go through a lot of gas going to the Parks & shopping for the food & now water too. :) It all adds up & it all helps lots. :)
Speaking of water .... the Homeless People are so grateful for the cold water I bring now every time. :) It is very hot & dry here these days & will stay so for quite a while to come. Thank You again dearest Angel Laurel for helping out in that way !! :)
I would like to mention to everyone who reads my Blog, to please feel free & pass it on to everyone you know. :) It would so wonderful to have many people reading it & maybe even give me feed-back, or share their experiences with me. I feel we all are together in this & we need each others support. Makes life so much easier & fun that way. :) I would love to see comments sent to me directly to my Blog. Most of you have sent them to me to my email address. So please "pass this forward". :)
Thank You !!
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