In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned that by recycling your old printer cartridges, cell phones, laptops and video games with EECM, you can help at-risk Children and Youth in the East End. And although no one actually wrote to ask, I could telepathically sense your question wafting through cyberspace: How’s That?
Well I’m glad you asked. I am pleased to announce EECM’s latest creative endeavor to better the lives of the youth in our community – Drrrrrrruuuuum Rrrrrrollllll please.....
Bookcases for Kids!
At EECM, we believe in the importance and the power of reading and we want all of our community’s children to share in the joys of discovery and exploration that can be found in books. Through the Bookcases for Kids project, we will purchase a brand new bookcase for every child in our elementary school programs and stock it with a few age-appropriate “starter books” – the beginnings of their very own library. Very few of the children in our programs come from households filled with books; many do not have any books at all. But they will, thanks to Bookcases for Kids.
We have approximately 60 students in our elementary school programs so we need 60 bookcases and more than 300 books. Several of our member congregations have already pitched in to purchase and assemble bookcases and we will also use the funds raised by the Cartridges for Kids project to support this new undertaking.
If you would like to support Bookcases for Kids you can:
* Bring us your recyclable electronic gadgets!
* Make a financial donation directly to EECM (don’t forget to specify that you’d like your gift to support Bookcases for Kids).
* Volunteer your time to help assemble and deliver bookcases once purchased.
* Donate new or very gently used age-appropriate books.
For more information about the project and how you can get involved, please call 412-361-5549 ext. 411.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Some Recycling Statistics
Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant
After blogging about Cartridges for Kids – EECM's new recycling program for printer cartridges, cell phones, PDAs and other electronics – I became intrigued by the environmental impact of printer cartridges. I mean, it’s great that we’re raising money for kids by recycling our cartridges, but from an environmental perspective, is it really such a big deal?
And the answer is….uh, YEAH.
I poked around on the internet and came back with an impressive array of statistics. I’ve picked out some of my favorites for you and provided links to the source pages if you’d like to check them out more.
* Producing one new toner cartridge (like for a laser printer) requires more than 3 quarts of oil, and adds 2 1/2 pounds of plastic to the environment. Source
* Each year, over 600 million ink cartridges are consumed in the United States alone. Source
The Good News -- 97% of the cartridge components can be recycled or reused. Source
The Bad News -- Only 20% of cartridges will be recycled. The remaining 80% will ultimately end up in landfill. Source
* In the United States, it is estimated that approximately eight inkjet and toner cartridges find their way to the trash can every second. Source. Stacked end to end, one year’s worth of discarded printer cartridges would cover a distance of about 24,000 miles; enough distance to circle the earth. Source
* A laser cartridge thrown into a landfill can take up to 450 years to decompose. Some of its components are made of industrial grade plastics and will take over a thousand years to decompose. Source
So here’s the bottom line, simplified for those of you who just skimmed the above numbers:
1) We use a whole lotta printer cartridges in this country.
2) When we throw them away, the environment suffers.
3) When we recycle them, everybody benefits. Specifically, when you recycle them at EECM, you help at-risk children and youth.
After blogging about Cartridges for Kids – EECM's new recycling program for printer cartridges, cell phones, PDAs and other electronics – I became intrigued by the environmental impact of printer cartridges. I mean, it’s great that we’re raising money for kids by recycling our cartridges, but from an environmental perspective, is it really such a big deal?
And the answer is….uh, YEAH.
I poked around on the internet and came back with an impressive array of statistics. I’ve picked out some of my favorites for you and provided links to the source pages if you’d like to check them out more.
* Each year, over 600 million ink cartridges are consumed in the United States alone. Source
The Good News -- 97% of the cartridge components can be recycled or reused. Source
The Bad News -- Only 20% of cartridges will be recycled. The remaining 80% will ultimately end up in landfill. Source
* In the United States, it is estimated that approximately eight inkjet and toner cartridges find their way to the trash can every second. Source. Stacked end to end, one year’s worth of discarded printer cartridges would cover a distance of about 24,000 miles; enough distance to circle the earth. Source
* A laser cartridge thrown into a landfill can take up to 450 years to decompose. Some of its components are made of industrial grade plastics and will take over a thousand years to decompose. Source
So here’s the bottom line, simplified for those of you who just skimmed the above numbers:
1) We use a whole lotta printer cartridges in this country.
2) When we throw them away, the environment suffers.
3) When we recycle them, everybody benefits. Specifically, when you recycle them at EECM, you help at-risk children and youth.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A Beary Special Invitation
Written by Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant
When: June 2nd, 2007 7-10 PM
Where: Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Why: To support EECM of course but also because the bears invited you.
Q: What’s white and furry and a big supporter of EECM?
A: A polar bear, of course!
Specifically, the polar bears of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. The fun-loving furballs – Koda and Nuka – would like to cordially invite YOU, loyal friends and supporters of East End Cooperative Ministry to the first annual fundraising event, A Flavor of the East End!
More enticing details about this fabulous event will be coming soon. For now, all you need to know is:
More enticing details about this fabulous event will be coming soon. For now, all you need to know is:
What: An event to raise funds to support EECM programs and
community awareness of EECM’s mission
When: June 2nd, 2007 7-10 PM
Where: Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Why: To support EECM of course but also because the bears invited you.
And I think we can all agree that when a polar bear extends a special invitation,
it is extremely rude to say no.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Opening Day 2007
Written by Karlin Bilcher, Emergency Homeless Services Manager
“After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the sea of Tiberias. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas call the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “we will go with you”. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” John 21: 1-3.
This conversation in the gospel of John takes place a few days after the events of Easter. Jesus has been raised from the dead and is unexpectedly showing up in all kinds of places. Much like the first disciples of Jesus, a few days after Easter of 2007, a few of us decided to go fishing.
April 14th marked the beginning of trout season and keeping with tradition I invited a few friends to join my wife and me on the banks of North Park Lake to try our luck. This year, we were fortunate to spend the day with Chris and Jack, both residents of EECM’s Safe Haven program and Edmond, a former participant in the EECM Bridge Housing program. In February the state of Pennsylvania put around six thousand trout
into the lake. Despite our valiant efforts however, most of us caught nothing. But that does not mean that Jesus did not show up, because He did in some unexpected ways. Like when Edmond put down his own fishing rod to offer his assistance to an obviously inexperienced father and son team. Or when Chris offered his sympathy to the lone trout caught that morning. Or when, during the ride home as we were discussing the events of the morning, Jack shared that despite growing up fishing, he had not been out since his father passed away in 2001.
Sure, there have been trips where I caught more trout but I cannot recall a fishing trip that included more appreciative, joyful participants. Perhaps in the remaining weeks of the fishing season we will get another chance to go again. Thanks be to God.
“After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the sea of Tiberias. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas call the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “we will go with you”. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” John 21: 1-3.
This conversation in the gospel of John takes place a few days after the events of Easter. Jesus has been raised from the dead and is unexpectedly showing up in all kinds of places. Much like the first disciples of Jesus, a few days after Easter of 2007, a few of us decided to go fishing.
April 14th marked the beginning of trout season and keeping with tradition I invited a few friends to join my wife and me on the banks of North Park Lake to try our luck. This year, we were fortunate to spend the day with Chris and Jack, both residents of EECM’s Safe Haven program and Edmond, a former participant in the EECM Bridge Housing program. In February the state of Pennsylvania put around six thousand trout
into the lake. Despite our valiant efforts however, most of us caught nothing. But that does not mean that Jesus did not show up, because He did in some unexpected ways. Like when Edmond put down his own fishing rod to offer his assistance to an obviously inexperienced father and son team. Or when Chris offered his sympathy to the lone trout caught that morning. Or when, during the ride home as we were discussing the events of the morning, Jack shared that despite growing up fishing, he had not been out since his father passed away in 2001.Sure, there have been trips where I caught more trout but I cannot recall a fishing trip that included more appreciative, joyful participants. Perhaps in the remaining weeks of the fishing season we will get another chance to go again. Thanks be to God.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Hunger Statistics
The data in this post was taken from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) website.
Sometimes it’s hard to take hunger in the United States seriously. We know in a sort of abstract way that there are probably hungry people in our neighborhood but it isn’t a topic that gets talked about all that often. And the United States is fortunate not to experience the kind of wide-spread famine that haunts many third-world countries and that results in heart-wrenching front-page photographs of sunken-eyed children with distended tummies.
Here in the US, hunger is a more subtle presence. However, it is a very real—and growing—problem for many families. The government uses the term “food insecure” to refer to people who struggle to obtain adequate nutrition. That umbrella term is often broken down further into:
Low Food Security: Due to restricted financial resources, people experiencing low food security are forced to cut back on the quality and/or quantity of the food they eat.
Very Low Food Security: People experiencing very low food security struggle to provide enough food for their households. They may cut back significantly on their food consumption or frequently skip meals to stretch their nutritional resources as far as possible.
How many people in this country are actually affected by hunger? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that in 2005, 35.1 million people lived in households deemed food insecure. This represents 10.4% of all adults and 16.9% of all children. In Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 10.2% of households (or 490,000 individuals) experience low food security and that 2.9% (or 141,000 individuals) experience very low food security.
According to the results of a 2006 Census Bureau survey, the households that run the greatest risk of food insecurity have some or all of the following characteristics:
They are headed by single women
They are minority – especially Black or Hispanic
They are living on incomes below the poverty line
They have children – overall, households with children experience food insecurity at almost double the rate for households without children.
They are located in a central city environment
Sometimes it’s hard to take hunger in the United States seriously. We know in a sort of abstract way that there are probably hungry people in our neighborhood but it isn’t a topic that gets talked about all that often. And the United States is fortunate not to experience the kind of wide-spread famine that haunts many third-world countries and that results in heart-wrenching front-page photographs of sunken-eyed children with distended tummies.
Here in the US, hunger is a more subtle presence. However, it is a very real—and growing—problem for many families. The government uses the term “food insecure” to refer to people who struggle to obtain adequate nutrition. That umbrella term is often broken down further into:
Low Food Security: Due to restricted financial resources, people experiencing low food security are forced to cut back on the quality and/or quantity of the food they eat.
Very Low Food Security: People experiencing very low food security struggle to provide enough food for their households. They may cut back significantly on their food consumption or frequently skip meals to stretch their nutritional resources as far as possible.
How many people in this country are actually affected by hunger? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that in 2005, 35.1 million people lived in households deemed food insecure. This represents 10.4% of all adults and 16.9% of all children. In Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 10.2% of households (or 490,000 individuals) experience low food security and that 2.9% (or 141,000 individuals) experience very low food security.
According to the results of a 2006 Census Bureau survey, the households that run the greatest risk of food insecurity have some or all of the following characteristics:
They are headed by single women
They are minority – especially Black or Hispanic
They are living on incomes below the poverty line
They have children – overall, households with children experience food insecurity at almost double the rate for households without children.
They are located in a central city environment
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Cartridges for Kids!
Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant
Green (adj.) : of the color of growing foliage, between yellow and blue in the spectrum*
Green (adj.) : environmentally sound or beneficial
As you can probably already tell by looking at this page, at EECM we’ve got a soft spot for the color green. Our official organization colors are a shocking combination of BRIGHT green and VIBRANT purple, which makes us memorable, if sometimes hard on the eyes.But above and beyond our fondness for the verdant hue, EECM is committed to being green in the newer sense of the word—environmentally friendly. Thus our newest project: Cartridges for Kids!
Cartridges for Kids is a national organization that works in partnership with non-profits across the country to raise funds for children’s programs by recycling printer cartridges, used electronics and other items. We at EECM will collect any and all of the following items:
Empty Inkjet cartridges
Empty laser cartridges
Used cell phones and batteries
Laptops (with power cords)
PDAs/Palm Pilots (with accessories)
iPods (with accessories)
Video game consoles (with power cords)
Video games
We box them up and ship them off (for free!) to Cartridges for Kids. They recycle them and send us a check based on the number and type of items sent. We use the money in our Children and Youth programs, in particular our newly-initiated Bookcases for Kids project.
If you would like to donate any of these items, they can be dropped off at the EECM main offices, located on the second floor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church at 250 N. Highland Ave. If you round up a large donation, we’d be happy to come and pick it up. Just call us (412-361-5549 ext. 411) to arrange delivery. And last but not least, EECM will have a table at the Highland Park Yard sale on June 3rd at 1104 N. Highland Ave (at the corner of Hampton and Highland) and you’re welcome to drop off items then.
* Definitions taken from www.dictionary.com, which, incidentally, lists 33 different definitions for the word “green.” Who says learning isn’t cool?
* Definitions taken from www.dictionary.com, which, incidentally, lists 33 different definitions for the word “green.” Who says learning isn’t cool?
Monday, April 9, 2007
Mitzvah Day
Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant
Today, class, we will begin with a brief language lesson. Our word for the day is mitzvah, which is Hebrew for “commandment.” The plural is mitzvot and is pronounced with a long “o” (mits-vote). There are a total of 613 mitzvot in Jewish law – 365 negative commandments or prohibitions (such as Thou Shalt Not Kill) and 248 positive commandments (like Honor Thy Father and Mother). The mitzvot are derived both from the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and from later rabbinical commentary.
The word mitzvah has also come to express any act of human kindness, which seems very appropriate since a fair chunk of those 613 mitzvot have to do with the proper way to interact with our fellow humans.
Alrighty, let’s practice our pronunciation together:
Well done. You sound great!
I can hear you muttering quietly under your breath: why on earth are we discussing mitzvot today? Because, it was a fun way to introduce the Mitzvah Day Initiative! Mitzvah Day is an interfaith effort through which the members of Calvary Episcopal Church and Rodef Shalom Congregation conduct projects for area community service organizations to help them with a need they have defined. This year, April 22nd has been designated as Mitzvah Day.
The early childhood programs from Rodef Shalom will be directing their Mitzvah Day activities toward EECM. The budding chefs will be baking sweet treats to donate to our Hunger Programs and will also be doing a craft project to create center pieces for the tables at the Soup Kitchen.
Allow me to take a moment to say that Mitzvah Day is awesome. Seriously. It really is a terrific example of an interfaith collaboration to better our community and to that I must say: Rock On!
Today, class, we will begin with a brief language lesson. Our word for the day is mitzvah, which is Hebrew for “commandment.” The plural is mitzvot and is pronounced with a long “o” (mits-vote). There are a total of 613 mitzvot in Jewish law – 365 negative commandments or prohibitions (such as Thou Shalt Not Kill) and 248 positive commandments (like Honor Thy Father and Mother). The mitzvot are derived both from the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and from later rabbinical commentary.
The word mitzvah has also come to express any act of human kindness, which seems very appropriate since a fair chunk of those 613 mitzvot have to do with the proper way to interact with our fellow humans.
Alrighty, let’s practice our pronunciation together:
mitzvah
mitzvah
mitzvah
Well done. You sound great!
I can hear you muttering quietly under your breath: why on earth are we discussing mitzvot today? Because, it was a fun way to introduce the Mitzvah Day Initiative! Mitzvah Day is an interfaith effort through which the members of Calvary Episcopal Church and Rodef Shalom Congregation conduct projects for area community service organizations to help them with a need they have defined. This year, April 22nd has been designated as Mitzvah Day.
The early childhood programs from Rodef Shalom will be directing their Mitzvah Day activities toward EECM. The budding chefs will be baking sweet treats to donate to our Hunger Programs and will also be doing a craft project to create center pieces for the tables at the Soup Kitchen.
Allow me to take a moment to say that Mitzvah Day is awesome. Seriously. It really is a terrific example of an interfaith collaboration to better our community and to that I must say: Rock On!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Hoop It Up
Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant
The sea of young people wore t-shirts in an array of bright colors but they all proudly announced the same slogan in triumphant golden letters: “Kickin’ Butts Smoke-Free in 2007!” Welcome to the first weekend of the 2007 Hoop It Up Tournament.
Each spring, the EECM Children and Youth program staff host a three-weekend basketball tournament for local teams, with players from grades 3 through 12. This year, 16 teams and approximately 172 young people are taking part in the Hoop It Up Tournament. The teams are divided by school level (elementary, middle, high) and by gender. EECM staff coach six of the teams (including the Fulton Wildcats) which are comprised entirely of students enrolled in EECM after-school recreation programs. The remaining 10 teams are primarily formed through local schools, with a few community teams added for good measure. Many of the players on these teams are also involved in EECM programs, but are coached by non-staff members.
The games played this past weekend were preliminary match-ups to determine the tournament seeding. Play-off games will take place on April 14th and the championship will be April 21st.
As the t-shirts indicate, the Hoop It Up Tournament has an ulterior motive beyond simple recreational enjoyment: it’s part of a larger healthy lifestyles curriculum that is woven into all of EECM’s recreational programs. The tournament focuses specifically on preventing tobacco use. All participants are given handouts about the risks of smoking as well as smoking cessation information. Additionally, there are educational presentations interspersed with the games throughout the day. The goal of the program is to encourage students to establish healthy behaviors in their daily routines.
If you would like to get involved in the Hoop It Up Tournament, volunteers are needed to sell concessions, referee and help with scoring. Please call our volunteer coordinator Emily Huck (412-361-5549 ext. 403) if you’d like to help!
Monday, April 2, 2007
The Results Are In
Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant
The end of the Have a Heart for Hunger campaign is at hand* and the results are in!
173 individuals/organizations/congregations contributed to the campaign and donated a total of $68,128.44. And that figure doesn’t factor in the value of the groceries donated during that period, which totaled well over a ton of food. WOWZER!
Let’s try to put that into perspective a little bit. $68,000 could provide:
$30,000 was contributed by one all-star individual who rocks a great deal
$26,256.64 was donated by 150 other (also-fabulous) individuals
$7,998.22 was donated by 13 congregations and congregation groups
$3,051.45 was donated by 4 schools, clubs and/or non-profit organizations
$822.13 was donated by 5 businesses
So, all together now, a final THANK YOU to everyone who demonstrated what it means to Have a Heart for Hunger!!
* Checks received after today that are clearly designated for the Have a Heart for Hunger Campaign will still be counted.
The end of the Have a Heart for Hunger campaign is at hand* and the results are in!
173 individuals/organizations/congregations contributed to the campaign and donated a total of $68,128.44. And that figure doesn’t factor in the value of the groceries donated during that period, which totaled well over a ton of food. WOWZER!
Let’s try to put that into perspective a little bit. $68,000 could provide:
Lunch for 28,000 individuals in the Soup Kitchen
OR
Emergency groceries for 1,300 families
OR
Meals on Wheels service to 30 clients for a year
OR
68,000 packages of marshmallow peeps -- maybe more if we catch the post-Easter clearances!! Very tempting...
***
Where does all that cash come from? Well, I’m glad you asked because it's good to know that I'm not the only one interested in neatly arranging data into categories.$30,000 was contributed by one all-star individual who rocks a great deal
$26,256.64 was donated by 150 other (also-fabulous) individuals
$7,998.22 was donated by 13 congregations and congregation groups
$3,051.45 was donated by 4 schools, clubs and/or non-profit organizations
$822.13 was donated by 5 businesses
So, all together now, a final THANK YOU to everyone who demonstrated what it means to Have a Heart for Hunger!!
* Checks received after today that are clearly designated for the Have a Heart for Hunger Campaign will still be counted.
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