Dear Friends of BCI,
From January through July BCI provided over 11,000 meals to our guests. Since
then hundreds more have walked in through our doors needing a lunch or breakfast. Our
guests sit at tables and we serve them delicious nutritious meals family style. Many
of our guests help us by folding the chairs and collecting the garbage when we are
finished. Our challenge is to make our very large recreation room look like
a home. This fall a group of Macy’s employees came and painted
the entire room. Now it is bright and cheery. They came again and brought
a TV cabinet, a sofa, some soft chairs, several tables, books and magazines, lamps
and paintings for the wall. “It’s no longer like a prison dining
room,” remarked a few of our guests. We have noticed our guests are very careful
when they sit in our “living room”. Thank you to Macy’s for
making such a wonderful difference and helping us to create a bit of a home.
Many of our guests are fatigued because they are homeless or stay in a shelter where
they do not feel safe. They are also discouraged from trying to get a job,
or an apartment, or food, or some money. It takes at least three or four appointments
to secure just a very small amount of public assistance. For many the money
does not cover the cost of transportation to various interviews for jobs or housing
or medical appointments. BCI gives out Metro-cards upon proof of appointments
so that our people at least have transportation money to get to their various appointments. By
October we had used up our budget for cards so many appointments were not kept.
As much as possible, we try to make BCI a one-stop service center. Once a week, a
medical team, including a doctor, health educator, HIV group and Twelve Step substance
abuse counselor, visit our site. A medical social worker also visits once a week.
Food stamp applications are filled out using our special computer connection. In
addition, a mobile dental clinic visits regularly as does an eye testing team that
provides glasses as needed. Thank you Institute for Urban Family Practice. Thank
you, Kress Eye clinic. Thank you, Mobile Dental Unit.
What do you do when you are depressed or discouraged and you have no money to do
anything? You come to BCI on a Monday or Wednesday or Friday afternoon where
you will find either a theater workshop or a painting group or a jam session in session,
all part of our “Healing Arts” program. We find that through the
arts our participants access painful negative and angry feelings. As a result
of accessing such feelings, our participants get through to themselves and hope is
renewed. Thank you artist guests for not only painting for yourselves but for painting
the murals you did on the walls of my office. Those images bring peace to everyone
who enters our offices.
Over twenty-five participants completed the Food Service Handler’s course this
year and sat for an exam to qualify for a New York City Foodhandler Permit. Some
go on to attend culinary school while others work in restaurants or food-related
agencies. Our chef conducts cooking classes twice a month on Saturdays that
focus on how to use fresh fruits, vegetables and organic foods in meal preparation.
The New York Times just printed an article about our Chef and food program
in the December 20 edition of the paper’s “Dining In” section.
A small group of our women (and one man) are making money by sewing tote bags. Thank
you Urban Samaritans for doing the marketing and selling those beautiful bags. We
also have a Creative Crafts group working to develop ways to earn money so that eventually
they will be able to establish their own business. Soon we will begin to request
start up funds for their vendor licenses.
Yes, we are very busy at BCI. Our activities are carried out by volunteer participants
who are part of BCI’s healing programs with support from our neighbors, from
the school kids at St. Hilda’s school down the street and from professional
people who contribute their expertise. Our guest participants (clients) work hard
to become ready for jobs that eventually will pay for their basic needs so they can
become self-sustaining and continually productive.
We hope you will get to know us better. We hope you will be inspired to donate
or volunteer. We are a community and we will welcome you. Thank you.
Eleanor Donaldson
Executive Director