Honoring Beloved Community

 

Governments often map the crime and violence that goes on around us but there are other powerful stories here too, the stories of compassionate action, safety and well-being.  PNA is proud to announce that it has recently become a community partner in Honoring Beloved Community, a city wide effort to honor these actions and compassionate places, to acknowledge and thank the people who make them possible by introducing a sort of compassion mapping.  

 

Through this effort, neighbors will have a chance to share stories of places in their neighborhoods where they feel welcome, accepted, and safe.  As neighbors submit their stories online through the Beloved Community website, these stories will build to form an interactive compassion map, allowing everyone to fully view the compassionate action and goodness that's happening every day in our neighborhoods.

 

Beyond just helping with promotion, PNA will also have small recognition cards available at the front desk in both English and Spanish for neighbors to pick up and then present to the people and places they feel have done their part in creating a compassionate, beloved community. 

 

For more details and to submit your own story of local compassion, please visit: http://compassionateseattlehome.org/beloved  

 

 

Our Nimble Nonagenarians

Some people slow down when they hit their nineties but that's not the case with three of our amazing Hot Meal Volunteers.  Janet Recher, Anna Falck, & Ida Hamilton have been helping our neighbors in need at the Hot Meal Program for a combined total of around 60 years now.  From the kitchen of the St. John United Lutheran Church - where all three are members of the congregation - this team consistently serves up 150-200 meals each Wednesday throughout the year.  And they don't seem to have much intention of putting down the serving forks anytime soon!  In fact, if you're ever volunteered at a Wednesday meal, you'll likely find it hard to keep up with them. 

 

 

All three wonderful women can now claim the highly respected title of nonagenarian (ages 90-99).  We're certainly also proud to place them high among the ranks of PNA's Super Volunteers.  Thank you Janet, Anna, and Ida, for all your wonderful years of service and for being such inspiring members of the PNA family.

 

As if turning 90 weren't impressive enough, Anna also recently inspired the Rose Philanthropic Fund to donate $1,000 to the Hot Meal Program in her honor.  That's enough funding to help Anna and the team supply hundreds more meals to our neighbors in need, who will undoubtedly continue to appreciate both the great food and Anna's lovely smile!

 

Anna Falck with Hot Meal Program Manager Michael Gregory

The Hot Meal Program hosts three meals a week, open to anyone in need:

 

Mondays @ Greenwood Senior Center

525 N 85th Street, Seattle

Doors open at 4pm; Meal served 5-6pm

 

Tuesdays @ St. John United Lutheran Church

5515 Phinney Ave N, Seattle

Doors open at 4pm; Meal served 5-6pm

 

Wednesdays @ St. John United Lutheran Church

5515 Phinney Ave N, Seattle

Doors open at 11am; Meal served 12-1pm

 

To volunteer with the Hot Meal Program, please visit the program's webpage for more information and to submit a volunteer application:  http://phinneycenter.org/hotmeal