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WEEK-END AND HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Saturday volunteers are needed at the Welcome Mat - there are 2 shifts - from 9:00 a.m. until noon and from noon until 3:00 p.m. Potential volunteers will need to come by the WCH Offic4e, 907 Logan Avenue,
Monday - Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for more information and training.
While it may seem early to be talking about the need for volunteers during the holidays it really isn't!!!! The holidays are a great time for clubs, families, and all kinds of groups to come in to the
Welcome Mat, work a shift checking people in, visiting and seeing that everyone gets some of the special foods and gifts. There is some minor training for these shifts. If a holiday volunteer decides
later to become a regular week-end volunteer there will be some additional training.
There are 2 shifts for each of the days, see below, that volunteers are needed - 9 until noon, and noon until 3. Sunday is 9 until 1. Dates volunteers are needed: November 25, 26, 27, 28.
December dates are: December 23, 24, 25, 26. A volunteer is also needed for January 1, 2010.
Speical foods are also need for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Gift will be needed to be given out on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Those families, clubs, groups, individuals interested in finding out more about these times and/or signing up for a shift should contact Virginia at 634-8499.
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Donations Needed at WCH
As stated above our most critical need at this time is for cash donations to provide funding for general operating funds and additional funds for
finishing up the remodel for the day care.
Also, at this time, we are in dire need of foam cups (8 oz.), foam bowls and plastic spoons. These items should be brought to the office of 907 Logan Avenue, Mon - Sat from 9:00 - 3:00 and Sunday from 9:00 - 1:00.
Click here for complete list of needed donations.
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Cheyenne Evangilical Free Church Builds Fence for WCH
On October 4, as an early Make a Difference Day Project about 35 volunteers from Cheyenne Evangilical Free Church built a privacy fence in the bike yard, cleaned up the bike yard,
cut weeds, trimmed trees and brought lunch. What a great day that was!!!
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Living Well in a Recession
Ron Murdock
I snickered when I heard that a Starbucks closed its doors for good in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. To me Starbucks is a sign of trendy yuppie wretched excess. It had me wonder whatever happened to regular coffee after seeing what Starbucks had to offer in the way of product and what they charged for it. It was usually double or triple of what coffee needed to be. I just don't feel comfortable ordering a mocha, frappe, expresso, cappoccino, double-double whatever. I would feel lost in a verbal jungle after the third word. Apparantly it's a rare event that a Starbucks closes up a shop of theirs but when an American firm does so in Canada I am happy. I much rather spend my money at a Canadian based ma and pa store. Instead of telling me about underperformance, site and market specific criteria,impact of current and anticipated trends, just tell me whether the store is doing well or not in as few words as possible.
One of the best deals around is a public library. Why take the risk of paying a good chunk of change for a book that could be a disappointment to the reader when they could get the same book from the library. Services at a public library include Inter-Net access, CD's, courses, do research or just relax.
Even travelling doesn't have to be an expenseve thing to do. One doesn't have to travel first class to exotic locations with the jet set crowd. Especially with so much to see and do within a three hour radius of home. If one live near a body of water they can explore it by kayak or canoe. Or if one prefers land, Greyhound offers fare reductions if booked a week or two in advance. A drawback is that schedule times can be awkward. An example is Greyhound times from Grand Forks B.C. to Nelson B.C. is at 3 a.m. or 5:55 p.m.
One thing about economic downturns is that people start to prioritize how they spend their money. Luxuries like jewelry and designer cloths don't sell like they do in good times. On the other side of the coin, pawnshops do well as people look for items they normally wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. Even what is considered wealthy could be thought of as a two edged sword. It doesn't always mean how much money or material goods they have on hand. Not to soften the blow by those shafted by the system but you imagine what Third World Countries think of how poor is defined here in North America?
Another thing affected by economic slowdowns is small luxeries like manicures, pedicures, and similar services. Even hairstylists must be affected as people ask themselves if they need the latest trend in hair styles or just need a simple haircut. Cosmetic surgery could be placed under the same category here.
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Can Poverty Be Eliminated
Ron Murdock
Some people think poverty is among the things that can't be avoided like death and taxes. I believe it says in the Bible that the poor will alays be with us. Does it have to be this way if all groups work together and individuals do what they can to alleviate the situation? There will always be a need for social service programs to help those in between jobs plus there will be some who just can't work due to mental or physical reasons.
Also there are other items such as expensive housing that is neither safe nor secure, lack of good food and lack of dental care.These three groups should not be subject to market fluctations as they are essential to human well being. In regards to housing, prices should be subject to what the house is worth and not from what I've seen in Calgary and Vancouver. I found it incredible the prices charged at the Main and Hastings hotels in Vancouver and those in Calgary.
I've wondered for years what happens to food, especially meat, between where it is produced and the supermarket counter. I much rather eat free range food over something that can barely move in its cage or stall. Getting food from a dumpster was a thing to do but I've seen food in dumpsters get sprayed with bleach, a reason to pass on food there.
With dental care, I've always maintained it should be part of medical coverage not a separate entity. Last time I checked teeth were part of the human body. So why let dental prices go through the roof and have consumers pay an arm, leg and first born for basic dental needs?
There shouldn't be a need for anyone to go hungry or live in poverty in our world. People aren't commodities in the market place. Money needs to be distributed more evenly than what is and has been. Once thought as temporary measures food banks and soup kitchens have become growth industries in the last few years. Debt seems to be capitalized by bankers to get peple buying the lastest fashions or trends. It is ironic that people seem to borrow more in good times to get that newest car, bigger house and so on. Maybe they worry abaout what the neighbours think but the neighbours may have enough problems to handle or think about what their neighbours are doing.
In 2000 or 2001 it was announced that BP-Amoco was making 3,306 British pounds a second in profits. I'd like to know how much of those profits went back to employee benefits - yeah right - or to stock holder pockets. Plus how much taxes do transnational companies pay by owning land in foreign countries or off shore locations. Then they pay cheap wages and no benefits to their employees there.
The current system is set up so that who controls the money controls much of what else is going on in our world. That is because most of humanity is easy to control and manipulate. There is enough abundance in the world to go around and no one has to go without. Don't be kidded otherwise. Scarcity = dependence and control. Abundance = choice and freedom.
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Wyoming Winds
is published by the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless
907 Logan Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82001-5247
phone: 307-634-8499
fax: 307-634-9089
email: wch@vcn.com
Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, its staff or board.
Editor: Virginia Sellner.
Copyrights revert back to the author upon publication.
WCH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency depending upon the community for funding.
© 2009.
**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.**
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