Hi. I am going to post some events that are coming up at the Food Pantry where I work. It is a fun time of year and I hope you can participate with us!

At the left is a flyer you can click on, this flyer lists items needed for our pantry at Open Door for the summer months of June/July.
The list of food on the flyer is what we have been lacking from the purchases from Gleaners Food Bank; we pay .10/lb for food. Since the area has such a high unemployment rate, Gleaners has needed to supply a higher demand, which means our order from them may not be filled totally. If people are inclined to give cash/checks this is also ppreciated.

June 20,2009 is the annual Julie Run/Walk at Central High School. If you are interested please go to http://www.opendooroutreachcenter.com/ you may register for the race and pay the registration fee online also.

During later part of July thru August we will be collecting School Supplies: 3 Ring Binders, High Lighter Markers, Glue sticks, Crayolas, Markers, and Rulers. We are set on Liquid glue, pens and pencils (last count of pens and pencils was around 5,000-10,000!). We are asking churches, agencies, businesses and individuals to donate however they are led. If they would like the opportunity to donate gift cards to Payless shoes, Meijer’s, Kmart, and Wal-Mart, Target, JcPenney or Kohl's this would give parents the opportunity to shop for an outfit for their child (ren).

We have a volunteer luncheon coming up soon. We are also in need of monies, for this event. If your group would be interested in helping with funding for that this is another area of need for the center as we like to recognize our volunteers.

We also celebreate Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.
Thanksgiving we supply families with a turkey or turkey breast and other food items for a festive dinner. At Christmas time we have found that most agnecies sponsor families. Our agency however provides only seniors as we feel that seniors a forgotten group at this time of year. We provide eligible seniors with a nice Christmas dinner, a gift card and other small gift items. We are also looking for a few reliable volunteers who would be able to adopt a family for Christmas; we could supply the family name, and children/ages. At Easter time we provide our client families with a dinner, Easter candies, and books for the children in the family.

Mid-December we collect, coats, new/or gently used, hats, gloves, boots, snow pants. Schools in the area call to let us know of the needs they have within their school, we are able to provide sizes when we have them. I remember one year we needed coats for high school students who were in need. Maybe your group could cover that age group. All winter apparel are given to the clients throughout the winter as they request, if we have it we give it, if we don’t have it we figure it out.

Now...if there is something else that you might have an idea to suggest please let me know. We ask that everyone keep us in mind and whatever is raised as monetarily or donated food/clothing wise, we appreciate all that is done! We and our clients are so grateful for all donations we recieve!

If there are other groups you know of who would be interested in any of these ideas please pass the info along.

The only items we do not accept for donations are: baby car seats, computers/monitors/mouse etc, and furniture, TVs (As we have such limited space and baby car seat requirements change so frequently we can’t accept them).

Blessings to you! Tammie Kay Fenn


http://www.opendooroutreachcenter.org/

Our site has information of volunteer opportunities, Julie Walk/Run 2009, Outhouse Golf Outing 2009, and information on our resale store for the public, we also use donated clothing for our clients.

Urgent Prayer Request...Little Ella Hodges

Please keep precious Ella in your prayers. Ella was born with Spina Bifida. I am not sure if the procedures and illness are due to her special need. She needs our prayers. Those of you who have children know the feeling as a parent when your child is ill and the helpless feelings that sometimes comes along with it, I can only imagine what Randy, Lori and the rest of the family is going through right now. I know what it was like when Adam and Jeffrey were born 8 weeks preterm and all their health challanges.

My Prayers are with you Randy, Lori and little Ella. Love to you all. Lori, and Randy my heart is acheing for you sweethearts.

Tammie

P.S. below is a letter from Lori...

Not much time here to write, but know you would appreciate an update. HORRIBLE, horrible day today. Ella was doing so well yesterday, and took a turn for the worse today. Started running a temp (103), heart rate over 200, very lethargic, having trouble breathing, etc.

Many tests done, Ella had to endure so much pain and agony. The doctors did not want to give her anesthesia due to her critical condition as it may complicate things. A shunt tap was done. Xrays showed fluid in her chest cavity...doctors performed surgery with only a small amount of lidocaine to numb the area and removed almost 300cc's of fluid. The fluid caused her lung to almost completely collapse and her little heart is working overtime to compensate. In addition, doctors found a pocket of air outside her lung after removing the VP shunt tubing.

They are waiting a few hours to see if it will come out on its own. Chances are slim and good chance she will undergo another surgery tonight to put in a drain to let the air out. The doctors do not want to go this route because it is very painful and are not sure how much anesthesia she can handle safely. It goes on and on...she looks so sad and in some ways I sense she is done fighting. She has been very sick now for over 9 weeks and has endured too many painful procedures, long hospitalizations and so forth. As a mother, you can't begin to know my anguish and deep sadness.

Thanks for your prayers, Lori

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U


This is a video about what photographers do to pictures to ready them for an ad in magazines.
I found it to be quite interesting.

What one sees in a magazine is not always the true picture. When I think about this video I wonder what the models think of what happens to their image?

For all of you who know me,
What is you see of me is what you get,
I dont pretend to be anyone other than myself. It is less confusing that way.

Absence Note to Teacher..

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=13938636&ch=130510


I thought this was cute! How cool Presidnet Obama would do this! :0)
Anyway, I am always looking for things to make me chuckle...how about you???

The Survivor Mural Project

The Survivor Mural Project

Shared via AddThis

Our Lil Furry Four Legged Friend...

On Monday of this week we learned our 2 year old kitten, Freddie, developed Hepatitis. We are not sure what caused his liver to start shutting down.

From the different articles I read on the internet a cat doesnt always show signs of liver disease right away. We did not figure it out til Monday, when I noticed his little nose, inside of his ears, the pads on his paws and the gums were all yellow. Thinking maybe there would be something we could do at home I quickly looked up liver diseases in cats on the internet. The symptoms of what I was seeing was indeed liver

disease as described on the differing internet articles, but I was

prepared fo the worst. Yet the vet and her boss convinced me to

take him home and give him some nursing care hoping he would pull

out of it.

Hoping that he would pull through I gave him water with as syringe, and gave him a pill, which I gave to him on another kind of syringe used to medicate animals.

Then came the battle to feed Freddie cat food, wet cat food.

Have you ever smelled that stuff? Freddie just did not want to eat

that ick no matter how hard I tried to feed it to him. I even gave him the choice to lick a bit off my finger, still he choose not to taste it.

Someone advised, go to the grocery store and buy some baby food jarred chicken, it is smoother than cat food and it will be easier for him to take in than the cat food. I figured okay, well if their cat pulled through whatever it was when it was ill maybe it'll help Freddie. So off to the store I go to buy some baby food. Sure enough, he liked it and ate almost a teaspoon of the stuff and nearly a syringe full of water. When he got done eating, he was purring and looking bright eyed, he even sorta smiled at me, which made me laugh and cry at the same time.

The vet had asked if I had noticed that Freddie had stopped eating. I felt so bad because no I hadnt noticed!!!! What kind of kitty mom am I anyway, that I didnt notice? I thought to myself. Just as I was getting ready to give myself a chastising for not watching poor Freddie closer she asked if we had other cats. I said yes. She said well you would not know who was eating and who wasnt, it is okay, dont worry. She asked if our other kitties were doing okay, are they showing any signs like Freddie. I said no, no symptoms and I even see them eating every other minute of the day!

I learned that cats will stop eating their food anywhere from a week to two weeks before they start showing signs of liver failure. Even before that time period their body is already going through liver shut down.

To make a long story short, Freddie had a long week. So did my family as we watched him fight to stay alive and be with us. Each day we tried to do our best nursing care we could for Freddie.
This evening, Adam my son and I, took Freddie to the vet to be euthanized. The vet saw our faces and knew that our week had been a long one for human and animal. He reassured us that we did what we could for Freddie. I was glad to be consolled as we were.

Remember, my family (the four footed fur ones too) and myself this week. Our hearts feel a bit emptier. Our minds are filled with many memories of Freddie and all the fun we had with him.