“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”~Gandhi

The Community Leadership Program is an outstanding program that was first introduced last year at UNH Manchester and has been running for the past 8 years at UNH in Durham. One of the required courses as part of the Community Leadership Program is the “Introduction to Community Leadership,” which I was enrolled in this past semester. Walking into our Community Leadership class on that first day, I really didn’t know what to expect. The course is designed to educated students about: “the process of community building, community service, organizing, and leadership.” It is also designed for students to generate “awareness of community issues to community members” while bringing people of the community together. This course required my class as a whole, to create a community service project that applied all these skills.
Last year’s class put together the Warmth From The Mill Yard drive. Their project was a warm clothing drive, where the students collected warm clothes, gave the collected clothes to different organizations, and raised awareness of homelessness in New Hampshire. They collected 800 items and their project won a National Community Service award, in Minnesota.
This year, as a class we conducted a need base assessment, and saw that once again there was a great need for warm clothing throughout New Hampshire. Our class decided it would be best to meet that need throughout New Hampshire by running and expanding last years “Warmth From The Mill Yard” project. “Our vision is to lead the local community in the Warmth From the Mill Yard project, which is a “winter clothing” drive to raise awareness of poverty & assist local families/individuals within our community.”
Our vision at first was only a fraction of what we had succeeded to bring in. At the beginning of the class when stating our vision there was a lot of hesitation about putting a number to the amount of clothing we could receive by donation. This hesitation came from the current harsh economic time. Because of this unsympathetic time we were unsure if people would be willing or could afford to donate to our clothing drive.
Personally, I see myself as an achiever and “go-getter.” If someone perceives that I can’t do something, I will then reach out and do it ten times better than anyone every expected. Knowing that I am a “go-getter,” I was highly optimistic and motivated that we as a class could raise at least 800 items. With the help and generosity of others within our community we far exceeded our 800-item total, to reach over 2,800 items donated.
Our vision was not owned by anyone of us as individuals in the class, but by our class as a whole. With input and suggestions from all eight of us, our vision developed into a project that was more than just a warm clothing drive, it was a project that served others.
We not only had the chance to serve those who needed warm clothing within our community, we had the chance to serve the Hillside STAY Program children. We served them by making them apart of our project and getting them involved within their own community. We welcomed them with open arms and showed them that they too, could make a difference within their own community.
I have to say this class has made a real difference in my life. I have learned that service is a tool that is far better than “helping” and “fixing” current issues. By serving we gain a new knowledge of self. By serving we acknowledge a need and create a solution for that need. By serving we shape, transform, and collaborate within our own communities. I have always believed that people have a desire to belong, a need for recognition of self-value, and a want to be a part of something truly meaningful. Through this project I have come to understand, with collaboration of ideas, resources, and time, people can truly achieve their self worth.
Through this project, I have to say I have gained a new sense of self. This project has reinforced my self-motivation and compassion for other and made me realize that I can make a difference even if I never meet the individual I am serving. Yes, community service takes a lot of time, work, and commitment, but doing for others creates change within your community. Gandhi once said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” I believe that with the “Warmth From The Millyard” project the eight of us have been part of the change we all wish to see in the world.

~Sheena Connolly

Magnificent 8

I found myself in a room full of empty
Only to realize it wasn’t meant for me to be here
But important that I came
My road was the one too often traveled
From them hopes that unravel in the streets
Riddled with them who never met potential.
Don’t mistake my strut for confidence
I just wouldn’t survive the consequence
that waits behind the door for them knockin knees
But recently I find myself at ease
Amungst giants I walk softly
And I carry a big heart
In an effort to do my part
See I’m crucial to the sphere my people call conversation
But see I make no claim that we be from anything
More than from where we came
It was the giving that leveled me
I saw eyes cry, smiles curl and hands extend
In my particular direction
Here where I stand now in reflection
Too am a giant
Some of those who choose to stand simple
Questiong the intent, attempting to debate
Thee magnificent 8 would best tip toe lightly.
I’m play those lines over and over

As time goes ooooon
I realiiiiiiize
just what you meeeeeean
to mee and now

My room runneth over
With giants at my shoulder I lead
Being lead by leaders, I was
To become Mercury, I am
Hot like that fire, I will
Teach he, she and anybody
And I do mean anybody like and not like me
Atop the mountain I see tomorrow
My community on my mind, I unwind
With a sublime line that hits on time!
Check it.
Leaders, make leaders,
And ya’all made me!

When our Community Leadership class first started planning the Warmth from the Millyard winter clothing drive, I was extremely skeptical about the amount of clothing we would get. Last years drive got 800 items of clothing, and I thought that at the most, we’d be able to get 1,000 items. That was just me being optimistic though, I didn’t actually believe that people would donate nearly as much as they did last year because of how bad the economy is doing. As the word spread about the drive, the clothing started POURING in. We had over 800 items before the drive even started! It amazed me that even in this time of economic crisis, people were still willing to help others. Some people even donated brand new clothing!

I had never realized what a huge problem homelessness was in Manchester, or New Hampshire in general. I had always known that it was a problem, but since I had never seen it, I didn’t think twice about it. I hope this drive helps make the public aware that there IS a huge problem, and that this drive was just a short term solution. We need to start thinking about long term solutions. One idea our class came up with is starting a clothing bank. That’s just the beginning though.

This drive made me realize what a huge impact a small group of people can have, so if you have an idea, go for it! By the end of the drive, I had a huge change of heart. I realized that there are still good, caring people in the world, and they make themselves even more known and come together during desperate times. The recent ice storm we had confirmed this even more so. I saw people getting together to help remove trees and clean up debris. People were opening their houses to family, friends, and even strangers. I’ve seen signs up at people’s houses saying “free water”, “we have heat”, etc. I am so devastated to see all the damage this storm has done, but it fills my heart with joy to see how much people are willing to help.

-Maren Bhagat

What you do for others can light up a room!

As the roster of corporations and financial institutions on line for government bailouts seems to grow, some public policy advocates in Washington D.C. are calling on policymakers to focus more efforts on the nation's poorest. The ranks of the destitute are growing quietly but alarmingly as much of the world focuses on troubles surrounding Wall Street. "Recent data show poverty is already rising quite substantially," says Robert Greenstein, the executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "There is a strong potential for more hardship and destitution than we have seen in this country in a number of decades." http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081125/us_time/08599186184300

We should all be aware that although all men/women are created equal there are times we do not live equally. It is my hope that we as a nation, community realize our position and realize that giving affirms our humanity!

If it's wrong to be a socialist, then is it right to be
anti-social?

"One Nation Under A Groove"

CJ perez

"There Are Many Roads to Homelessness"

Sure, we can all agree that poverty does exist. It exists throughout the world. Poverty usually conjures up images of unknown faces in a distant third world nation. However difficult it is to acknowledge, poverty does exist in every community. Sometimes poverty is hidden by the strength of those who live it everyday. They endure their daily challenges without a hint of unhappiness or discomfort. For a child living in poverty, they do not out to be outcast or treated any different. However, a child cannot be blamed for their poverty; we tend to blame the parents. But should we be blaming anyone? It is easier to blame the victims for their poverty and not attempt to consider the individual causes or even take responsibility. Some of us blame their lifestyles or poor choices. We question why we should be held responsible for the challenges the poor and homeless are faced with everyday. While some people find excuses not to give back to their community, others are simply ignorant about the poverty and homelessness present their community.
To quote the executive director of the NH Coalition to End Homelessness, “There are many roads to homelessness.” Yes, people do make poor choices. Yes, people do have severe mental health issues. Yes, people have drug addictions. However, 85-90% of the homeless in New Hampshire are not the stereotypical homeless ((i.e. mentally ill, addicts, etc.). They are teenagers who have been kicked out. They are single parents who have stayed their welcome at family members’ homes. They are the elderly who cannot afford the increase in the cost of living. “There are many roads to homelessness” and each road is different for each person. For a second, imagine what your road could be?
We like to imagine that those in our community who are faced with poverty and homelessness are as distant as the unfamiliar faces from distant nations. However, with the rising cost of living and the recession that is occurring, poverty is much closer than we wish to recognize. Perhaps we ignore the homeless stranger because we fear that we may face a similar fate. Honestly though, I think we ignore the stranger in need in our community because it is easier to do nothing. Apathy will not result in disappointment. However, I believe there is truly a part of us all that does care for even a complete stranger. Most of the time people do not “give back” to their community because they don’t know how. Also, we fear that we can’t make a difference. There is some humility when one realizes there own limits as a member of the community. Warmth from the Millyard has provided community members the opportunity to give what is in their means. The drive has asked for a variety of donations from gloves to jackets for infants to men. Our class has simply been liaisons for those in need. The power of the ask has been surprisingly successful. It has also demonstrated the compassion in all of us.
Once the drive ends on Friday, the immediate needs of hundreds of people will be met. But this is only a band-aid to the problem. Coats and gloves cannot end poverty and homelessness. Social activism needs to take place for any great change. The poor and the homeless unfortunately do not have a political voice. As a community, we need to take on this role for those in need. We must put aside any stereotypes, assumptions or misconceptions of those who are faced with poverty and homelessness. Also, we cannot wait for others to ask for our assistance when taking on community issues. We do not have to explore or investigate what our community needs. If we just go to any nonprofit and just ask, they will let us know the needs and how we can help. Most importantly, the service we can do for our community ends up being more meaningful to us than the ones we helped. The appreciation of others is worth all our efforts. A smile of thanks is priceless.

Liz Neilan

The need continues to grow...

Requests up, donations down at state's pantries, shelters
By MIKE CULLITY
New Hampshire Union Leader
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008

Amid the struggling U.S. economy, the number of families requesting food from the Tri-County Community Action Program's five northern New Hampshire pantries has jumped drastically this year.

Each community food pantry has seen an increase of 20 to 50 percent in requesting families in 2008, said Phil Guiser, programs director for the Berlin-based organization that serves community needs across Coos, Carroll and Grafton counties. But the numbers tell only part of the story.

"People are telling me our clients are more distraught," Guiser said. "We're seeing more people who, when they tell their story, break into tears. . . . It takes a toll on our staff as well."

With winter approaching and Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, organizations across New Hampshire that provide emergency food and shelter are grappling to meet increased demand with depleted resources.

On Friday, the New Hampshire Food Bank had 205,000 pounds of food in its Manchester warehouse, executive director Melanie Gosselin said. Although that's up slightly from a mid-July low of 137,000 pounds, it's about 400,000 pounds less than typical late-fall levels, she said.

►How you can help meet the need

"Our inventory is up a little bit (from summer), but requests from the agencies we serve are up 40 percent this year," Gosselin said. "Our distribution is only up 24 percent, so there's still a big gap there."

In 2008 the food bank anticipates distributing 5.2 million pounds of food to more than 350 agencies throughout the state, Gosselin said. That's up from 4.3 million pounds in 2007.

But increased demand and last summer's high diesel fuel costs prompted the food bank to exhaust resources it would typically spend around the holidays. "We're playing catch-up," said Gosselin, adding that the food bank is working hard to fulfill 11,000 requests it has received for Thanksgiving turkeys.

Doing more with less

The Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter has averaged 20 new requests per week for food from its pantry over the past eight months, said Eileen Brady, a social worker there. And requests for Thanksgiving food boxes from the Riverside Christian Church Food Pantry in Merrimack are up 20 percent over last year, said Bill Davis, the pantry's administrator.

In Keene, the Community Kitchen this year has distributed between seven and 11 percent more food boxes per month than last year, said executive director Ann Davis. Even though the food pantry collects a million pounds of donated food per year, it has spent more than $100,000 on wholesale food purchases this year to supplement its donated supply.


First-time Food for Children volunteer John Harding of Manchester stacks flats of strawberries to be distributed to recipients at the "Food Drop" at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester yesterday morning. (BRUCE TAYLOR)
"We may have to stop purchasing food, because we're running out of money to do that," Davis said. And although the Community Kitchen can obtain food from the New Hampshire Food Bank for a delivery fee of 18 cents per pound, the food bank can't always fulfill its requests, she said.

As a result, the kitchen has stepped up its efforts to cultivate donations from food distributors and local businesses, Davis said.

But in these economic times, finding more donors is difficult. Like other agencies around the state, New Horizons for New Hampshire in Manchester has more people requesting food, but fewer donations.

"That is a concern for us," said program director Kevin Kintner.

New Horizons typically receives more donations around the holidays and is gearing up for that, Kintner said. But he worries about January and February, when donations traditionally slow down.

"Those would be the months we'd like to see more come in," he said.

Like food pantries, New Hampshire homeless shelters are wrestling with greater demand. In Rochester, all six bedrooms at the Homeless Center for Strafford County have been full since the second week of October.

"We're turning people away already, and we're not even in the cold part of the season," director Jan Walsh-grande said.

The Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter's two facilities, which have a total of 30 beds, are running at or near capacity, executive director Lisa Christie said. And although there's room at New Horizons' 76-bed shelter in Manchester, Kintner expects the vacancies won't last long.

"We're not full yet, but we're getting there," he said.

Times getting tougher

Several economic factors are fueling increased demand for emergency food and shelter in New Hampshire, observers said. In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast that food prices would rise by 5 percent to 6 percent in 2008, the largest annual increase since 1990.

Although gas prices have retreated from their summer highs, the temporary spike hurt many whose finances were already precarious. In the North Country, some elderly residents are still paying off last winter's heating bills, Guiser said.

Layoffs, reductions in hours, and less seasonal hiring have also driven people to seek relief.

"People who were borderline aren't anymore," Ann Davis said. "They were just staying afloat, but now it's getting to the point where they have nowhere else to turn."

"We see plenty of people who are employed," Brady added. "That's scary. Employment should bring some security, and it really doesn't."

Although the picture is bleak, it's not devoid of bright spots.

Last week, for example, an anonymous donor pledged to match all contributions to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter for the rest of the year, up to $500,000.

"It really helps us answer the question, 'Will we be able to feed everyone this year?'" Christie said.

One Community Under A Groove

I had believed that I was a community activist by the time that I had spent talking and working with some of the kids in my neighborhood. Many of these kids called me Uncle CJ because mister was just too formal and we speak of each other like family. I am always sure to ask the kids if they are doing well in school. “Remember, Uncle CJ is good at math, so you don’t have an excuse for failing. You just need to call.”, is what I tell them. I volunteer as a coach for the Manchester East Cobras as well.
However I enrolled in a course long project at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, Warmth From the Millyard, which was the beginning of my evaluation of just how uninvolved in my community that I had been. Our focus was to bring warm clothes to the local establishments that had members who may currently be struggling with poverty. Giving warm clothes was not our only responsibility though. “Bring awareness of the poverty that has a strangle hold on our citizens” was something that I had wrote, once to be poetic. The class took no time at all to shake me from my ignorance.
I was made aware of a tent community that was removed from its location near exit 4, in Manchester. You can actually see it from the highway on I293 going towards Macy’s in Bedford. I found that it is often believed that the homeless choose to be homeless for one reason or another. There are almost 1100 kids in our public schools that are currently homeless. The Nashua Soup Kitchen and New Horizons often struggle to meet the needs of the citizens that come through their doors because of the lack of food they are experiencing. I also found that there are more than 2000 refugees that are currently living in Manchester. Most of the refugees come from desert countries meaning that there will be a struggle to last through these tough New England winters if no one lends a hand.
My evaluation of my role as a community activist is that I am guilty of ambivalence. I’ve spread my thoughts of positivity and goodwill to places within my reach. I have neither pressed myself to go out of my comfort zone nor have I asked the hard question, “What more can I do?” As the economy has become our Nations new form of “Shock and Awe”, there is a deeper impression found on my belongings and funds imprinted from my grip of insecurity. I am guilty of closing my doors and pulling the shades with the excuse that it is cold. Rather than face my neighbor who is in far more need; I tell my children of great heroes like Dr. King and Mother Teresa, in an effort to redeem myself.
But I move on. I will move forward with my self assessment with the understanding that it was of no use to assess myself if I choose to remain the same. I make no commitment to be the next recipient of the Nobel Peace Award. What I do make commitment to is to inspire as I live. Make an effort to be someone that my community believes I am committed to. And when we all make note that as one goes down we all suffer but as we rise as one we all succeed, I will know I have helped make my community better than when I came to it.
“One nation under a groove” George Clinton

CJ Perez

The Impact WFTM has had on me...

Being involved in the 2008 “Warmth from the Millyard” warm clothing drive has been an amazing experience for me. Throughout the course of the semester I have been more and more impressed with not only the group of people that I have worked with on this project, but also the entire greater Manchester community as a whole. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first began working on this project, and I may have even been pessimistic about the support that we would receive, but I am glad to say that I was completely wrong with my low expectations.
When we set our original goal of receiving more than the 800 items the project was able to gather last year, I had a feeling that we could achieve it, but I wasn’t sure if we would eclipse it by a great amount. I’ll admit that I had my doubts, especially with the economic downturn that the country has recently experienced and the fact that people are really trying to tighten their belts in these tough times. Clearly I was wrong in having these doubts, as we comfortably reached our goal….before we had even started the project!!! Although I originally thought that the tough economic times would discourage people from donating to our cause, it seems that the tough situation that the country has found itself in has actually motivated people to do more to help those with the greatest needs. This was a really eye opening realization for me, and it has restored a lot of my faith in the community that I have grown up in, as well as mankind as a whole.
While this project has reaffirmed to me that people are always willing to help, especially in the hardest of times, it has also opened my eyes to many of the issues that exist in the community that I live in that I may not have realized, and it has shown me that those issues affect everyone within that community. I was aware that there was a large homeless population in Manchester, however I was not aware of how serious the problem actually was and how little has been done to alleviate the problem. It seems that instead of people taking action against homelessness in Manchester, those who are in the best situations to fix this problem have been content to brush it aside and try to sweep it under the rug. If there is one homeless person living in Manchester, it doesn’t simply affect that one person, but it affects the entire community and brings the quality of that community down. Although we are not able to alleviate all of the problems that exist in our community as individuals, if we work together to raise awareness of these problems and agree to not tolerate them, eventually something will have to give, and something will be done.
When I first became a part of this project, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Being allowed to take a class that focuses not on information from books, or theories or formulas, and being able to focus on issues that are going on that many of us overlook but affect us all in many different ways has been an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Although this is my last semester of my undergraduate collegiate experience and I became part of this project by chance more or less, there is definitely no way that I would trade being a part of this project for anything else I have experienced in my college years. Being able to make a difference in the community that I have grown up in and become very attached to has been something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and it has encouraged me to play a more active role in bringing to light the issues that many of us overlook everyday. I hope that the “Warmth from the Millyard” clothing drive continues to be run and grow after we have contributed our part to it, and I’m sure that the greater Manchester community will continue to be better off because of the efforts of this program to raise awareness about the issues that affect us all in our community.

Shane Rozamus

Will Stewart's article "No Free Lunch"

“No Such Thing As A Free Lunch”
By Will Stewart, Community Organizer and Tenant Services Coordinator for NeighborWorks-Greater Manchester and UNH Community Leadership student


Standing in front of the board on the first day of the semester, my high school economics teacher wrote the following in big blue letters:

TANSTAAFL

This acronym, he said, underlies all economic activity, from household budgets to the global economy. Advertisers, marketing gurus, politicians and even some economists will often try to tell you otherwise, he told us, but don’t let them fool you: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” — TANSTAAFL.

In short, TANSTAAFL means that it is impossible to get something for nothing. There is always a cost, monetary or otherwise.

For instance, I received a credit card offer in the mail the other day. The company in question offered me a Red Sox-themed card. As a bonus, I would also receive a “free” Red Sox umbrella for signing up. But of course it wouldn’t be free, as I would end up paying for that umbrella via interest and fees. And even if I paid my balance off every month, the umbrella’s cost would be paid by some other card holder. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

As a community organizer and tenant services coordinator for NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Manchester, I am reminded of TANSTAAFL on daily basis. You see, the tenants who live in my nonprofit’s affordable apartments are nearly all low-wage workers.

In researching the employment status of our adult tenants last fall, I found that custodians make up the largest group of tenants employed in any one field. The average hourly wage of this group is a whopping $8.97. This equals, before any taxes are taken out, $358.80 a week, $1,435.20 a month and $18,657.60 a year!

For the most part, the dirty work performed by these custodians — including the ones who clean the malls we shop in, the airports we travel in and out of, the offices we work in and, yes, even our own University of New Hampshire — is outsourced. That is to say, the custodians are not actually employed by the company or institution they clean. Instead, they are employed by third-party cleaning companies that are awarded cleaning contracts by submitting the lowest bids, on which they are able to make a profit by such means as hiring only part-time workers so that they do not have to pay for such “benefits” as health insurance.

Under increasing pressure from shareholders and taxpayers respectively, business and government see such outsourcing as a way to reduce to costs. Otherwise they would have to hire custodians directly, paying not just wages, but also health insurance costs and Social Security, disability unemployment insurance taxes for each employee. If your main (or only) concern is the bottom line, outsourcing a no-brainer. Or is it?

On the surface, outsourcing might seem like a good deal for shareholders and taxpayers, even if one somehow manages to totally ignores the clear exploitation of fellow human beings, who, especially in the custodial field, are more often than not immigrants and refugees who came to this country with the dream of improving life for themselves and their families.

But despite their low incomes, these outsourced workers are still expected — and here’s the rub — to pay full price for the goods and services they and their families need to survive. Indeed, I’m not aware of stores that sell low-income shoes or low-income groceries. But even these needs – which are getting more expensive by the year – pale in comparison to rent.

Here in Manchester, the average two-bedroom apartment goes for $1,026 a month, according New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority’s 2008 Residential Rent Cost Survey. In the Portsmouth-Rochester area, which includes Durham, the cost is $1,072 per month. In both locations, your average custodian must spend more than two-thirds of his or her $1,435.20 monthly income just to cover rent. What little remains must go to buy those market-rate groceries, clothes, transportation and other necessities. How someone is able to survive (forget about getting ahead) in this manner is a miracle.

Or is it? Remember, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. The money has to come from somewhere. And indeed it does. But if not from the profits of the employers of these individuals, where?

From groups like mine, for starters. By offering below-market-rate rents, my nonprofit and those like us are basically subsidizing these employers' already impressive, multimillion and multibillion dollar bottom lines by allowing them to pay their workers a criminal wage. Indeed, why should they have to pay the workers more? They have organizations like ours to pick up their collective slack when it comes to providing essentials like heating assistance, food, warm clothes, furniture, health insurance and transportation. The list goes on and on. And the buck is literally being passed on each and every one of them.

In the end, it’s you and me who foot the bill. We pay for it through our tax dollars, which go to support many nonprofits. We pay for it when we buy the goods and services from companies that use a very small portion of their profits to make “generous” donations to the nonprofits who work to meet the unmet needs of outsourced and other low-wage workers.

And because such donations are tax-deductible, that also means the rest of us must pay more in taxes to make up for the resulting decrease in tax revenue. And if tax revenues are lower, that means there’s less money to go toward things like higher education, which in turn means higher tuition for students.

It’s a shell game, to be sure, but the money always has to come from somewhere. Remember: there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch!
Copyright: Will Stewart, 2008. Please request permission before copying.

From 2000-2007 New Hampshire welcomed 2,889 refugees, mostly to Hillsborough County. A majority of those refugees came from war torn countries with a desert-like climate.

Most of these refugees will come with little belongings but more importantly their clothing will not be suitable for a New England winter. All donations will be considered a priceless gift.

source: http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/refugee/facts.htm

Volunteers of 2007 were able to raise awareness of our local communities struggle with poverty. By receiving more than 800 donated items of warm clothing, "Warmth From the Millyard" was able to deliver items to food pantries, homeless shelters and organizations geared to assisting Manchester's youth in need.

As of today "Warmth From the Mill Yard" has received more that 125 items! We are honored to by the donations of New Hampshires D.O.T and the ability to pass vital information about the poverty epidemic that has taken a strangle hold of our local communities. As one, we will over come.