Moving Mountains and Turkeys

Have you ever

seen 70 tur-

keys in the

back of a

PENSKE

moving truck?

Well, we

have! Thanks

to Maid Pro

owners Kelly and Eric Riberio and their

creative way of thinking to

"Clean house", turned into ac-

tion, a Happy Thanksgiving

2014 came to those in need.

Since 2011 the Ribeiro family

and their employees have been

donating turkeys to the Eastside

and Westside Emergency Shel-

ters. It all started when a staff

member expressed her concern

about the amount of food discard-

ed when customers were getting

their kitchens ready for a cleaning

during Thanksgiving season. An

idea sparked from this and Mrs.

Riberio took the initiative to per-

sonally contact their customers.

Convinced by the win win deal,

February 2015 Volume 1, Issue 2

Inside this issue:

Moving Mountains

and Turkeys 2

A Christmas To Re-

member 2

Above and Beyond

Homelessness 2

Where a Kid Can be a

Kid 3

Our Wish List 4

Volunteer Apprecia-

tion Dinner 4

Closing 4

Page 1

the results from the 2015 PIT

survey, the 2014 PIT survey

showed that out of 569 home-

less persons accounted for in

Baltimore County on that one

night, 199 of them were being

sheltered at CAN's Eastside and

Westside emergency shel-

ters. This is a 10% increase of

homeless individuals from the

previous year. Our work to

service those experiencing

homelessness continues to

grow. Also, the primary cause

of homelessness has differed

from year to year and to no

surprise the number one prima-

ry cause of homelessness in

2014 was due to "No affordable

housing".

Whether its the families not

being able to afford housing,

seniors having trouble surviving

on their social security benefits,

What an amazing year 2014 was for Com-

munity Assistance Network's (CAN)

Homeless and Housing Services! It's hard

to believe January is already over and the

second month of 2015 is here. We value

all of our supporters who have donated

financially, dedicated their time and part-

nered with us to make this all possible.

Our programs are certainly keeping

busy. In 2014, 1,207 people, of which

nearly 300 of them were children, slept in

our homeless shelters. This equaled a total

number of 45,560 bed night stays recorded

for the year!

To get a snapshot into homelessness across

the country, on January 29, 2015 Baltimore

County conducted their annual "Point-In-

Time" (PIT) survey. This survey is a re-

porting tool to provide a live count of

homeless individuals in every community

on a single night in January to

the Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD). While we wait for

Letter from the Director of Homeless and Housing Services

to homeless youth that age out of

foster care or can no longer stay at

home after turning 18; we see it

all. To this end, our staff work

tirelessly to understand the chal-

lenges faced by many of our shel-

ter guests and work to best strate-

gize and "think outside the box" to

move them out of shelter and into

permanent housing.

In this newsletter, you will find a

recap of some highlights from

2014, some success stories, review

of our kids activities and some

volunteer news. As always, thank

you for taking the time to read our

updates and remember, together

we CAN make a difference.

Megan Goffney

Director of Homeless and Housing Services

(continued on page 2)

Homeless Outreach 2014

Russel Lorden, Eric and Kelly Riberio, Riberio children, Megan Goffney, and guest

customers were ecstatic with the present-

ed opportunity to help the community and

began donating their cans of food and

other perishables.

The annual Maid Pro "Thanksgiving in a

Bag" outreach event became a reality and

since inception a grand total of 217 tur-

keys have been

donated. Now the

generosity didn't end

with the customers

alone, Eric and

Kelly Riberio made

a deal with their employees, for every

thanksgiv-

ing meal

bag com-

pleted, the

Maid Pro

Owners

would match the meal bags with

a "12-15 lb. Butterball Turkey"!

Thanksgiving bags consist of:

package cans of donated corn,

yams, green beans, cranberry

sauce, turkey gravy, boxes of

mashed potatoes and stuffing.

Every year employees look

Moving Mountains and Turkeys (continued from page 1)

Going Above and Beyond Homelessness

A Christmas to Remember

shelter guests, consisting of vol-

unteers and donations galore! At

the Eastside Family Emergency

Shelter, guests received: 150

brand new comforters, sheets and

pillows for the Adopt-A-Bed

event, 120 movie tickets for shel-

ter guests to

see the mov-

ie "Annie",

new pajamas

for the chil-

dren, a store

created

through

donations in which the residents

were able to shop for free for

Christmas items for themselves

and their

families. At

the Westside

Shelter

Men's Emer-

gency shel-

ter, guests

received: 110 bags of hoodies,

socks and t-shirts, and many

more.

Both shelters were catered with

dinner and countless other sur-

prises. Several months, volun-

teers, money and resources came

When trying

to find an

organization

to support,

business

woman Sarah

Caruso chose

the

Eastside Family Emergency Shelter

and we couldn't have been more

grateful.

For a second year in a row now, Sa-

rah has held a Christmas Event for

Page 2

We C A N

Make a Difference as a TEAM

together resources with landlords,

family reunification, any other idea

we can think of to move people out of

shelter. After a family or individual

moves out of shelter, our Aftercare

Program Coordinator follows them for

up to six months providing resource

navigation, case management, and

other provisional assistance.

Home is Where the Heart Is

Leaving her hometown of Idar-

Oberstein, Germany when the Berlin

Last year, over 100 people moved

out of shelters into permanent

housing. Our Rapid Rehousing

Specialists work tirelessly to pull

wall came down back in 1989,

Martina Keller arrived in the Unit-

ed States with her children to start a

new life. As the years grew on,

Martina's children grew up and

started families of their own. How-

ever, after losing a job then hous-

ing, she found herself homeless.

Ms. Keller struggled for two years,

in and out of shelters and finally

after coming to Eastside Family

Emergency Shelter in late 2013 our

housing gears kicked in! After

forward to beating their past

year's total of completed bags

and they have not failed since.

We thank the Riberio family

and all their participating em-

ployees for touching the hearts

of many

families and

individuals

once again

in 2014! Go

Maid Pro!

into this to make it possible. For

the one day event costs exceeded

over $20,000 to come into frui-

tion. We thank Sarah Caruso and

her volunteers for the smiles they

put on the faces of many shelter

guests this

past

Christmas

and turn-

ing what

was costly

into some-

thing

priceless!

speaking with Martina about

several housing options a

thought arrived with us all and

we asked her, "Do you want to

go back to Germany?" Ms.

Keller put her God first and let

everyone know she would

pray and ponder on the pre-

sented idea. Not allowing too

much time to pass, Martina

made her decision to go back

to the place she once called

home. In Germany she would

(continued on page 3)

70 Turkey Donations for 2014!

The Niles Family

The Miller Family

The Johnson Family

Christmas 2014 for Kids on the Eastside of town

Tony Coffield- Executive Director, Megan Goffney, Sarah & Bruce Caruso, and April

Stevens- Volunteer Coordinator

Perry Hall/White Marsh Crush Classic Soccer Club- Decorated beds!

The Christmas Shop

Martina Keller

tips on confidence. The families were also sur-

prised by Tavon Mason, of Tavon Mason Love

the Kids Foundation, former NFL-player, and

Baltimore native. Tavon and Friends prepared

and served lunch, donated books and toys, enter-

tained all with Step Dancing, and conducted an

arts & crafts session.

It has been said that children are resilient

and can adapt to all different environments,

this has been true here on Eastside of town.

While in a difficult transition, for the chil-

dren at Eastside Family Emergency Shelter

we still find a way for them to be a kid.

If you walk through the shelters during a

weekday afternoon when school is out you

may hear kids yelling in the rooms, fighting

over the computers or watching TV. Staff,

volunteers and other supports are a key

providing stability for the children.

We had many surprises over the last several

months for the kids. In June 2014 Balti-

more County Communities for the Home-

less (BCCH) sponsored an outing for 60

plus children to enjoy Chuck E Cheese. In

December, Angela Maria Dixon, an actress

and local Baltimore-native, spoke to the

children and taught them about discovering

their "It factor". She had the kids act out

scenarios and gave them some wonderful

Going Above and Beyond Homelessness (continued from page 2)

Where a Kid Can be Kid

Page 3

Volume 1, Issue 2

“You got to believe in

something, or you

won’t have anything.” -

Sheila A., Eastside

Emergency Family

Shelter

be able to spend time with her aging

father and gain the support and re-

sources she needed to get back on her

feet. We worked closely with one of

our community partners, Prologue,

Inc. who provides recovery and hous-

ing for the homeless, who purchased

the plane ticket to Germany for Marti-

na. On Thanksgiving Day, 2014, Mar-

tina Keller was on a plane heading

back to the place she once held dear

to her heart. Together we can bring

restoration and house the homeless!

A Place to Call Home

"Now I have my own room!", an

exited young boy expresses to his

parents. Myra Paulis, Jerry Ourad

and their son Justin have been

facing homelessness since 2013.

The family resided at the Eastside

Family Emergency Shelter for a

while when the opportunity to

attain housing became a reality.

Through the CAN Rapid Re-

housing program, the specialist

acquired an apartment for the

Paulis family.

During their stay in the shelter, when

Myra was asked what kept the family

strong while facing their homeless-

ness crisis her answer was, "To list a

set of goals that would keep us busy."

Once a goal was met, they would

cross it out and set up new ones.

The Paulis family's story goes to

show that homelessness is not indefi-

nite when you keep hope and work on

personal goals. With the appropriate

help and resources virtually anyone

can get back to self-sufficiency like

this family.

The Paulis Family

Actress Angela Maria Dixon showing some acting techniques to the kids at the shelter.

Christmas

2014

Beans and Frank make Learning fun!

Chuck E Cheese 2014

Trunk or Treat 2014

Afterschool clothes little Gracie is so proud and thankful!

Tavon Mason Christmas 2014 Event, reading with the children on the Eastside.

We C A N

Make a Difference as a TEAM

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Page 4

Diana Mason Administrative Program Coordinator

This Community Action Agency was designed to

work in partnership with the community of Baltimore

County to develop, strengthen and support programs

that reduce vulnerability among the poor as well as

promote growth, stability, and self-sufficiency among

these low income residents. Next year, CAN celebrates

50 years of fighting poverty!

“Consider joining us by partnering, volunteer, and or

donating to support those facing poverty or homeless-

ness, together we CAN win this battle!”- Diana Mason

Visit us at www.canconnects.org

Like us & Follow us @ canconnects

The purpose of the We CAN newsletter is to en-courage, motivate, and keep readers abreast of shelter activities. If you are thinking out of the box on what you would like to see in the newslet-ter PLEASE do not hesitate to share- We can only SUCCEED as a TEAM.

Contact Diana at: 410-285-4674 ext. 206

or dmason@canconnects.org

A special THANK YOU to Megan, Miles, and outside readers who were involved with (sharing info., collaborating on stories, critiquing, etc.) making this newsletter come to be!

Phone: 410-285-4674

Fax: 410-285-6707

E-mail:

info@canconnects.org

7900 East Baltimore Street

Baltimore, MD 21224

Cereal, Cereal, Cereal! Do you

know how much kids love cereal?

Well here at the Eastside Family

Emergency Shelter, we know just

how much the children love cereal.

Just imagine feeding 50 youngsters,

7-days a week, breakfast. Please

consider donating cereal to the

shelters. In addition, after school

snacks such as pudding, applesauce,

individual chips bags, and cookies

are also some things each child

looks forward to when returning to

the shelter from their long day.

At the Westside Men's Emergency

Shelter the men like to stay clean and

sharp, "Grooming Supplies" are

always a need. Current grooming

product needs include: razors, large

bars of soap, shaving cream, and

shower shoes (large sizes).

Supplies for the Aftercare Program:

For each family or individual that

moves out of shelter, we provide an

aftercare package of basic necessities

to get them started in their new home.

Please consider donating to this pro-

gram. Current aftercare package

needs include: laundry detergent, pots

& pans, towels, and wash clothes.

To arrange a donation drop off or to

learn about volunteer opportunities,

please contact Volunteer Coordinator,

April Stevens at aste-

vens@canconnects.org or 410-285-

4674 ext. 211.

OUR WISH LIST

1st Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner 2015

‘Tony Coffield, Volunteer Vicki McCormick Dr. Jay Jalisi ‘Tony Coffield, Volunteer Tavon Meyers, Dr. Jay Jalisi Lazarus Caucus Volunteers, ‘Tony Coffield, Dr. Jay Jalisi CAN Appreciated over 100 Volunteers!

Dr. Jay Jalisi, Megan Goffney, J. Castiglione, and ‘Tony Coffield

From left to right: Megan Goffney, M. Johnson, Jon Brown, Charmaine Aponte, Dr. Jay Jalisi

“Any nonprofit knows that the support given by volunteers and

donors is crucial to the success of the organization. Volunteers in

many aspects are the lifeline to an organization's sustainability. On

February 19, 2015, we recognized our volunteers who give us their

time, talent and treasure to assist those in our shelters.”- Megan

Goffney

Aftercare supplies given to families and individuals