Teams in our Food Security Project (FSP) reported 25 events in July, serving 13,300 individual beneficiaries and giving out 5,336 meals! Additional GO Humanity Service Teams (GO Teams) held 11 more service events.

Recognitions

Photo of the Month (above) goes to Susquehanna Valley Ethical Society, depicting their volunteers working at The Food Hub: an organization that collects and delivers food to local pantries! Volunteers sorted boxes of food, checked donations for freshness and safety, and stocked shelves.

Team of the Month is Atheists Helping the Homeless DC.

This team holds a monthly distribution of food and other goods.

Care packages this month included socks, flashlights, bandaids, shoes, toilet paper, towelettes, period products, hand cream, floss, and nonperishable food items. They also provided shopping bags for clients with no backpacks, since the team’s goal is to only supply things that people can easily carry.

Their clients have requested bottled water, so they’ll incorporate it into upcoming events.

The team said they were happy that several people stayed at their table to talk. One client shared a story about being a retired marine sharpshooter, and another explained that she lost her job and was temporarily staying with a friend.

 

North Orlando Oasis

This team’s big project is working with Connecting Care Kitchens to purchase food from local organic farms for delivery to a shelter. They met four times in July, picking up 365 pounds of food—365 meals altogether!

 

Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix (HSGP)

HSGP met with Project Humanities for their bimonthly giveaway. This organization gives clothes and other items to 150-200 unsheltered adults at each event. In July they were also able to contribute 100 extra bundles of snacks and hygiene supplies. Bags included handmade cards with art and kind messages. Later in the month, HSGP held a panel discussion with leaders from this project.

They also met for their “Good for Nothing” program, which educates their community on how to get involved in service opportunities. Attendees discussed plans for heat relief projects, a new partnership with a group doing giveaways, and an upcoming educational supplies drive. Two new folks stopped in to learn about ways to help.

HSGP serviced their Little Free Library by buying used literature, including a variety of children’s, young adult, and adult books. 10-20 books are taken weekly, along with crafts, notepads, backpacks, and calendars.

Finally, volunteers met for HSGP’s sleeping mat crocheting project, completing three new mats for people sleeping on the scorching Phoenix streets.

Along with the mats, the group donated 3 tote bags, 1 small coffee maker, personal toiletries, 15 bus passes, and 65 cooling bandanas to a social service provider.

Donations here will further support HSGP’s extreme heat response.

 

Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless (AHH)

Volunteers came together for a two-day distribution project, sorting and packing donated goods on the first day and giving them out on the next. Some new volunteers came around this time, and they had extra gallon jugs of water due to the extreme heat.

GO Humanity’s Board Chair Clare Wuellner even joined the team, bringing gallons of cool sun tea to add to AHH’s 7 gallons of cold Kool-Aid. At the end there was only a small bit of tea and one gallon of Kool-Aid left, drawing attention to how hot it was. The team was able to hand out more gallon jugs of water to those living in wooded areas further off the grid, and made plans to incorporate more into future giveaways.

Donate here to help.

 

Atheists United

Once a month, Atheists United holds a monthly food distribution in Historic Filipinotown. In July, they packed 119 grocery kits and distributed them to households with 362 members!

 

Humanist Alliance Philippines International (HAPI)

This Food Security Project team kicked off July with a “Stranger Danger” personal safety program for kids, responding to recent disappearances and deaths of local girls. After the lecture, approximately 105 attendees and beneficiaries were served lugaw (rice porridge), bread, and juice.

Later they launched a dengue fever awareness campaign, which included large-scale cleanup campaigns to help stop the spread of the virus. Members checked homes for mosquitos and kids were given medications and vitamins.

GO Humanity grants helped HAPI buy 20 bottles of vitamin C and 110 kilos of vegetables for this project, which were given to the volunteers and community members to boost their immune systems. A total of 32 kids received the vitamins and 88 families received the vegetables.

Volunteers also held discussions about dengue and how to prevent outbreaks. The talks included tips on how to keep their homes safe and how to keep their bodies healthy through good nutrition and hygiene.

HAPI volunteers in Dumaguete also held their first-ever community kitchen, where 40 attendees received lugaw (porridge), hard boiled egg, bananas, vegetable spring rolls and juice purchased with GO Humanity grants.

Finally, HAPI also held the second leg of their Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium. Youth gathered and were encouraged to discuss the topic, focusing on the role of human rights.

 

Southeastern Virginia Atheists, Skeptics & Humanists (SEVASH)

13 known volunteers serviced SEVASH’s two little free pantries in July contributing approximately 561 pounds at a cost of $502. With funds received from GO Humanity, the team was better able to reimburse their contributors and increase contribution levels.

 

Freethinkers Association of Central Texas (FACT)

FACT served food for the residents of the Haven for Hope transformational center. As supplies of sandwiches were getting low, this event’s focus was almost exclusively on making them. Volunteers made 2,040 sandwiches!  They reported that the dinner meal the center served also smelled amazing, consisting of baked chicken, beans, potato salad and fresh salad. 327 people were served altogether.

Later, FACT hit the streets of San Antonio to distribute food, tents, hygiene supplies, water and other necessities to those experiencing homelessness. The heat was unrelenting and they gave out all 5 gallons of the Kool-Aid they had at their table.

Thanks to GO Humanity grants and donations by members, FACT gave out lots of food, multiple water bottles per person, along with hygiene and cleaning supplies to 87 people. Dog and cat food was provided by Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless along with period products supplied by I Support the Girls Austin.

 

Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC)

CFFC cleaned up their two-mile stretch of adopted highway!

 

Central Ohio United Non-Theists (COUNT)

COUNT volunteers fulfilled their monthly commitment to volunteer at the Van Buren Shelter, serving dinners and cleaning up. 112 COUNT volunteers have worked 1,300 hours in 89 events at the Van Buren Center to date.

They also created a home-like environment for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. COUNT’s volunteers have given 1,874 hours from the start of their involvement with RMH in 2013.

 

Humanists of Tallahassee

This team met for weekly Hygiene and Snack Pack Assembly events! Volunteers assembled and distributed the packs, which consisted of a granola bar, water, applesauce, Vienna sausages, candy, chips and crackers, a washcloth, soap, shampoo, deodorant, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand warmers, and socks. They did this alongside their usual partners from a local church, but are also now branching into their very own program as well.

 

Kenya Humanist Alliance

The team in Kenya…

• Gave out farm produce including sugar, cassava, and pineapple, and rice to malnourished people in Kisumu City.
• Grew maize, soya beans, and sorghum for people in need
• Planned an irrigation project to increase the yields of their Food Security Project crops
• Donated trees and fruit plants to Kisumu farmers to respond to short rains

The team extends great thanks to GO Humanity donors who help make it possible for them to receive Food Security Project grants.

 

Food Rescue Alliance Teams

Four of affiliates of our major grantee Food Rescue Alliance are among the volunteer teams receiving grants in the Food Security Project. Here’s what they’ve been up to:

 

CAFE Food Rescue

This team in Summit County, CO collected 3,500 pounds or rescued food! Deliveries to people in need included fruit salad, quinoa salad, ribs, pies, breakfast sausage, bacon, and salsa.

CAFÉ has been making major strides toward expanding their operation. In July they worked on making commissary agreements with kitchens where they hope to package donations of bulk prepared foods. They also got retail and wholesale licenses so they can take the food they package to various community service providers.

CAFÉ is also talking with Colorado Mountain College, their county Department of Public Health, and the Town of Frisco about adding more food access points, and are taking steps toward a mobile food pantry.

The team says they are starting to get recognition in their community and look forward to having a 501(c)3 certification before the end of the year. They’re applying for grants from the four towns in their county, and for state COVID funds that pertain to community hardships.

 

360 Eats

This team met four times for their Food Insecurity Meal Service program. They provided 125 nutritious meals at each service to people in partnership with three other local organizations.

 

CORMII Community Development Corporation

This team in Rockingham County, North Carolina met every Thursday in July to hold a curbside food distribution. The team writes: “Seeing a future bright for people in the community is of utmost value!”

 

The Food Drive

These Melrose, MA volunteers write:

“July means the start of summer’s bounty, and our favorite time of year. Fresh local healthy food abounds! Each Thursday evening, The Food Drive rescued hundreds of pounds of produce from Dick’s Market Gardens and Oakdale Farm at the Melrose Farmer’s Market and delivered literally one mile to A Servant’s Heart Food Pantry and to Cefalo Retirement Complex for Friday morning distribution. In both locations, pantry guests and low-income residents are able to pick their own items, and had a rainbow of seasonal choices: summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, greens, corn, peaches, berries, herbs, plums and peas.

At our downtown food rescue partner, Buckalew’s General Store, The Food Drive’s volunteers collected beautifully prepared summer salads and grain bowls and transported two blocks to Pantry of Hope, where the guest count has increased from 30 to 50 families. And on July 31, it took four cars to transport the rescued fruits and vegetables from our downtown Melrose Whole Foods to Bread of Life in Malden, where demand for food is also on the rise.

The Food Drive is on a mission to tackle hunger at the root. Everyone deserves healthy food.”

Sponsor one of these hard-working teams by setting up a recurring donation of $100 per month.