June 29, 2006 --- Houston, Texas --- It might seem strange to see residents in a homeless and rehabilitation shelter volunteer to prepare food for people outside the shelter, but that’s what you’ll see every week at Open Door Mission. Men in the Mission’s programs, who are homeless and destitute themselves, are volunteering to help some of Houston’s most needy, and hungry, children.
It’s a project of Kids’ Meals, a not-for-profit meals-on-wheels program based in Houston. Every week, up to 15 men from the Mission start an assembly line and prepare 500-800 sandwiches for the children. Then volunteers from Kids’ Meals deliver the sandwiches to homes primarily in Houston’s East End neighborhoods – where Open Door Mission is also located.
David Stannard, one of the men at the Mission who helps prepare the sandwiches said, “Most of the guys here have been on the receiving end of things for a long time. This is a chance for them to give rather than receive, to serve rather than being served. They all feel great about doing it.”
Gil Baker, Houston businessman and Kids’ Meals board member, said, “We’re proud to have the men at Open Door Mission volunteer to help fight hunger for some of Houston’s neediest children. Kid’s Meals relies on several veteran Houston charities to accomplish our task of feeding hungry children. Having the men at the Mission on board is a key to our success.”
“This is a great opportunity for the men in our drug and alcohol recovery programs to start giving back to the community,” said Curtis Lovett, Director of Programs for the Mission. “Our overall goal is to help our students return to productive and contributing lives. Participating and helping with critical civic projects like Kids’ Meals is part of the recovery process. And no problem is more critical than hungry children.”
Kids’ Meals is a not-for-profit organization committed to feeding hungry children in the Houston area. Three prominent Houston non-profit organizations act as service partners; Interfaith Ministries, Houston Food Bank, and Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
Open Door Mission, one of Houston’s largest emergency and rehabilitation shelters, is located in Houston’s East End at 5803 Harrisburg. For more information and to donate go to www.opendoorhouston.org, or call 713-921-7520.
