BEDS October 2020 eNewsletter

Can you help?

Our motel-based shelter clients are in need of shelf-stable meals, like those pictured here, and small denomination gift cards for fast food or grocery stores, which round out the daily delivery of prepared meals from volunteers and area restaurants. You can use our Amazon Smile page or drop donations at our Ogden Avenue headquarters, 9601 Ogden, in La Grange. If you would like to prepare or deliver meals, please contact Sue Dever, Emergency Services Coordinator, at 708-261-7078 or dever@beds-plus.org.

Homeless Persons' Memorial Service

Please join us Nov. 1 for a virtual, pre-recorded Homeless Persons' Memorial service organized by Grace Lutheran Church, 200 N. Catherine Avenue in La Grange. Held on All Saint's Day, the service will feature a short sermon and acknowledgement of those who have died in our program or while homeless in the last year.

This is the second year that the church will be holding a memorial service for the homeless. Last year, Grace Lutheran Church held a service in memory of BEDS client Joan, known to many as the lady in the red coat. The service was attended by about 60 people, including family and friends who celebrated Joan's life.

"It was a deeply meaningful service for many of us," said Pastor Leland Albright, who is also the BEDS Plus Chaplain and a BEDS board member.

Pastor Leland said it is important to remember and honor the homeless who have passed. This year's virtual service will recognize those who have passed by name. If you would like to honor the memory of someone during the service, please email vedral@beds-plus.org.

Follow the BEDS Facebook page and website for further details on how to participate in the service.

ICYMI on Facebook

This month, Fornaro Law is matching donations added to customer receipts at Palmer Place Restaurant and Biergarten to help feed our clients as part of our Match a Meal program. The downtown La Grange restaurant has been a wonderful partner and donor, providing regular meals for our clients since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. American Family Insurance - Phillip Wagler Agency partnered with Palmer Place for the program last month, which raised $1,136 in total donations for meals! Click here to find out more: https://beds-plus.org/events/match-a-meal/

BEDS Bulletin! Two new studies have found that poverty has returned to levels higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring, an ambitious expansion of the safety net saved millions of people from poverty but that aid is now largely exhausted. Researchers at Columbia University found the number of poor people has grown by 8 million since May after falling by 4 million at the start of the pandemic due to the CARES Act. Researchers from the University of Chicago and Notre Dame used a different definition of poverty and found it has grown by 6 million people in the past three months. "These numbers are very concerning," said study author Bruce D. Meyer, an economist at the University of Chicago. "They tell us people are having a lot more trouble paying their bills, paying their rent, putting food on the table." Click here to read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/us/politics/federal-aid-poverty-levels.html

It's a new beginning for Thomas, who was recently housed in Chicago Ridge! It was a long journey to housing for Thomas, who was homeless for more than 10 years and recently attended shelter in Oak Lawn before getting housed. Executive Director Tina Rounds, while driving, spotted Thomas, pulled over and personally drove him to shelter. Thomas expressed gratitude and thanks for his "beautiful" new home. In fiscal year 2020, BEDS housed 1,250 clients through housing and prevention services. Find out more about the work we do here: https://beds-plus.org/how-we-help/

Family Transitional Shelter is the latest addition to BEDS' family services. A BEDS Special Bulletin details how the program helped one of our clients and her family after they turned to BEDS for help. Click here to read the special bulletin: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/BEDS-Special-Bulletin--Family-Transitional-Shelter.html?soid=1133494877269&aid=RH5hvlL-_y4

Save the date!

Mark your calendars for our Ninth Annual Soup & Bread event, which will be held Jan. 31, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Soup & Bread event will be virtual next year. Stay tuned for more details to come!

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