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News, Status and Articles
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Here is the May 2017 Tasks for Transit newsletter. In this newsletter we share our latest news, publish some basic statistics and describe one of our most recent partner charities. We will use the abbreviation TFT for Tasks for Transit throughout this newsletter.
Brian Manning, Co-editor
Steve McClure, Co-editor
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Tasks for Transit is in a growth spurt. In 2017, we plan to more than double the number of bus day passes we distributed in 2016.
We are now serving 14 partner charities, on track to increase the number of partner charities to 21 by year's end by adding one new partner charity every month.
In April we added Friendly House, a neighborhood center on the east side of Worcester that has a variety of programs, including homeless shelters.
In May we added Veterans Inc. as a partner charity, specifically the programs that deal with homeless veterans.
The WRTA, responding to MA state government budget reductions, has gained approval for fare increases that will go into effect on July 1, 2017. Specifically, the bus day passes will increase from $3.50 to $4.50 per day pass. In July 2018, a year later, the price will probably rise again. We need your donations now more than ever to keep TFT on plan.
Recently, TFT received a generous donation from the R. Perelman and M. L. Barker Charitable Fund.
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From March 2015 to May 2017
Number of charities supported = 14
WRTA day passes dispensed = 1410
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What is a Partner Charity?
It is TFT's Partner Charities that actually dispense the WRTA individual bus day passes. Since TFT is trying to target the economically disadvantaged, TFT chooses partners that service this type of client on a daily basis. They have the deeper understanding necessary to recognize a person and his or her situation that justifies dispensing a free individual day pass. These partners charities are typically 501(c)(3) organizations that are not able to provide transportation to their clients.. TFT enables them to do that.
The fourteen organizations that are currently TFT partners charity are:
- South Worcester Neighborhood Center
- Standup for Kids (homeless youth)
- Safe Homes (LGBT youth)
- Parent/Professional Advocacy League (youth mental health)
- Straight Ahead Ministries (Felons coming out of prisons)
- Clemente Courses in the Humanities
- Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Worcester (families in crisis)
- Hope Coalition (troubled youth)
- Woodland Academy (homeless families)
- YWCA Domestic Violence Services (abused families in crisis)
- Worcester Homeless Shelter at SMOC (the primary shelter for homeless adults)
- Eliot Community Human Services (mental health services)
- Friendly House (neighborhood center, homeless shelters)
- Veterans Inc.(homeless shelters for veterans and associated services)
What we are doing is fundamental. We hope you feel the same way.
If your organization would like to become one of TFT's partner charities, please take the following on-line survey.
http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=b74a7fa5-2cf9-4a22-965a-e7704d341fbf
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Featured Article
Hotel Grace
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In New England, some homeless persons, for whatever reason, continue to live outdoors through the cold winter months, despite the ongoing collaborative efforts of various departments of the city government and local charities to locate, house and serve them. When the temperature plunges, many of these outdoor homeless persons head for the city's shelters. This creates a situation where there are not enough beds in the regular shelters to accommodate the sudden peak in demand. In 2016 the city was working on a plan to handle the overflow with an additional, temporary shelter that would operate when the temperature went below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The implementation of the temporary shelter was in progress, with a date of mid-January 2017 for it to become operational.
Then in mid-December, the weather forecasters predicted a sudden and dramatic plunge in temperature well below 20 degrees. The team working on the temporary shelter had two days to what they had planned to do in next four weeks. What happen next is a tribute to the ability of Worcester's various communities to respond to a crisis.
The shelter was to be physically located at St. John's church near Union Station. St. John's priest is John Madden. Two other churches stepped forward immediately: Pastor Richie Gonzalez.s Pentecostal Church, and Pastor Aaron Payson's Unitarian Church. All Saints Episcopal church also participated. These congregations provided the volunteers to staff the shelter round the clock, seven days a week. The city government's Human Services Dept. managed the effort overall and provide coordination with other city departments. At the request of the City Manager, Ed Augustus, the United Way Executive Director, Tim Garvin, called an emergency meeting of his board of directors two days later and got the approval for an immediate grant of $25,000 for the project.
The night came, the temperature plunged, and the now operational temporary shelter took 37 homeless persons the first night. A crisis was averted by a city that cares. The shelter operated for 45 days. Every day its residents were fed, kept warm, treated like human beings and supported by the many services of charities and government agencies normally available for them. Sometime after the operation started the residents themselves decided to name the temporary shelter "Hotel Grace."
On Monday evening, May 8th, a meeting was held at city hall to recognized and thank all the participants. The leaders of the religious organizations provided a panel to explain what had happened. There even was a video. These leaders were given the keys to the city by the Mayor. The meeting itself had been organized by the city's Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr. Matilde Castiel and Katherine Calano, the city's Homeless Project Manager who is also a core member of the city's Quality of Life Task Team. These two women deserve as much credit for making Hotel Grace successful as do the religious leaders. Two hundred fifty people attended that night and there were many standing ovations for a job well done.
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Left to right: Ritchie Gonzalez, John Madden and Aaron Payson receiving the keys to the city
Although Tasks for Transit did not directly support Hotel Grace during its 45 day existence, as of now, 8 of our 14 partner charities are deeply involved with the homeless. Since Task for Transit's mission is focused on the economically disadvantaged, it is a natural choice for us to work with these 8 partner charities because almost all of their clients are obviously economically disadvantaged.
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Please support our donor organizations. They are listed in the sponsors page on our website.
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We Need Your Support
We see Tasks for Transit as a fundamental charity trying to meet one essential need of the economically disadvantaged, namely safe and dependable transportation for persons who would otherwise have to walk. While walking is an alternative, it is a burden for the handicapped and it is a poor alternative for everyone in foul weather and an unsafe alternative at night.
We are hoping you will support our efforts with a generous donation. One way to do that is to go to our Crowd Funding page on youcaring.com.
TFT Crowd Funding Site We continue to be an all volunteer organization with no employee costs and no office costs. You can rest assured the 100% of your donation will go directly to purchase day passes.
Sincerely, Brian Manning and Steve McClure Tasks for Transit 379 Greenwood Street, Suite 4 Millbury, MA 01527 Email: [email protected] 617-851-0313 We also have a Post Office Box Tasks for Transit PO Box 70544 Worcester, MA 01607
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Contact | Tasks for Transit | 617-851-0313 | | contact @tasksfortransit org |www.tasksfortransit.org
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