Friday, March 27, 2009

Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign

Maine 2009 Speaking Tour - April 2 - 8

Cheri Honkala

National Coordinator

Join us in Lewiston!
Tuesday, April 7th

12:00 noon: Lewiston Public Library
Callahan Hall

Bring your own lunch and join in on a discussion with Cheri.


What Are Economic Human Rights?

Economic Human Rights include the RIGHT to:
ü Quality health care,
ü A job or income, living wages, equal pay, and
the ability to join a union
ü Affordable housing,
ü Adequate and nutritional food
ü Free education, and
ü A decent standard of living.

Just as we have a right: ~ to free speech,
~ to practice our religion,
~ to trial by jury, and
~ to other political rights…

The right to participate actively in our economy and
to have our basic needs met ought to be a right as well.
It is what people in most European and other industrialized countries already have.
FMI: http://www.economichumanrights.org

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Lewiston Residents to benefit from Empower Lewiston Grants

In keeping with Empower Lewiston’s priorities to address transportation accessibility in downtown Lewiston and the delivery and accessibility of nutritional food programs and neighborhood education, Empower Lewiston is awarding three, $10,000 grants to area non profits.

Alyson Stone, Empower Lewiston Executive Director, says the quality of applicants reflects well upon the groups working to better the lives of the residents in downtown Lewiston. “We received applications that exemplified the dedication of neighborhood groups and non-profit agencies to build capacity among residents and for the downtown.”

Community Concepts was awarded two separate grants to benefit two distinct programs. The first of which helps to address transportation issues between downtown Lewiston and the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Many residents from downtown Lewiston utilize the services of Auburn’s Good Shepherd Food Bank, but lack the transportation to get there (14 mile round trip). With the help of Empower Lewiston’s grant, Community Concepts will utilize an agency van to bring residents from Lewiston to the food bank.

Jim Wilkins, Director of Advancement at Community Concepts believes they will now be able to meet a critical need. “41 percent of the residents that live in Empower Lewiston’s Enterprise Community live in poverty and lack adequate transportation. Public transportation does not go to Good Shepherd Food Bank. A cab company quoted $20 for roundtrip from downtown Lewiston to the food bank and back. This is not an expense a struggling family can take on.”

Community Concepts expects to be able to help up to 16 people per week for 50 weeks.
Rides will be offered two days per week, twice a day, with scheduled pick up times and locations. Schedules will be flexible enough to allow people to obtain food and return immediately, or to both volunteer and obtain their food and return at a latter time. Community Concepts is in the process of setting up the van schedule, more information will be available at www.community-concepts.org

The second grant awarded to Community Concepts will aid in their efforts to support Family Friend and Neighbor (FFN) childcare providers who work with the Somali population in Lewiston. A Community Concepts point person will work with FFN providers to address key issues within the Somali population in Lewiston; nutrition, literacy, access to diapers and assistance with taxes. "We are looking forward to working with the FFN providers to address their stated needs. It is our deepest hope that we can create a sustainable system that FFN providers can use for years to come," says Wilkins

The point person will identify local resources to meet the needs of the FFN providers and the families they serve. Community Concepts believes most of the identified needs can be met by utilizing existing community resources and establishing an intermediary link to help bring the resources to those who will most benefit from them. Within six months, this project will be fully sustainable.

The St. Mary’s Nutrition Center of Maine was awarded a grant to support the development and delivery of their Community Nutrition Programs. These regular nutrition and cooking programs help eager participants learn how to cook for themselves and create a community-centered approach to preparing and enjoying healthy foods.
Kirsten Walter, Director of the Nutrition Center says the grant will help them work toward their mission of a holistic approach to serving the community. “St. Mary's believes that innovative, comprehensive and preventative approaches must be used to address the issues of hunger and poor health in our community. The grant from Empower Lewiston provides essential support for program staff and supplies so that the Nutrition Center can offer a wider variety of educational programs that, in turn, will foster a community where the healthy choice becomes the easier choice.”
The Nutrition Center, located in downtown Lewiston across from Kennedy Park, will offer multi-week healthy eating programs, healthy snack sessions for children in Head Start, demonstrations and intergenerational cooking classes for youth and adults. These education programs will support participants in gaining the confidence and skills needed to prepare nutritious meals and make healthier food choices.

Alyson Stone of Empower Lewiston says they are proud to be able to support the work of the grantees. “The groups represented are continuing the work of Empower Lewiston to support the community vision of a rich, strong, vibrant and diverse downtown by working in partnership and bringing collaborative support and solutions to make that happen.”
Empower Lewiston is working with other applicants to pursue the possibility of refining and further developing proposal ideas that would enrich downtown. For more information call 777-5144