Friday, June 5, 2009
After the Fast, Closing Words from Kip
Thanks to all of you who have responded to our three day fast of moral witness at the continuing cruelty visited upon our poorest citizens in Massachusetts. Thanks to all of you, our cup runneth over! This is our third fast in twenty years, always for the same reasons: for atonement, for redemption, for repentance, for resistance, for forgiveness of the poor for what we as taxpayers have allowed state legislators to do in our name.
More Speakers from Day 3 of Fast
Fran Froehlich, Co-Director of PPUF and Director of Community Works spoke about how important small organizations are in pursuit of social justice and how important it is to support their work. Community Works raises money for thirty-one small social justice non-profits that serve folks who have always been at the end of line when the goodies are being handed out. Fran spoke of the catastrophic increase in need that these agencies are coping with.
Marie Turley, Director, City of Boston Women's Commission reported on the proposed budget cuts to services for victims of domestic violence.
Jim Green, director, City of Boston Emergency Shelter Commission spoke about the proposed budget cut that would deny families with income between 100% and 130% of the poverty line access to shelter.
Marie Turley, Director, City of Boston Women's Commission reported on the proposed budget cuts to services for victims of domestic violence.
Jim Green, director, City of Boston Emergency Shelter Commission spoke about the proposed budget cut that would deny families with income between 100% and 130% of the poverty line access to shelter.
Lew Finfer, long time activisit talked about his concerns at the elimination in the state budget of youth violence prevention and job training programs. Massachusetts has a three billion dollar budget deficit due to corporate tax breaks and lack of state income tax increases.
Pat Maher, Nurse for Cambridge Health Care for the Homeless, spoke about the lack of comprehensive services for homeless women.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Young people from ROCA, including Stuart Herrara, Chino Kan, Mercedes Pagan, and Jennifer Gonzales, gave performances and testimony about how the programs there had helped them.
Mary Quinn, Rene Scott Gray, and Laurie Taymor Berry talked about the struggles for equal justice for poor women at the Boston Women's Fund and Survivors, Inc.
Diane Sullivan, from Homes for Families, talked about the 2700 families living in shelter and the 700 in motels. The voucher program has not been funded and could result in more families becoming homeless.
Mary Quinn, Rene Scott Gray, and Laurie Taymor Berry talked about the struggles for equal justice for poor women at the Boston Women's Fund and Survivors, Inc.
Diane Sullivan, from Homes for Families, talked about the 2700 families living in shelter and the 700 in motels. The voucher program has not been funded and could result in more families becoming homeless.
Day three of Kip's fast was opened with a message from Pat Baker, Chair of the Massachusetts Food Stamp Coalition: "Our work continues today in honor of and inspired by Rosie's Place founder Kip Tiernan. She seeks to raise awareness of the continued growth in homelessness and hunger facing the Commonwealth, and to call on elected leaders to own their responsibility to appropriate the funds needed to ensure the Commonwealth meets these most basic human needs."
Molly Baldwin, Director of ROCA, read a letter from Ray Champlain, a prisoner who is fasting in solidarity with Kip. He delineated in his letter the cuts in rehabilitation services for prisoners and the increasing acts of violence towards prisoners.
Before we ended yesterday, Gabriella Snyder Stelmack spoke about the 24% increase in need at the Bread of Life food program in Malden. She reported that Director Tom Feagley was fasting in solidarity with Kip.
Debbie Socolar from the Boston University School of Public Health spoke about the importance of including nutrition and safe housing in the definition of health care.
Molly Baldwin, Director of ROCA, read a letter from Ray Champlain, a prisoner who is fasting in solidarity with Kip. He delineated in his letter the cuts in rehabilitation services for prisoners and the increasing acts of violence towards prisoners.
Before we ended yesterday, Gabriella Snyder Stelmack spoke about the 24% increase in need at the Bread of Life food program in Malden. She reported that Director Tom Feagley was fasting in solidarity with Kip.
Debbie Socolar from the Boston University School of Public Health spoke about the importance of including nutrition and safe housing in the definition of health care.
Former Director of the City Mission Society David King talked about his greatest fear: that we really don't want to solve the problem of hunger and homelessness. Bigger and more shelters and food warehouses for food pantries seem to announce that this problem will always be with us, that it must be institutionalized.
Jane Zerby from the Unitarian Universalist church in Jamaica Plain talked about the increasing numbers of people waiting in line for two hours for a bag of groceries at their newly founded food pantry. Jane and Bob Golden, among many who have brought in food, volunteered to take the donated food to this new pantry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)