Pasta Dinner 2021 is in the books and it is shaping up to be our biggest success EVER!!!  Thanks goes to the Pasta Dinner committee headed by Bob Scheidt and everyone who pitched in.  Nearly 1800 dinners....over $37,000 gross revenue so far.  Numbers are all around 25% better than last year which was a record up to then.  Tom Kosanke reported preliminary results along with a long list of what went well, what could have gone better and improvement plans for next year.  Food for thought before next year....stick with record breaking success of "drive thru" and not go inside even if post-Covid?  A full report will be sent out in the near future.  

 

Next week's meeting (Nov. 17th) will be held at Lucca's again.   There will be smaller number of fixed menu choices for $25.  Salad, vegetable, entree, coffee/non-alcoholic drink.  No Dessert.

 

Remember it is Foundation Month and Kenn is collecting $100 checks - he will match your contribution with Foundation points.

 

Susan Nichols from Person Centered Housing Options (PCHo) introduced us to her organization which provides services that include community-wide homeless outreach, permanent supportive housing for homeless, rapid rehousing, Health Home care management, Peer advocacy and so much more.  Her organization goes out on the streets and other venues to recruit the homeless to get settled in a home without any conditions.  Their goal is to develop relationships with people who are homeless by providing support without any barriers.  Experience shows that it may take some time but when the homeless finally do accept their help and enter a safe environment, they then begin to work on other parts of their life that needs help (such as addiction or mental health work).   Research also shows that "housing first" models like PCHO reduce hospitalizations, emergency room visits, shelter services, and incarceration among the homeless population.

 

PCHO currently provides housing for around 200 people in Monroe County.  Funding is primarily from HUD grants.  The paid staff at PCHO numbers around 50 with many more volunteers and interns helping out.