Follow up and all that...

1. We did a great job and I am very impressed with the quality of our work!
2. We will be meeting again this Thursday morning with recommendations for how to distribute our funds-Couleecap and Kiva
3. I hope that someone can upload photos from our homeless night event.
4. Did you see our photos in the County Line?
5. We might need a "facebook" account...based on research and reality
6. Do we need a party?
7. More recruits...It will be so sad and lonely when you all leave!

WOW!

This has been a GREAT week!
Thank everyone, especially our fearless leader, BUCKBEE!

Budgeting for Poverty

View this short presentation to see how far a family of four living at the poverty line can survive
http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour.htm

Local Resources and Contacts

First Call for Help
Great Rivers 2-1-1 Home Page Dial 2-1-1 or (800) 362-8255TTY (866)884-3620Toll Free in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa Great Rivers 2-1-1, formerly First Call for Help, provides free, confidential community information, referrals and crisis line services 24 hours a day.


Domestic Abuse Shelters
Sparta Brighter Tomorrows PO Box 161 Sparta, WI 54656 Phone: (608) 374-6975 Crisis Line: (866) 346-0374 County Served: Monroe
Richland Center Passages PO Box 546 Richland Center, WI 53581-0546 Phone: (608) 647-8775 (608)647-6317Crisis Line: (800) 236-4325 TTY: (608) 647-2720 Counties Served: Crawford, Juneau, Richland, Vernon

Local Food Pantry Resources

Ontario, Norwalk, or Wilton Food Pantry
Community Baptist Church,
100 Monroe St., Ontario WI
337-4656
Please state your name, address, phone number and number in your household needing assistance. Assistance is limited to 4 times/year. The food pantry accepts donations of non-perishable food items and hygiene products. Please no outdated food. Please call 337-4656 to set up a time to drop off your donations.

Wilton Food Pantry
406 Main Street, Wilton
Community State Bank Basement
608/435-6406 or 608/435-6647

The Pantry is available to the Wilton, Norwalk, Ontario & Kendall areas. Open by appointment only. Call at least 24 hours in advance of need or donation.
The Pantry is supported by area churches & organizations Administered by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Wilton, Arlis Ballwahn, Pantry Coordinator. Facilities provided by Community State Bank, Wilton

Health Care
Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center
Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center provides a full range of medical, dental, optometric, chiropractic, and pharmacy services. They can also provide lab and radiology services, disease screening, and well child checks. They serve individuals and families in Monroe, Vernon, and La Crosse counties regardless of their abilities to pay. They offer a sliding fee scale for patients who do not have health insurance, have insurance with limited coverage or high deductibles, are unemployed or have an income level that makes it difficult to pay for health care services. For more information, please contact either of their two locations:

CASHTON - 238 Front Street, Cashton WI 54619, 608-654-5100

NORWALK – 200 West North Street, Norwalk WI 54648, 608-823-7853


Housing Assistance

Couleecap Central Office201 Melby St.Westby,WI 54667Ph: 608-634-3104, 1-866-904-4507
(for client use only)Fax: 608-634-3134
*Couleecap can also connect you with free or reduced clothing and emergency shelter
http://www.couleecap.org/

Habitat for Humanity
PO Box 2123
La Crosse, WI 54602-2123
Tel 608.785.2373
Fax 608.634.4239

Local Libraries
With a library card, you can check out books, DVD’s Music CD’s, and use computers for typing and internet access, all for FREE!

Norwalk Public Library
101 Railroad StreetP.O. Box 132Norwalk, WI 54648Phone: 608-823-7473Email: norwalkpl@wrlsweb.orgWeb Page: www.wrlsweb.org/norwalk

Wilton Public Library400 East StreetWilton, WI 54670 Phone: 608-435-6710Fax: 608-435-6190Email: wiltonlibrary@wrlsweb.orgWeb Site: www.wrlsweb.org/wilton

Ontario Public Library
313 Main StreetOntario, WI 54651Phone: 608-337-4651Fax: 608-337-4814Email: ontlibr@wrlsweb.orgWeb Page: www.wrlsweb.org/ontario

What can you do?

SPREAD THE WORD
Begin by talking directly with poor and low-income people, especially those involved in self-help, community-based organizations. Learning about their lives, the challenges they wrestle with, and the solutions they are working toward will strengthen any other advocacy you participate in. Share what you discover with those you know - and consider what more you can do to work with them.
Write a letter to your local newspaper, alerting the editors to the information you've learned about poverty in America, and what is being done to eliminate it. Refer to a related issue currently being discussed in your local newspaper or media, and include poverty statistics pertaining to your region or state. Visit www.census.gov to select a state and get facts on poverty from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Ask local reporters to cover the state of poverty in your community and the positive steps being taken to help those in need. Point them to the facts and figures contained in this Web site for background information.
Submit an article to the newsletter published by your church, synagogue, mosque or house of worship about poverty in your community, and about successful initiatives that are bringing long-term results. Learn more by reading about successful local efforts.

PROMOTE JUSTICE-BASED SOCIAL POLICIES
Follow local politics, and tell your local elected officials that you support policies aimed at permanent solutions to poverty in your community and your nation. Time and again, letter-writing campaigns have demonstrated that, when people combine their energies in a single purpose, the results are magnified.
Organize a letter writing campaign through your local community about an issue of local concern. If you volunteer or work with a charitable service organization, suggest that others who participate in that work get involved in advocacy on the issues that keep people trapped in a cycle of poverty.
Question candidates on their plans to address poverty in your state and nation, vote your conscience -- and hold politicians to their promises if elected.
Attend or help organize neighborhood meetings and public hearings and give testimony on programs and policies affecting low-income families in your community, sharing information you've learned about solutions for poverty in America.

TALK WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHER POLICY MAKERS
Join a local advocacy group that urges elected officials to enact just social policies. Lend your support to organizations that work with people in poverty to bring about positive changes at the state and federal level. One such group is the Center for Community Change (www.communitychange.org), which helps low income people build effective organizations that can change their communities and public policies.
Learn how one organization helped low-income residents become active participants in the political process.
Organize site visits for local leaders and the media to witness first-hand those programs in your community that are successfully addressing the problems of poverty.
Stay informed about what Congress is doing to address poverty on a national level. Write or call your senators or representatives, asking what their stance is on pending legislation affecting low-income Americans. The more elected officials hear from voters about a particular issue, the more they take notice.
You can call anyone in Congress by phoning the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can send a letter to any senator by addressing your envelope to The Honorable (Senator's name), United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510, or to any representative by writing to The Honorable (Representative's name), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
You can send e-mail to your Representative by visiting www.house.gov/writerep/; e-mails to your Senators can be sent by visiting www.senate.gov/.
Visit www.usccb.org/sdwp to find current information about issues pending in Congress that have an impact on the lives of poor and low income people .

PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING
Become a personal advocate for and with those living in poverty by developing more compassion in the way you talk to others about the reality of poverty in America. Such small changes, when multiplied, can lead to larger changes in the way society sees and treats people experiencing poverty.
Help those directly affected by proposed legislation to get involved. Through your local coalition, mobilize the very people experiencing poverty to contact officials at all levels of government. Volunteer to help with a registration drive in your local community. Most especially, encourage low-income families and the working poor to register and to vote.

check your digital communication sources

Just check your emails for my latest crank call.

Our Big Week!

Tuesday

Awareness Presentation, food and clothing collection, measuring waste

Wednesday

Visit our site and play "Free Rice", food and clothing collection, measuring waste

Thursday

Homeless Night, Teach-in with movie and community info distibution, food and clothing collection and measuring waste

Friday

Tally and distribute food and clothing collection, Tally and post food waste results, keep on working towards ending poverty, here and around the world.

YO YO YO!

Well I'm sorting through clothes this morning and boxing 'em up and preparing for an exciting week next week!!!
whoo-hOO!

just an update

Talked to Philis Munch, volunteer coordinator at Bethel Buttik in Westby.
She said DONATIONS WELCOME!
accept all clothings (nothing specific needed)
accepting all food too (cereal and canned fruit REALLY needed)
Someone will contact me if we(diversity club) can volunteer sometime!
hours are monday-friday 9-4, so we could drop off then maybe friday? (I could b/c of senior priv.)

BUCKBEE! who should I contact for Wilton's food bank?
and does Norwalk have one???
or have you already said something to them?