FEEDING

THE HUNGRY
The Freeport Area Church
Cooperatives Food Pantry is
open to those who are in need
of food assistance. Our pantry
is open on Mondays andWednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12
noon and from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m..
Almost all of the food that
is distributed from our food
pantry is donated from our
supporting churches and community.
Food donations can be
made to FACC during weekday business hours or by special appointment. Food can be
dropped off at FACC at 514.
S. Chicago Ave., Freeport.
For more information
about how you can get involved in supporting FACCs
Food Pantry and ending hunger in northwest Illinois, call
the front desk at FACC at
815.233.0435.

YEAR2DATE2015

254
591
PANTRY ORDERS

PEOPLE SERVED

$25,174

OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED

$14,351

OF FOOD DONATED

MARCH 2015

SHELTERING
THE HOMELESS

ISSUE 3, VOL. 1

A publication of the Freeport Area Church Cooperative

DIRECTORS
REPORT
B Y
D E A N
W R I G H T

With many things in our

world, the spring season brings
with it change. And so it is at
the Freeport Area Church Cooperative. March is usually the
month we begin to experience
some transition in our work.
This March, like others in the
past, finds FACC making that
seasonal change once again.
With the winter weather
breaking, we are experiencing
fewer people staying with us at
the Chicago Avenue Mission.
This past winter season, FACC
provided emergency shelter to
39 unduplicated guests, which
included five women staying in
the new womens dorm. The
larger and new and improved
four-bed womens dorm was
completed last month with the
help of Freeports Mad Men
group.
On average the Chicago Avenue Mission is hosting about six
men per night since the beginning of the month. We anticipate this number to continue to
decline over the next few months
as the weather continues to
warm. We have not decided yet
if we will keep the shelter open
after the end of May or close it
for the summer. Stay tuned.
This past month we began
the process of expanding our two
permanent supportive housing
projectsHope House and Hero
House. That process begins with
a request to the US Department

of Housing and Urban Development. Though we are requesting

to add four additional units to the
programs combined, we are not
requesting any additional funding as we believe we have
enough money presently to support the expansion. We hope to
have the expansion approved
before next fall.
A number of grants have
been submitted this past month
to support our efforts to help the
homeless. In March, FACC
submitted a $37,000 grant to the
Illinois Department of Human
Services and a $10,000 to the
Emergency Food and Shelter
Program for support of the Chicago Avenue Mission. In addition, we have submitted a
$30,000 grant request to the
United Way of Northwest Illinois to assist us with our required local cash match for our
four HUD grants. Earlier this
year, FACC was awarded a
$10,000 grant from the First
Lutheran Endowment and a
$5,000 grant from Episcopal
Charities to support our permanent supportive housing efforts.
Work on the 2015 Grow
Freeport initiative has officially
begun. Becky Calberg, who has
joined our staff as our Garden
Manager, has begun work in the
greenhouse with long-time volunteer and green-thumb Cliff
Lang. Beckys husband, Jonas
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

The Freeport Area Church

Cooperative provides the
homeless in our region of
number of programs to recover from homelessness.
The Chicago Avenue Mission is a 16-bed emergency
homeless shelter for adult men
and women.
The Cherry Avenue Mission is a four-unit transitional
housing program for homeless
families with dependent children.
Hope House serves chronically homeless adults with
disabilities, while Hero House
serves chronically homeless
veterans.
For more information
about how you can help the
homeless in northwest Illinois,
contact Scott Lewis or Jay
Hurder at FACC at
815.233.0435.

YEAR2DATE2015

39
8
15
5 6
ADULTS
CHICAGO AVENUE MISSION

ADULTS
CHERRY AVENUE MISSION

CHILDREN
CHERRY AVENUE MISSION
MEN@HOPE HOUSE

MEN@HERO HOUSE

NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Freeport, IL
Permit No. 46

Freeport Area Church Cooperative

514 S. Chicago Ave.
Freeport, IL 61032
815.233.0435 p
815.232.7260 f
deanfacc@aeroinc.net

2
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Wainman, has begun work by helping us
get our early cold-frames up for early season crops. Jonas will also be constructing
new raised beds for our redesigned garden
at 422 S. Carroll Avenue. FACC will
have three fully functioning neighborhood
gardens growing this summer.
FACC is continuing to work with other community partners to expand our
Grow Freeport Initiative with the future
development of neighborhood gardens on
S. Adams Ave. and S. State Ave. in Freeport.
FACCs Scott Lewis has been kept
busy this past month developing a new
strategy to curb violence in Freeport
through a partnership with several local
pastors and a not-for-profit organization
called Violence Interrupters. We look forward to learning more about their strategy
to make Freeports streets safer.

Just over 300 people attended the 24th

Annual Mayors Hunger Luncheon on
March 5th. The eventwhich supports
FACCs food pantryraised just over
$9,500 this year. Though a little down in
attendance and dollars from years past,
the Hunger Luncheon remains an important fundraising and thought-raising
event of our organization.
Finally, FACC is looking for a few
new board members. Our organization
currently has three seats open and is looking for candidates who have passion for
change and empowering the most vulnerable members of our community. Anyone
interested should contact me at
815.233.0435 or by email at deanfacc@aeroinc.net.
Dean Wright is the Executive Director
of the Freeport Area Church Cooperative.

FACCBOARD
TODD FRANSEN PRESIDNET
TERRIE KEYES VICE PRESIDENT
BRIAN BORGER TREASURER
JANET PLANTE SECRETARY
RENATA HEPLER MEMBER
ELRED GEORGE MEMBER

FACCSTAFF

DEAN WRIGHT EXEUCTIVE DIRECTOR

SCOTT LEWIS HOMELESS SERVICES
JAY HURDER CASE MANAGEMENT
REBECCA LEOPOLD FINANCE DIRECTOR
BRITNEY SCHULZ PANTRY MANAGER
BECKY CALBERG GARDEN MANAGER
JONAS WAINMAN GARDEN MANAGER
HANK ALLEN SHELTER SUPERVISOR
TED ANDERSON SHELTER SUPERVISOR
JOHNNIE LEWIS SHELTER SUPERVISOR
SAM SPEARMANSHELTER SUPERVISOR