Author: simpletech

Jazz Fest Raffle Winner

Jazz Fest Raffle Winner

CONGRATULATIONS to Corinne Green, the winner of the Loop Ministries summer raffle!
Corinne is the winner of TWO club passes to the 2019 Jazz Festival, courtesy of John Nugent!

John Nugent is Producer & Artistic Director of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival 

THANK YOU JOHN, for providing Loop Ministries with the fabulous prize of two Jazz Festival club passes!
Thanks to your generosity we have raised thousands of dollars for our Urban Food Pantry over the past four years.
A New Volunteer

A New Volunteer

Loop Ministries Welcomes Ashley Schultz to our Volunteer Team!

Ashley was raised outside of Binghamton, NY in a large family of all girls. After graduating high school, she attended SUNY Geneseo for Geography and Urban Studies. Later she attended Graduate School in Ohio, pursuing a master’s degree in Geography. After spending some years in Ohio, she and her husband moved back to NY, and they are fully enjoying it here in Rochester! Ashley is currently working for a grant writing company, and in her day-to-day work week she helps local governments, fire departments, and police departments find funding for their unique projects. She was initially attracted to LOOP Ministries because she has seen the great work Loop has done in Rochester. After learning about the tangible results LOOP has brought to the community, she decided she wanted to be a part of the action!

Ashley will be helping LOOP pursue funding from a variety of public and private sources. This will include researching and finding grant opportunities and submitting competitive proposals. She has jumped in with both feet and already worked very hard with Executive Director, Daryl Staneck, to submit their first application together. She looks forwards to the day they successfully secure a grant for LOOP, knowing the dollars will help our team reach even more people in our effort to fight hunger in our city!

New Guests Grow Loop Community

New Guests Grow Loop Community

As summer draws to a close and temperatures (ever so slowly) begin to drop, food and clothing become all the more important—and Loop Ministries provided generous helpings of both during our Food for the Soul luncheon on September 25th.

As everyone sat down to eat, I had a chance to speak with a young man named Chris, a native Rochesterian and first-time attendee of the monthly luncheon. He describes himself as a very spiritual person, brought up in the Pentecostal tradition and a frequenter of Rochester’s Open Arms Metro Community Church. He has been to Loop’s food pantry in the past and knows our pastor, so that is what led him to the luncheon.

Chris is a barber by trade: he cuts and styles women’s hair. Working in salons has given him the chance to flex his comedic muscle with clients—he likes talking with people and trying to make them laugh. He says he was often nervous in the beginning, but he sees comedy as a way to break down walls between people. Banter with clients has even helped him conquer his own self-esteem issues.

Recently, the last salon at which he worked closed down and moved to North Carolina, so he has been out of work. He hasn’t let that get him down, however, as he always tries to look on the bright side and continues to search for opportunities. We’re happy to have him in the Loop family!

(Pictured with Chris is his guardian mother, Laura, who hails originally from Boston, Massachusetts!)

Grateful Guest Gives Back

Grateful Guest Gives Back

On January 23rd, Loop Ministries once again hosted our monthly Food for the Soul Luncheon. Guests were welcomed with adorable snowman centerpieces (made by team of helpers from Lifetime Assistance and our volunteer coordinator, Doris Gaspar) and shared a delicious meal of chicken and vegetables (prepared in advance by chef Mike Otto and served by Carol Thielman and the team). Generous portions of blueberry coffee cake were enjoyed for dessert.

This month’s featured guest is a woman named “Jazzy”. Jazzy is originally from Guam and was flown to the University of Rochester Medical Center from her home for cancer treatment twenty years ago. She survived several different types of cancer and remained in Rochester following her treatment.

Jazzy has two children who live in Atlanta with their aunt. After careful consideration, she made the difficult and unselfish decision to send her children to Atlanta because she was concerned that they would become involved in gang activity if they remained in Rochester. She is excited for her son to get his driver’s license and looks forward to an upcoming visit from him.

Jazzy is very appreciative of all that Loop does, and is especially happy that she is able to get such a generous bag of groceries from the Food Pantry at every Food for the Soul luncheon. She loves coming every month, and will be giving back to Loop and the luncheon community next month by helping the meal team cook and serve food. We’re grateful for her participation in the Loop family, and for her eagerness to help!