Michael Merlo Elected to The
MATCHAN MENU
August 2015
Volume 7, Issue 2
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Michael Merlo elected to the
Matchan Nutrition Center Board
At the June 15th Board meeting, Michael Merlo was elected to the Board. We are always looking for someone who we feel will be an asset to the Board and Mike fit the bill.
He has been a hard working volunteer at MNC since Jan 2014 when he retired from working for the Department of Defense (DOD). He works in the storeroom, unloads the van, works in the kitchen and picks up at Costco. Whatever needs to be done, Mike is there. He understands what our mission is.
His expertise for the last 20 years in financial management, strategic planning and cost and budget development when working for DOD should be helpful to the MNC.
Mike has been a Vincentian for over 25 years at St. Rene Goupil and Sacred Heart of Auburn Hills parish. Currently he is the treasurer and manages the Sacred Heart SVDP Food pantry which has supplied MNC with food for over 15 years.
In addition to volunteering at Matchan, Mike has assisted at Gleaners Food bank, Habitat for Humanity, Hope Warming Center, Mary's Mantle and Feeding the Needy.
In his “spare time”, he teaches 8th grade religious education and develops other education and evangelism programs as part of the Sacred Heart Evangelization and Education Team.
Mike has been married to his precious and beautiful wife, Mary Alice, for 33 years and has three cherished children.
Matchan looks forward to Mike’s contributions. Be sure to congratulate him when you see him at the kitchen.
Meijer “Simply Give Campaign”
Continues
to Adopt Matchan Nutrition Center
The Good News continues!
The Meijer store, located at 28800 Telegraph Road, Southfield, Mi has again adopted the Matchan Nutrition Center, Society of St Vincent de Paul, as part of the Meijer Simply Give program. The store is located on the southeast corner of Telegraph and 12 Mile Roads.
The purpose of the Meijer Simply Give program is to help local food pantries and nutrition centers feed the large number of hungry families in the communities in which they have stores. The Simply Give program runs three times a year – in Spring, Fall and during the Holidays.
This Fall 2015 Meijer Simply Give program will run from July 19th to September 12th. The donation cards are available in the store as you check out. The funds are designated to Matchan and the Meijer store will match each donation. And in addition, Meijer will double your donations made on Sept 3rd, Sept 4th and Sept 5th. It is definitely worth the trip because your donation of $50 or $100 becomes $100 or $200 to Matchan.
Think about it -- Supporting Meijer as they support the Matchan Nutrition Center is a win-win program. Please take advantage of this Meijer program and support Matchan at the same time by going to the store at Telegraph and 12 Mile.
Top Hat Award for Therese Frye
The Top Hat Award was created to recognize volunteers (Vincentians) of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul who live their lives with a commitment similar to that of their founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, who said that by drawing closer to the poor, we draw closer to God. This commitment includes joining with other members in pursuit of spiritual development as well as a willingness to reach out to people in need.
Therese Frye, a Vincentian and a Matchan Board Member, has received the 2015 Top Hat award for Oakland County. Of the 10 years that this award has been given, Matchan volunteers have received four Top Hat Awards.
One of Therese Frye’s more recent accomplishments is accepting the responsibility of the Archdiocesan Council President of St. Vincent de Paul, Detroit. Even though this is a time consuming job, she still finds time to meet with other special work groups such as the Camp Committee and the Matchan Nutrition Center; there may be other groups with which she meets as well.
She was president of Oakland County District for six years before accepting the above responsibility. She closely follows the Rule. She is very well organized, structured and keeps an open mind. This is probably why she makes a good manager and decision maker. She also has excellent people skills. These are traits which have allowed Therese to take on difficult tasks for the Society.
She is a Board member of the Matchan Nutrition Center. She spent six years on the Board as a result of being SVdP Oakland District President, but because of her past contributions, she was selected to continue as a board member after her term expired.
Therese has been a Vincentian for 23 years, making visits and carrying out SVdP tasks in the Shrine of the Little Flower Conference.
Therese says, “In my position, I am blessed to see many, many Vincentians working day after day to improve lives who deserve this recognition. Myself, I am just one small part in a membership of many who are attempting to put their "Faith" in action.
I have always felt grateful and privileged to serve those friends who humble themselves to ask for assistance. God always puts us where he thinks we should be!”
Andrew Novack helps Matchan
As his project to earn his Eagle Scout Award, Andrew Novack chose to help the Matchan Nutrition Center, Society of St Vincent de Paul, by organizing a fund raising campaign to raise both food and money for Matchan Nutrition Center.
Andrew Novack, a senior at Walled Lake Northern high school, is the son of Scott Novack and Kerri Barnett-Novack and also the grandson of long-time Matchan volunteers Bev and Fred Novack.
Over a five week period this spring, Andrew spent more than 100 hours organizing, collecting and accounting for the non-perishable food and funds he collected. And he was very successful. His Eagle Scout project collected over one ton of food for Matchan – actually 2,150 pounds to be exact. In addition, Andrew presented a check to Bob Harper in the amount of $1,984.52 representing the financial proceeds of his project.
Eagle Scout is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America and less than 7% of scouts attain the Eagle Scout rank. Andrew said his project was about providing leadership and service to the community. He said that his goal is “to lead the adventure, not just be a part of the effort.”
In addition to earning his Eagle Scout award, Andrew has also been voted into the Scout’s Order of the Arrow, which is Scouting’s National Honor Society. The Order of the Arrow’s purpose is to recognize scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and develop leadership, character, spirit and the ability to take on challenging tasks and see them to completion. Thanks – Andrew Novack!
The Christian Legal Aid Program
The Christian Legal Aid Program is a very successful program that commenced in 2002 at the SVDP Central Council in Detroit as an activity of the Christian Legal Aid of Southeast Michigan (CLASM). It was thought that our clients in Pontiac could also benefit from such a program so in 2007 it was initiated at the Matchan Nutrition Center.
Doug Toering, with a legal career of over 30 years, serves as President and Board Chair of CLASM. At Matchan, Robert Bunger coordinates a group of six lawyers, including himself, so that someone is there each Tuesday. The people we serve have a chance to meet with a licensed attorney to obtain legal counsel. Mary Lackamp, a Vincentian from Our Lady of La Salette, schedules the clients for the lawyers. Jeanine Wiggins is a paralegal that helps the lawyers. Pat Facca, Dan Marsh, Jeffrey Nutt, Jerry Richter and Paul Paternoster are the lawyers on Rob’s team.
Recently, Matchan reviewed the cases discussed with CLASM. Our mission is to serve hot, well balanced meals to our neighbors in need and to provide other life changing assistance that leads to self-sufficiency locally in Oakland County. One way we do this is by bringing in social and government agencies to address the needs of the people we serve. Knowing what their problems are helps determine what agencies we invite to Matchan.
The chart on the left shows the type of issues that were discussed over a one year period. 204 cases were reviewed. 41 of these cases were about real
property. The largest number of issues concerned landlord/ tenant relationships (10).
Another 10 were evictions and foreclosures cases. Two cases involved the condemnation of property by the city and two uninhabitable premises. Three individuals needed help to get into Section 8 housing. An unusual case was the wrongful demolition of a house by the city.
28 domestic relations issues were discussed. 12 of these were child custody and/or guardianship issues. Being a Christian organization, CLASM does not encourage divorce but in the real world, issues and situations do come up. Nine cases concerned legal questions about divorce.
As might be expected, debt related problems are a big concern for low income people. They have a hard time getting by as it is without having someone garnishing their income or having a collection agency on their backs. They need advice.
The people we serve have problems like all of us in many cases. Probate, social security, personal injury and auto issues are typical examples.
Expungement is very significant in providing a life changing event that can help lead to self-sufficiency for someone with a criminal record. If you get an order setting aside (expunging) your conviction, you can legally state on any application for a job, school, public benefits, housing, or employment that you have never been convicted of or arrested for that crime. A conviction is any misdemeanor or felony charge for which you were found guilty; however, expungement is available for only certain types of convictions.
Often a criminal record will keep a person from being hired. It takes time and is not easy but CLASM can make a difference.
All consultations are confidential and at no cost. It is just another way that volunteers give of their time and talents to help people in need. In this case, it is a very special skill. There is no doubt that CLASM provides life changing advice for the people we serve.
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Annual Pancake Breakfast
At Matchan
Saturday, August 8, 2015
A Delicious & Worthy Cause
SVdP Friends of the Poor Walk
Saturday, Sept 26, 2015
Gourmet Hot Dogs, chips, cookies by Matchan
Annual Appreciation Dinner
At Baker College
Friday, October 2, 2015
Matchan’s 2015 Annual Appreciation Dinner
Please mark your calendars for Matchan’s 2015 Annual Appreciation Dinner to be held on Friday, October 2, 2015 at Baker College, 1500 University Drive in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Those who have attended the previous Annual Dinners at Baker will attest to the beautiful facilities, the delicious catered meal and well-lit parking areas.
This year’s featured speaker will be Martina Hahn, a speed painter and motivational speaker, who will complete a painting tied to her remarks in less than 30 minutes. She is amazing!
Invitations will be mailed in early-September – please look for the invitation and plan to attend.
Again -- this year’s dinner will have the very popular 50-50 Raffle, a “Tin Can raffle” and our annual “Thank You” Door Prizes Drawing. Our hope is that everyone will go home with a “prize”. Good Luck!! And keep in mind that you can increase your “Luck” by buying many tickets for the various prizes at the dinner.
Please try to attend and enjoy an evening dedicated to You. Thanking - you - our volunteers, our food donors and our financial donors.