Podcast S2 Ep. 11-24: RUN FOR HOPE, the Thanksgiving Day 5K and Food Services
This episode will highlight our Food Services, the 5K, emphasizing how the event raises critical funds for food programs. Additionally, it will discuss the Emergency Food Pantry and explore its broad impact on the community. We will also focus on the partnership we have forged with Aya Healthcare, its culture, and its mission.
Podcast S2 Ep. 11-24 Transcript
hello and welcome back I’m Magie the host of our neighbors helping neighbors podcast from father Joe’s Villages a
Beacon of Hope for 75 years this is a continuing series of podcasts exploring homelessness its causes and solutions if
you’d like to learn more about our mission please visit neighbor.org and follow us on social media at father
Joe’s Villages today we’ll be focusing on our meeting basic needs pillar of care particularly Our Food Services
Program we will also be discussing our upcoming Thanksgiving Day 5K presented
by a healthcare speaking of ya we have distinguished guests with us today Jamie willford and Sarah lilot and as always
with me is my co-host president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages Deacon Jim Vargas hello everyone it’s great to have
you with us thanks for having us so take I’d like to start with you
Jamie uh please pleas just introduce yourself and tell our audience a little bit about your role at a sure I’m Jamie
wford I am the director of corporate social responsibility and what that means is I take care of all of our
community support so I you know help coordinate our volunteer efforts things like the 5K which we’re so excited to
participate in next week and um all of our employe volunteers like I said and
um our giving our supportive nonprofit organizations wonderful s all very important work yes thank you I’m Sarah
um I am a travel nurse I have been with a healthcare for a little over two years
now um and I have just really enjoyed all the opportunities that have have come with being a travel nurse
wonderful well before I I to tell you a little bit about father Joe’s Villages I want to thank I Healthcare this is a
second year in a row that you’ll be sponsoring being the presenting sponsor oh it’s a third oh I’m sorry I’m sorry I
apologize about that it’s the third no thank you so very much I mean shows you to us and you guys are just great and it
is a wonderful event we’re going to talk about it a little bit later in in the show but as Maggie mentioned I’m Deacon Jim and I’m blessed to be the president
CEO father Joe’s Villages it’s always good for me to give a brief overview of what we do and just very briefly because
we’re very comprehensive as Sarah and you and and Jamie know we we’re blessed to have health as an important pillar of
care and because without your health really how can you work on anything else and so health is very important primary
care that we administer we have Behavioral Health Care um through through our a clinic there within the center which
helps with substance use challenges it helps with mental health challenges we have a dental clinic as well we have a Street Health Team you mentioned
traveling being a traveling nurse how important that is because our our population 30% of them don’t access
medicine in a traditional way so we have to go out and administer Street Health Care right there on the streets on the
curves and so that’s very very important and then the upcoming detox center that will be opening come the the beginning
of next year it’s going to be a life changing event for those who we serve and also for the community as a whole so
many people 40% of those who are homeless are admired in some level substance use and so as a result they
need the detoxification they need the recovery beds that we’ll be offering as well that’s Healthcare but then we have
our kids and our kids come to us academically emotionally socially delayed and we know they will be the
future adults who are homeless and unless we mitigate the circumstances so we work with them and we work with their
families to build familiar relationships and bonds uh which will last a lifetime so that’s incredibly important like with
all of us employment is employment important because that that brings along
income and with income is self-sufficiency it’s the same for those who we serve and so we have different vocational training programs such as
coloring arts or forklifting security guard training facilities property manager we can go on and on right so
that’s an important element as well of course we have shelters we have hundreds of shelter beds each and every single day and yet that’s not a home that’s a
stop Gap we are housing developers Y and that’s a home right that’s what breaks the cycle of homelessness when we
provide these these units these apartments for individuals so we build housing that’s an important element as
well so that’s a quick overview of of what we do and it’s the comprehensiveness of our programs that
holistically make it make a difference in the lives of those who are blessed to serve so that’s Father joose Bill thank
you all I appreciate the introductions I want to stay with you first de and Jim for a second here we’re going to talk a
lot you just gave us a nice overview of our comprehensive services but I want you to tell our audience about what
meeting basic needs means that pillar of care specifically as it relates to Our Food Services Program things that most
of us say for granted and unfortunately those on the street can’t and food is one of them me again I mentioned if you
don’t have your health how can you work on other things well if you don’t have food it’s going to lead to poor health
right especially think about kids how are kids going to learn in school if they’re malnutrition it’s not it’s just not
possible and you being a nurse you know how how important that is right so so the the one almost 1 million meals that
we serve day in and day out 365 days a year two dining rooms breakfast lunch and dinner are absolutely critical in
addition to that we have a food pantry this is hunger and homelessness Awareness Week in fact and the I was
just out on the line out here in our warehouse handing out bags to hundreds of cars that were stepping up driving up
I should say and you know we’re giving them the Staples that they need so that whether it’s um produce right whether
it’s cheese we’re handing out cheese we were handing out so many things that we again take for granted but are so very
very important as far as providing a balanced um diet and and the nutrition that’s needed by all family members
right so that they don’t become ill and and they can prosper we the line has been growing the food insecurity here in
San Diego is great we there is a statistic out there that one in I should
say 25% of those who are in San Diego have some level of nutrition insecurity
so that’s these are the different ways there’s a couple of different ways that we fill that need so that they don’t
have to wonder whether they should fill up the gas the gas tank with gasoline or
feed their family because if they fill up that gas if they don’t fill up that gas tank then they can’t get to work
which means they’re going to lose their jobs right and so well do they pay their rent or feed the family so we help them
so that they at least can provide the food and then they can can work on the rest right so Deacon you mentioned
meeting the need and Sarah I want to go to you because a big part of being the nurse of being a nurse sorry is meeting
people where they are and going to where you know the need is so can you tell us a little bit about your experience as a
travel nurse and specifically here in San Diego yes absolutely so um with travel nursing there is all types of
nursing that you can do um but I specifically do pediatric ICU um I’ve
always done Pediatrics ever since I’ve became a nurse and I can cannot imagine doing anything else um and so many great
things come from that and um there’s also a lot of you know hard hardships that these children face that you are
right there kind of on the front line helping them deal with helping them navigate um of course their parents you
know helping parents navigate not only just health care but um really every aspect of life that has been affected by
this child’s immediate Andor um emergent need for receiving Healthcare and um it
definitely plays of you know homelessness but specifically um you know malnutrition and very limited
access to food plays such a large role in the entire picture of a child’s health um if a child is hungry they
cannot focus and if they cannot focus how are they going to sit in a classroom and learn so that they can grow and
develop and become you know um contributing members of society one day and so really being able to address the
need for food and being to being able to address malnutrition and hunger concerns
um really I feel like is just an extremely important part of the foundation for ensuring that a child is
going to be able to grow and prosper both physically and mentally absolutely you’ve been a
pediatric nurse for a while where where I know you’re with a now yes I’ve been with a for a little over two years um
I’m originally from Florida but thanks to a I have now worked in six different states that includes Florida Virginia
Arizona Colorado Washington and then California um we I’m currently at a
local children’s hospital in in San Diego and I have greatly just enjoyed
every opportunity that has come with this San Diego itself has been absolutely amazing that enough is I
don’t know how I’m ever going to leave um but really being able to kind of dive into the needs of these children and the
community um and being able to really be a part part of the whole picture of um
this you know these Children’s Health and ensuring that there are proper resources in place so that you know upon
discharge from the hospital these kids are set up for Success their families are set up for Success you know the
parents have what they need to provide the children with what they need that’s great you mention local children’s
hospital radies yes yeah right I’ve been on the foundation board for many many years that’s a great place and like you
and the local and the niku yes what you guys do you nurses do in the niku is miraculous it’s great yes it is a Brady
is absolutely a Powerhouse Institution for Pediatric Care um and it has been such a privilege to be a part of that
and and of their you know just institution well we appreciate the work you do very much you know we need more
people like you we need nurses um Jamie I want to go to you I
would love it if you could give us you know just a brief history of a healthcare and really what your mission
is all about yeah we’ve been around about as long as your 5K actually um we are headquartered here in San Diego and
Valley our CEO is actually UCS steum but about half of our folks uh our corporate
folks are in San Diego so this is home for us um and yeah our um we just
believe that every person deserves the best possible care so you know why do we support Community organizations why do
we support your 5K just the work that you do in um combating food insecurity and making sure individuals and families
have the food that they need it’s so important it’s vital and you know we’re proud to support it and it’s you know
food security is one of our pillars that we you know support we also safe shelter
is another which is also of course deeply integrated into your Miss Mission so really everything you do is we love
to support we also um help with access to education for the serve of course access to healthcare we you know
organization um and just general Equity so we’re so happy to work with you guys for our third annual time of this 5K
it’s that’s why our partnership is so important because our mission so much align yes which is really great yeah
Deacon we know that you know over 10,000 individuals are experiencing homelessness in San Diego and half of
whom are unsheltered can you talk a little bit more about the scene you know on the streets daily and specifically as
it relates to hunger you know someone that doesn’t have a home they’re also not getting their three meals a day
right it’s devastating that’s right and it’s actually been getting worse because this is the first year uh in I don’t
know how many years where it’s more than half of those who are homeless are on the streets 60% so the situation is
getting worse and that’s a reflection of the fact that people who have been hanging on by their fingernail as an example inflation is really impacting
you know the things that we don’t particularly care for paying more for eggs and milk and the like but we’re
able to do it but they there BS were literally Hang On by their fingernails and these types of price increases is
just throwing them onto the streets right and so yes we’re seeing more of the we have the fourth largest homeless
population in the entire United States 10,605 in the latest point in time count and as
I mentioned 60% of them are are are on the streets so think about the the
statistic that I mentioned before that one and four San diegans in general suffer some level of nutrition in
security if you think about the homeless population that’s exacerbated and when you think about the more kids are
falling onto the streets and families as well that that is just an indication
that these are these kids are just not getting the nutrition that they need and as a result they fall behind School you
mentioned how can you focus that’s exactly what how can you learn how can you really Prosper how can you advance
in in your education is an example and so the support lines that we give them
um through through our various programs I mentioned the therapeutic Child Care Center um and the meals in the meals as
well it makes makes a world of a difference in in their lives so and that is you know and that’s why food is just
extremely important in everybody’s life so and I think you you’re noticing it at a healthcare too I’m sure yeah oh yeah
absolutely and we’ve this is something that we’ve supported for years and years but we’ve seen the increase in need um
and you know we want to continue our support of course and increase that so yes agree it’s unfortunate but we’re
hoping that we can do our part yeah oh and you are do and you are doing your part you absolutely are Deacon we talk a
lot about numbers sometimes and it can feel daunting but I want to I’m wondering Sarah if you maybe could share
a few positive stories you know when we talk about homelessness it can just sometimes you can feel that energy drop
a little and I think it’s important to know that there are successes happening and you could maybe even share some success as it relates to malnutrition or
you know anything we’re talking about today yes absolutely um I would say a positive from that is um being able to
see a child that experiences malnutrition and does not have access to
proper food supply um being able to see them go from not understanding that they
can order anything on the food menu or you know not understanding that hey you’re at a hospital you’re at a safe
place and we’re going to provide for your needs um to having that confidence and understanding and even being able to
educate them on nutrition and on you know proper food choices and just seeing that growth and seeing them understand
is just is you just can’t even describe it because it is just such a positive thing and I’m just so fortunate to be
able to play such a role role in this process um but once we you know admit a
child for example with malnutrition we give them the the fluids and the medications and the interventions that’s
needed um and it’s very refreshing because it is something that you truly get to see progress and change in and by
the time that that child is at discharge or at the state um to be able to be discharged um it’s it’s almost like a
different child it’s almost like a whole different patient um and you know whenever their Spirits change when their
health improves their parents do too you know because as parents I mean that’s that’s all the parents want is for their
kiddo to to be better and to be healthy and to be thriving and whenever you see that positive change in the child you
also see that positive change in the parent and you know getting to that point is made possible by you know
organizations such as this that provide parents with resources that they need that provide food that you know can help
with even the homeless population and help with getting them off of the streets and that is just vital in in the
entire picture of of care for the child yeah we see you I mentioned the the line for the food pantry the the car line
we’ve been in talking because you get to know different people there who come every week actually right and thank God
we’re able to to help them out in their situation but you know remember speaking with with a woman who um who there’s a
multi-generational situation in her particular home and we have so many of those right who come so it’s not just one generation you know it’s the it’s
number of generations and so a number of adults a number of children all in one household right and just trying to make
ends meet and we’re finding more and more of that right so that you know you
have the older adults the seniors that’s you know the seniors if if they’re not eating well how it impacts their as far
as hypertension as far as diabetes is is concerned there’s so many things um that it leads to on the health side and then
you have the children at the other end who you just mentioned as well and then the ones in the middle so there it’s
it’s yeah this these are things that a lot of times we don’t think about but they’re individuals who are living a lot
of in with a lot of folks within their own respective BS yeah and these impacts
that you’re referring to you know multigenerational those impacts don’t happen unless we have the support of you
know community members like I or corporations like a So Jamie tell us why
you decided a couple years back to be the presenting sponsor of our Thanksgiving Day 5K and really what that
day means to you yeah Ian it was well our company culture really is rooted in giving back our employees care deeply
about I mean as you can see about the communities that they serve um they want to help and we just what you do to
provide food you know for people who are facing food insecurity it’s so necessary you know food safe shelter those are
basic human rights and you know we want to support that we want people to have access and yeah and it’s also just um
you know on on the fun side it’s a it’s a great day it’s we have a great time we’ve had a couple hundred employees
come out the last few years it’s great um we’re g to have a couple hundred more coming out again while Thanksgiving and
yeah we just we have a great time at the event Sarah I’m told it’s your first time this year yes it’s my first time in
San Diego and my first time being present for for all of the festivities and um again just so happy to be a part
of it it’s just such a a refreshing event and you know just it’s always refreshing to see two organizations or a
corporation and organization rather um be able to come together and really work together to have such positive outcomes
you’re G I love it it’s a lot of fun as J Jamie just mentioned now you guys walking it you’re running it what are
you what are you do well we have I saw we had some people signed up for the time drun that will not be me I actually
have not R um I’m usually done a few interviews and things that are fun your little hot mics hot M that’s fine and we
ran through the crowd last year but only for a short time no it’s fun and that’s the thing
and by the way we’re planning over 8,500 this year yeah I heard it’s a record amazing that’s it’s a record it’s it’s
the 23rd for in San Diego it’s the largest I like to think it’s the most fun it really is because people come in
you have the hardcore Runners as you mentioned that’s okay there’s a place of but then the I think I think I don’t
know if the majority but so many hundreds are there just to have some fun just to feel a sense of being involved
with an organization that’s making a difference in people’s lives and that’s what it’s all about so you know they come in as you as you saw last year and
in the prior years they they’ll dress up their little dogs like turkeys or or whatever it’s just a lot of fun and
strollers then we have we have activities for the kids um and the adults are are we have beer garden for
the adults and you remember that Jimmie and so people like that as well it’s meant to it’s meant for people to have a
good time in the home and by 10 or so that’s about it right and then people
can go home prepare for the evening meal and when they sit around their own table they can feel good about having done
something for individuals who can’t necessarily sit around a table right and and provide the nutrition that they need
because the proceeds for that event it’s all to help fund the service the meal services at at Bel it’s really great
yeah yeah starting your day off like that is just it really sets the tone for the whole day and it just makes you feel
good and it’s absolutely absolutely and you can burn the the Cal even before you consumed and this is a good thing a good
thing Deacon you painted a nice picture of the day but can you tell us a little bit about the history of this event as
really what the day is all about sure well it’s about giving back right it’s about it’s about celebrating your own
blessings if you think about it right when we are a blessed people in this time of year um people recognize that
right when you get into Thanksgiving and then into the other holidays and Christmas and so forth and you know being blessed doesn’t mean it’s absent
of challenges that’s the case we all have challenges right but we recognize that there people who are much more
challenged than than we and so that’s a way of just you know giving back in a sense goes back as I mentioned this is
the 23rd year so father Joe Caroll um back um in in trying as we as we do as
well we’re trying to come up with ways to engage the community and he and he thought well you know what let’s get
them to run on Thanksgiving morning and get them to run Thanksgiving more but running for a Cause right run
ready for Hope as we call run for Hope and so that was the Genesis of it and
and over the years it started with a few couple of hundreds and and and then and
now we’re in the thousands as I mentioned right so and we have our eye on 10,000 before too long that would be
great that would be great but it’s great I love I love as I stand up on the podium looking at at krio Bridge right
because it is AB B Park and seeing just thousands of people just ly up there it just warms my heart to see that right
it’s it’s a great event yeah it really does feel like the place to be in San Diego Thanksgiving morning that’s exactly yeah you know you mentioned the
holidays and giving back but we also know that holidays can be pretty isolating especially for individuals like experiencing homelessness or
individuals that are struggling you know with their health Sarah I’m curious if you can you know kind of describe what you see around the holidays as a nurse
yes yes um it’s it’s always refreshing to work the holidays and to be you know
a part just play a role in it for the children um but it’s also a little heart-wrenching because uh a lot of
these kids that are in the hospital I would even venture to say most of the kids in the hospital we’re not planning
on spending Thanksgiving in the hospital we’re not planning on spting Christmas Eve and Christmas and celebrating New Year’s in the hospital um but it’s the
very real reality for them and of course their families and it’s it can be very disheartening to see not only the
patient that is you know struggling with some type of health health care issue um
to have to be you know miss out on all the normal festivities and the normal things that come with the holidays but
also their parents and their siblings it really just changes the Dynamics for everyone um and whenever
malnutrition has a role in the child healthcare issue around the holidays I
feel like it just makes it that much more difficult you know um but on the bright side like I mentioned earlier you
really get to see such a a good progress and you know just the child to really
heal and grow and anytime the child starts to do better of course the parents start to do better and the and
even the siblings even younger siblings will pick up on okay you know the the mood and the spirit is just much higher
now because this child is doing so much better but we do as much as we can um and I can speak you know for R they do a
lot for these kiddos um that are unfortunately in the hospital during the holidays just to make it as normal as
possible and just to provide some level of normaly for these kids yeah that’s wonderful I want to open this one up to
everyone you know what can the community do to Rally behind either our patients or individuals that are experiencing
homelessness I think often people are looking for ways to give back but they just really don’t know how or where to
start I mean donations are always great I used to be in fundraising yeah
organizations do need money to provide the services that they provide so and and volunteering you know giving back
I’m sure that you guys have opportunities that people can hop in and volunteer absolutely volunteers I love our volunteer we had this past year
we’ve had over 5,000 volunteers from serving meals right to maybe working in our therapeutic child care center and
our health center across the board I love of volunteers and we always put I always equated it to a dollar value and
this past year we have almost we’ve had almost $2 million worth of value in the services of our volunteers that’s a lot
it’s fantastic absolutely fantastic and of course donations as you mentioned Jamie ABS our life’s blood right most
most of the work we do is through the generosity of um the people out there who are listening right who are viewing
even this podcast right we can’t do without the the donations and in fact over over six about 60% I would say
about donations or our work is done through philanthropy and I I was really impressed with the numbers that you
provided us after the 5K I think our $50,000 donation provided over 25,000 meals so
2,250 yeah or more um so that’s really impressive what you can do with the funds yeah it’s incredible we can do how
much we can do with so little as far as serving nutritious meals um I’m always
I’m always I always Marvel at it as well our chefs and and what they do in the kitchens as well and then also the
thrift stores we have thrift stores you know and so we have fourth thft stores throughout the city and people can
either donate and items that are still usable but they don’t need them anymore
um we have sent out trucks on set appointments each day INF F cars um
boats I mean whatever you want to donate us what we do is we either auction them off or sell them at our thrift stores
and so it’s a win-win so you you can be donating for to the thrift stores and
but then you can also be buying at the thrift stores as well because they we have nice merchandise at at good at um
good prices as well yes I can confirm the pickups you had my stove and my old
dryer well thank you for that abolutely was good for me
too that’s right that’s right I think it’s so important to just to donate your time um you know traveling and you know
I happen to to keep belongings pretty compact um around the holidays I don’t always have much that travel with that I
don’t necessarily need anymore but you know going out and you know selecting items or adopting a family or adopting a
child and being able to you know purchase items for them is all for them is always great um but I feel like I get
just as much in return from actually donating my time and I feel like everywhere that we that I’ve traveled to
and especially San Diego now um there’s so many great opportunities with organization such as this to really
donate your time and that makes such a difference as well because for example you know you have all these this food
donated and you need someone to sort it and that’s that’s you know where where I enjoy coming in of course absolutely in
fact we have volunte we have a number of volunteers today at the food pantry always do the USS SX service individuals
were there which was always good to to see and um and so throughout the every single week we have various
organizations who who come and help us here yeah we we love our volunteers and speaking of volunteers you know next
week it’s not only about the 5K we also do our special meals again and then on Wednesday you will be at the special
meal can you talk a little bit about those celebrations you know really is a a way to come together and give people
that Community when they may not be experiencing it sure that’s also a tradition for us as well and it happens
a number of times a year um we do it at July 4th we do it at Easter we do at Thanksgiving we’ll do it at Christmas
and like I said every single day we’re serving meals but on those particular days what we do is we ratchet it up and
by ratcheting up I mean there’s music I mean we have we have those who dress up in different costumes and the like
feather Joe by the way he’s a m and and and you know feather Joe will be there um and there’s so many people who come
and volunteer and it’s no long it’s not a buffet um it’s more a sit down and so
those who are there will be served and they’re our guests they’re always our guests but they’ll they’ll be served at
at their places and and of course you know there’ll be turkey and then cranberry and sauce and so forth and the
like and I forget how many pounds of of sweet potatoes will be will be prepared
and the like and more than anything else just having people feel a sense of that of compassion that we care for them
because we do um you mentioned um community and you mentioned before isolation this is a time of year where
especially people on the streets um feel as if they’re disconnected yeah right and they and they they’re isolated maybe
that no one cares for them even their own family members for whatever reason and so we bring We Gather them to show
them well you know we’re family of sorts right and there is a sense of community and and you could see it you could see
in the dial that happens when they sometimes they’re meeting for the first time at the at the um the event at at
the dining itself and and and as you mentioned Sarah the I guess so many
volunteers who who when I’m thanking them because I’d love to thank our volunteers I really appreciate their service they tell me don’t don’t thank
us don’t thank me you know I this you don’t know how much this means to me or means they bring their in return you do
you get a lot so you get so much every CH so yeah you know we’ve talked a lot about how the community can give back to
Father Joe’s and I’m curious what you would say how can people give their time to I or how can they come to the hospital around this time of year and
really show their support um like Dey mentioned um donations are are always great um especially you know like the
the new unused toy donations um they really go a long way and and children’s
hospitals especially R um are great at you know putting things together and ensuring that it’s just a very cohesive
um you know smooth process um and I feel like you know being being a part of a just being employed with a there’s just
such a feeling of just wanting to give and wanting to volunteer and wanting to be involved with you know philan excuse
me philanthropic efforts um and just to really be a part of of all that a has to
offer all the options that opportunities that R has to offer um you know then of
course just being involved in the community with Community organizations um it’s just the time of year for giving
and I feel like you can truly feel that um whenever you’re being a part of of
those sents yeah yeah I think for you know our you had asked earlier about
giving back and out I think for some of our Travelers you know they might be in a new city for the first time maybe even
for on on on a holiday and I think something like volunteering with you all and it gives you a place to be and a you
know a sense of community like you said and so I think that’s it is a wonderful opportunity for people to get back and
for you know hopefully some of our our Travelers will be there I know they’re gonna be at the 5K
absolutely it’s interesting to mention that Jimmy because we do get some new people who tell us that they’ve done similar events elsewhere but theyve just
moved into town and they they’ve looked us up and they heard about us and they’re coming for the first time even
though they just arrived in San Diego but again because they want to spend that morning doing something for others
and and and conversely we get individuals who have been with us year in and year out no longer are in town
because they are now have moved away and they come back because this has been a family tradition right from when the
kids were young and they’ve grown in in in into the into the event and so they’re elsewhere and they come back to
us as well and they it’s incredible yep we have people doing that for the 5K really yeah yeah absolutely toally agree
it’s their tradition AB it’s their tradition that’s right that’s right it is fun Sarah you mentioned you worked is
it seven states as a travel nurse about seven um six that’s six counting I’m
curious since you just came to San Diego a couple years ago go you know to bring it back to homelessness what have you
been surprised to see you know on the streets as well as patients um what can you speak to compared to you know other
places that you’ve lived there’s it’s definitely a very present pop um issue I feel like and it’s it’s unfortunate to
see how prevalent of an issue it is um especially locally in San Diego and and
in Southern California in general um there there’s a a lot more of it than what I’m used to back home and so it has
been um just a lot of realizing for me that this is a problem and this is an
issue and just how large of it of an issue it is um so seeing and you know
learning about organizations such as this has been refreshing um because it is such a big need in the community I
mean you you all are serving such a great need I mean you’re combating homelessness um and you know people not
having access to proper food supply and so I feel like having these type of organizations in place is absolutely
absolutely just crucial to helping the homeless and to decreasing those numbers
that we talked about earlier um it’s it’s a very prevalent issue but it’s also you know an issue that I feel like
multiple people and multiple organizations are doing the best they can to tackle and to improve this issue
and to you know improve the communities in general in in San Diego P City we in
Florida I’m from North Florida on the go Coast it’s a very very small town is it
okay so you don’t find as much homelessness in that in that area the ne of s no and I think that it’s probably
because it’s such a rural area that I’m from um you you don’t see quite as much homelessness um in a in a very small
town you know you I can count on one hand how many homeless people we would have and it’s just a different sense
it’s a smaller community so it’s easier to reach the homeless population that is
present and to invite them in and to provide them resources and whenever you have such a large scale you know San
Diego is a much bigger city than the area that I’m from um it’s not as easy to to combat that problem and it’s not
as easy to you know make sure that everyone is said and everyone has a roof over their heads um it’s a it’s a much
more complex issue in bigger cities such as this um and so it takes bigger organizations that are organized and
that you know have a plan um and that work together with corporations such as a um to really help combat the
homelessness and of course the the food shortage for these people as well but yet as you mentioned a small town
reaching out in providing the resources in in our situation again that’s what’s
important as well that we reach out and provide resources that are most effective in in getting them off the
streets right so Ian so that they don’t the hope is that they don’t spend much time on the streets if they do fall into
homelessness because we have some who been chronically homeless for years and years and years on the health care side
oh my gosh they have so many health issues at that point and it’s costly to the community obviously it’s devastating
to the individuals but costly to the community as well it’s important to reach out as soon as possible and provide that that safety early
intervention is key yeah Sarah you talked a lot about seeing the progress today and and deac at the beginning we
talked about meeting basic needs one of our other pillars of care is strengthening self-sufficiency and I I
want you to talk a little bit to our audience about how we can’t get to that strengthening self-sufficiency phase unless we meet those basic needs and
really how homelessness and hunger are intertwined right well again as I mentioned before that you know before
you can you can get to the point of being self-sufficient let’s say focus on employment right and getting um going
into vocational training so that you’re able to um have the marketable skills to apply for jobs and then um secure some
income before you can do that you have to feel as if you you’re fed I mean if
you’re hungry as an example your your time is spent on and focused on trying to get a meal trying to not feel hungry
right I know my wife one one who tells me that when I’m hungry oh my gosh I’m I can be H right and so and so that’s an
important element and so it is it is so and and then again and if and if the if
the lack of nutrition then affects your health then that’s further accurates
your situation so how can you work then I’m being self-sufficient sufficient to right and that pillar so so we work all
our pillars work hand inand with one another because that’s how holistically they were able to get an individual help
them to be up on their on their feet and and go forward um so you know when you again those basic needs and then the
health aspect of it then leads to okay now let’s focus on employment let’s
focus on those areas education let’s focus on on what you need and the tools that you need yeah now to be able to go
forward absolutely I want to make sure we end on more of a positive note so Jimmie I’m I’m wondering if you can
share a favorite memory you’ve been twice now to our Thanksgiving Day 5K what are you looking forward to year three times I
know what are you looking forward to and what’s a what’s a favorite memory you know this is not something I thought I
would say but I do love getting there early I’m not a morning person but I like seeing the sunrise yeah and you
know and because I get there a little earlier then to help set up our tent and everything I love seeing all of our team
members that come out um sometimes people haven’t seen in a while because I’ve worked remotely for a little while
and um so yeah it’s just great to see team members and it’s great to see how excited they are to be there and just
the the huge crowd and the energy of that crowd and how happy everyone is to
get in this 5K and to be helping out the community it’s it’s fantastic yeah and Jamie likes the tiny mic interview yes I
get nervous about them just like but I like them the questions are fun they are fun and we do have coffee vendors so you
can get there early that’s right coffee that’s right can you talk about what else people can expect to see at the 5K
this year Well Jimmie you mentioned Sunrise so one of my favorites is that at 6:00 a.m. we have a sunrise sunrise
mass and so anyone who wants to join us for that and it’s an hour it’s it the mass itself is about 30 minutes to 40
minutes and but it’s it starts more than an hour before the actual race starts right so more than enough time people
can come in and really celebrate and worship again um the blessings that that
that we have as a result of our God loves us tremendously and wants the very best for us and so that’s how we set the
stage for the for the morning I didn’t of course I love that right and this year we’re going to have three of our
auxiliary Bishops actually with us from the from the dases of San Diego and um it’s just GNA be great so that sets the
stage do you have a time you’re shooting for Sarah to finish the race by no I do
not I do not um I’ll probably be you know hanging in the back um but you know Thanksgiving have
looked a little different um for the past couple years since I’ve started travel nursing and um travel nurses work
a lot of nights and weekends and holidays and that’s of course that’s part of it and a lot of times I I AFF to
that part of it um but even though Thanksgiving has looked a little bit different the past couple years um
thanks to being employed with a you know I’ve had the opportunity to work at some top children’s hospitals and care for
some of the country’s sickest kiddos and that has just been such an amazing opportunity and I will take that opportunity every single day over the
tradition traditional Thanksgiving that I’m used to absolutely well we appreciate it you know living in San
Diego we’ve talked a lot in Prior episodes it’s such an expensive city to live in and one of the ways Deacon I’m
hoping you can talk about is we have a popup store um a thrift store at the 5K there are other ways you know if you
can’t afford to make a financial contribution to I or to Father Joe’s Villages how can people get involved
that’s a great question in fact I made reference to our thrift stores at the at the 5K itself we’re going to have POA
store you you mentioned that it’s basically you look it looks like a mini thrift store in a and we have merchandise that we make available there
so it’s an opportunity right there after the race that people just want to pick up a few the items that you know that would be great also this year we’re
going to have one of our very attractive bins they are large bins that we actually have deployed in various um
places throughout throughout the city churches and schools and so forth we’re we’re going to have one there so we
encourage people I would encourage people as as if they they’re coming in the race maybe bring in some um some
clothes you no longer need or some shoes you no longer need but can still be worn and they’re still in Fairly good shape
right and these are items that you can put them in the bin right and you’re there so you can come in load it but
know that you’ll be leaving you having left those items behind and those are items that again can benefit the work
that we do as well so another opportunity so many opportunities yeah absolutely and those donations give
people dignity you know it it really goes a long way um some people that can’t afford to have clothes on their
back that are on the street so that’s right is there is there anything particular you need or is it most just kind of any in good quality clothing and
we need we need everything and in this this time of year actually so thank you Jamie for asking in this time of year because it is getting colder we are in
New York but it gets really chilly at night and if you’re on the streets right and and then if it if it’s wind it’s
windy and if it’s rain it makes it even worse and so sweats you know sweat pants sweat swe sweat tops um it was s
caps right to keep the heat in and the like um these are all things that that are that are useful to us we have so
many so many um little children who we serve me people people recognize that we have babies I mean we have actual babies
that are born to individuals who are at our village comes time for them to give birth they go off to a hospital they
have the child and come back within a couple of days with the child just in our village is their first home that
child right and so diapers we go through diapers all right and so there isn’t anything that you can that that you have
in mind that that that can benefit us right so um yeah across the board across
the board yeah well thank you all so much for joining us today we appreciate your time I do thank you it’s been a
pleasure thanks yeah I look forward to seeing the two of you at the podc can’t wait absolutely thank you Meg thank you
thank you all for joining the conversation today Father just Villages has been a Beacon of Hope for 75 years
we are not just a service provider but a movement and a catalyst for for change the face of homelessness is changing and
father Joe’s Villages is adapting to meet the moment we look forward to seeing you all bright and early this
Thursday on Thanksgiving morning in bboa park we’ll see you next time how will you get involved join us and take action
for our neighbors in need father Joe’s Villages is rebuilding lives and you can make a difference whether it’s through
cash donations volunteering your time contributing HomeGoods or clothing shopping at our thrift stores or online
or participating in planned giving there are numerous ways to get involved take action today at neighbor.org because
together we are all neighbors helping neighbors
