Project PLASE: Hope for the Homeless

Youtube Link to PLASE Monologues!

2011-05-31T15:12:00.000-04:00

Check them out!

http://www.youtube.com/user/projectplase?feature=mhsn#p/u

Messages of Hope: PLASE Clients Share Their Lives Through Monologues

2011-05-27T14:49:00.000-04:00

When Oprah Winfrey was asked what she has learned about people in her years of successful television, she said, “Everybody just wants to be heard.” This idea was the force behind Project PLASE’s first ever Night of Monologues: A PLASE to be Heard. Eleven brave PLASE clients came together one Saturday evening in May to share their stories of homelessness at the Strand Theater in Baltimore.

Each client had a unique way of preparing for and delivering their monologue. Some preferred to rehearse which part of their experiences they would share while others decided they wanted to use the energy of the crowd to speak in the moment. Regardless of style, each and every client spoke from the heart and shared their personal story with honesty and courage. “Being confronted with the genuine stories and display of raw emotion, I was completely overwhelmed” stated audience member Linda Kokenge.

Audience members came to the Night of Monologues expecting to hear stories of homelessness, drug addiction, childhood abuse, mental illness, and other challenges encountered by the population served at Project PLASE. While the speakers definitely brought stories of despair into their monologue, the overall tone of the evening was overcoming adversity. Audience member Harriet Cooper noted “For me the Night of Monologues represented: bravery, honesty and most of all integrity….gifts from the soul.”

An engaging dialogue followed the monologues, which included topics such as the stigma of our homeless neighbors, how religion impacted the lives of the speakers, and how our community can grow from stories like these.

April Adventures at Project PLASE

2011-04-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

April has been a busy month for PLASE! As long-time volunteers know, we’re involved with a number of greening activities and we kicked off our efforts for the year this month!

Back in March we got exciting news from the Parks and People Foundation that we were awarded a Community Greening Grant to enhance the garden at our permanent housing facility on S. Calverton St. The House Manager, Rita Wilson, and I have been eagerly planning the next phase of the gardening project there. We got to work April 9th with the help of an awesome group of first year dental students from the University of Maryland. With the students’ hard work we were able to get the ground ready for planting. The following weekend a group of students from Towson planted some lovely flowers that really brightened up the neighborhood. Towson students went the extra mile and cleaned up trash and debris scattered about the neighborhood in the recent rainstorms.

Garden Harvest is also back in gear! For those of you new to PLASE, Garden Harvest is a non-profit that partners with organizations to bring fresh, organic, locally grown produce to individuals who don’t have easy access to such healthy food. PLASE clients, staff, and volunteers plant and maintain a plot at the Garden Harvest farm to ensure our clients are receiving fresh fruit and vegetables. On April 17th a group of AmeriCorps volunteers came out to the farm to start getting our plot ready for planting. Unfortunately, the rain prevented them from getting much done and we still need lots of help getting ready to plant!

A group of volunteers joined us for the University of Baltimore’s service day on April 15th. They took on the messy task of spring cleaning one of PLASE’s properties on St. Paul St. Our maintenance department greatly appreciated the help with cleaning and trash removal!

Another great volunteer group from the College of Notre Dame came April 17th and prepared dinner and activities for the women in our transitional housing unit on North Ave. Both the students and residents enjoyed the chance to bond over a good meal.

Last but not least, a special shout out to our many regular volunteers who continued their efforts in April. These folks tutor residents, offer art classes, help staff keep up with their paperwork, assist in fundraising and event planning, and many other activities that keep PLASE running.

What a month!

Ending Homelessness in NYC

2011-03-07T15:45:00.001-05:00

In this report NPR focuses on Common Ground's work to end homelessness around Times Square in New York City. Like Project PLASE their goal is to end homelessness by helping the most vulnerable members of the population. We're glad to see NPR is covering their great work!

Check it out here:
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/07/134002013/ending-homelessness-a-model-that-just-might-work

A Perspective on Homelessness from San Diego

2011-03-04T15:21:00.001-05:00

http://www.sddt.com/Commentary/article.cfm?Commentary_ID=142&SourceCode=20110304tzb

Check out this nice piece on homelessness.

Interesting Articles about Homeless in Baltimore

2011-02-24T13:55:00.002-05:00

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2011/02/transgender_victim_struggled_f.html

This article touches on the challenges homeless transgendered people have finding shelters to house them. PLASE is open and affirming to the trans community and proud to serve on the Transgendered Response Team.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/17/AR2011021707237.html

Apparently security at Columbia Mall has been cracking down on homeless who spend time at the mall. There's a dispute about whether or not the homeless who have been asked to leave were causing a disturbance, or if security is discriminating against them.

What do you think?

Giving from the Heart

2011-02-22T16:19:00.001-05:00

People who come to volunteer at PLASE often tell me they do so because they see many homeless people on the street and want to do something to help. Volunteering at PLASE is a great way to be a part of the solution to homelessness. Everything volunteers do here, from art projects with our clients to stamping envelopes, contributes to our mission of ending homelessness by serving the most vulnerable of Baltimore’s homeless and empowering them to function at their highest level possible. Like our volunteers, I came to PLASE out of a desire to help the homeless and being a part of that mission is what brings me to work every day.

One issue that often arises for people who are committed to helping the homeless is whether or not to give money to homeless people on the street. This is a problem that comes up for me on a regular basis. I’m often asked for money when I’m stopped at a red light or walking along the street, and I don’t know what to do. If I say yes, I worry the money will be used for drugs and contribute to the addiction that’s probably a big reason that person is homeless to begin with. If I say no, I worry I’m denying a hungry person money they need for food. So I decided to ask some of our clients here at PLASE about whether or not a stranger giving them money on the street was good for them in the long run or not.

Of course, there are rarely simple answers when it comes to homelessness, and our clients didn’t give a simple answer to my question. They told me that when people gave them money it went to whatever was their most urgent need, sometimes that was food and sometimes that was drugs. Occasionally people offered to buy them food instead of just giving money, and they were hungry and grateful. Other times, their cravings for drugs were so intense that the offers of food angered them. The clients I spoke with are recovering heroin addicts, and for those unfamiliar with addiction it might seem strange to prefer drugs over food. Heroin, however, produces intense physical cravings, and when those cravings aren’t satisfied users experience painful withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, and cold flashes.

Today, the clients I spoke with are back on their feet and experience the same dilemma the rest of us do when asked for money by a homeless person. They do recommend offering to buy the person food if you are able. They also mentioned that in bad weather a few dollars may enable a person to find shelter, since some people will rent out space to stay cheaply. As recovering addicts themselves our clients sympathize with the people they see who plainly want the money for drugs. Sometimes, they give even when they know the money will be used for drugs. One man I spoke with said that he’d given money to a friend who needed a last dose of heroin before going to treatment. That friend is still clean, so for our client giving his friend money to keep him from going into withdrawals during intake (a long and difficult process) felt like a worthwhile investment.

The most powerful statement I heard came from a client who said that regardless of what the money gets used for, the important thing is that people who give should give from the heart. The dollar you may give, or the time you spend volunteering at PLASE, is a gesture of caring to a person who may not experience that otherwise.

New Blog Editor!

2011-02-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

Here at Project PLASE I’m starting a new role as editor of our blog. I am PLASE’s Volunteer Coordinator, and one of the most important things to us at PLASE is that our volunteers learn about homelessness through their work with us. This blog seemed like a natural extension of that goal – we want everyone to be more aware of homelessness and how they can help end it.

Statistics about homelessness are grim. Since 2003 Baltimore has taken a census of its homeless population every two years. The most recent census was taken in 2009 and found 3,419 people were homeless on a single night in Baltimore. This was a 12% increase in the number of homeless since 2007.

2,265 (66%) of the 3,419 homeless were sheltered. Of this group, approximately 31% are chronically homeless, which means they have been homeless for a year or more or have experienced homelessness at least four times in the past three years. The major cause of homelessness was health, particularly substance abuse, but insufficient income and housing concerns were close behind.

The vast majority of Baltimore’s homeless are African-American men. However, the number of homeless women increased by 5% between 2007 and 2009. 28% of the homeless had a monthly income, with a median income of $637.00.

Working as the Volunteer Coordinator at an organization which serves the homeless has made me more reflective this winter. When my furnace stopped working briefly and my house got down to 52° I was miserable. But I have a responsible landlord who fixed the problem the same day. There are many others who live in terrible housing conditions and others with no housing at all who have spent this winter being very cold all the time. It would be easy to go around feeling guilty all the time for having more than others. But I remember being told once “Guilt isn’t a productive emotion.” So, don’t sit around feeling guilty. Be a part of the solution. Come volunteer with PLASE, or another organization that is making a difference in your community!

Food Hardship: Written by guest blogger Emily Moore

2010-09-08T14:31:00.000-04:00

In a survey by the Food Research Action Committee, food hardship rate for the nation as a whole rose from 16.3 percent of respondent households in the first quarter of 2008 to 19.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 with the 2009 rate hovering between 17.9 and 18.8 percent.
Of the 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), 82 had 15 percent or more of respondents answering that they did not have enough money to buy needed food at times in the last 12 months. For the 50 largest MSAs, including Baltimore, 15 had more than one in four households with children reporting food hardship.

This measure, although separated from the day-to-day problems for providing food for families and individuals, indicates the large problem of lack of access to food in Baltimore. Furthermore, the food hardship rate reinstates the need for cheaper and more available fresh produce, where many must choose inexpensive and less healthy options.

A Spiritual Path to Helping those in Need

2010-08-23T12:31:00.001-04:00

Garden Harvest is a nonprofit organization in Reisterstown, Maryland dedicated to ending Hunger, regenerating the environment, and creating opportunities for disadvantaged people. Project PLASE has joined ‘Adopt-A-Plot’ at Garden Harvest in order to participate in this mission and provide healthy fruits and vegetables to our residents. Several times a month, a group of our staff, volunteers, and clients set out for a fun day of work on the farm. After this most recent trip, we were able to bring back 3 boxes of pears and long green peppers. We also had the opportunity to sit down with Jim, Executive Director at Garden Harvest to learn more about the important work his organization does for our community.

Jim has found personal growth in providing food, and helping others by running Garden Harvest as a nonprofit since 1990. The garden began as a private small plot of land on Jim’s farm, and has now grown to serving hundreds of thousands of pounds of organic vegetables, fruit, and eggs every year to the poor. Jim is a motivated and self-disciplined man who describes his work by saying, “if I didn’t enjoy it so much I wouldn’t do it.” This experience has deepened Jim’s character by giving him an opportunity to help others while providing many ways for over 5000 enthusiastic volunteers to get involved each season.

Jim has found that the more you help others, the more concerned you are about their well-being. In his quest for spiritual evolution, Jim found an instrument that allows him to give while receiving so much back - his garden. The idea of Garden Harvest has blossomed in our community and is expanding to other states, with an interest coming from gardeners even as far away as South Africa!

When Jim was a child, he loved watching the miracle of seeds grow into fruits and vegetables in his window boxes. He then enjoyed sharing this food with neighbors. Jim believes that we all replicate the joy we had as a kid in our adult lives and he is doing just that!

Garden Harvest dates in August!

2010-08-05T15:38:00.001-04:00

Want to make a difference while having fun outdoors? Join Project PLASE as we take a trip to the Reisterstown farm to plant, weed, and harvest to help bring more fresh fruits and veggies to the table at our facilities. Our trips to Garden Harvest in August will be

Friday August 13th from 8-1:30
Friday August 20th from 8-1:30
Saturday August 28th from 8-1:30

Transportation can be arranged for those who need it. Please contact Lauren at 410-837-1400 ext.36 for more information and to sign up! We hope you can join us :-)

Maryland Food Bank FoodWorks Program

2010-07-29T17:14:00.000-04:00

This week's blog was written by Emily Moore, our Johns Hopkins Community Action Summer Intern. She has worked with the Communications and Development team this summer and has enjoyed tutoring the GED Class since last October.

FoodWorks, a program of The Maryland Food Bank, aims to train adults in cooking and food preparation with a focus on nutritional skills and menu planning. This program aims at empowering people and feeding the hungry through this service training, job readiness and placement program. This free training and educational opportunity is offered to all those who are older than 18 without an educational degree requirement. This is beneficial to those who have not received a high school diploma or GED and can now find job training in a career of their choosing. In addition, at the end of the 14-week program, students receive a ServSafe® and a Culinary Arts Certificate of Completion. This intensive program works Monday through Friday from 7:30 am -4:30 pm and is free of charge, with additional assistance in bus vouchers for those who qualify as well as uniforms provided free of charge. The FoodWorks progam is now accepting applications for their November class with the 18 spots being filled quickly. If you are interested in this program or would like to inquire for more information please call 410-737-8281 (ext. 49) and ask for Brenda Campbell, Culinary Student Coordinator. The FoodWorks program is located at 2200 Halethorpe Farms Road, Baltimore, MD 21227.

The Maryland Food Bank’s FoodWorks Program is an exciting combination of healthy cooking education and job placement available to all without the barriers of education and transportation. Project PLASE commends the Maryland Food Bank’s efforts to create new job training for all who are interested and for their larger mission of ending hunger.

Volunteers Speak: Passing Something on to the Next Generation

2010-07-23T14:13:00.000-04:00

Laneal volunteered with us at Garden Harvest this spring and helped to get our garden going.She originally got involved to receive credit for a class but stayed on as a volunteer because she found something special.

"I actually started volunteering at Project PLASE for a college course. While I knew my time at PLASE would be short, I didn't realize that it would also be very rewarding in the long run. My main volunteer activity was helping out at Garden Harvest, where we would weed and plant vegetables for PLASE clients. While working on a farm was not my idea of fun, I had the opportunity to learn more about it and help people at the same time. Between picking up rocks and planting vegetable seeds, I was able to not only help out the clients at PLASE but I also took what I learned to my family. I have more appreciation for where my food comes from and I am able to teach my children that as well. So all in all, my volunteer experience was one to remember, but not just because I gained credit for a class but that I was able to help others while helping myself in the process!"

PLASE Veggie Ice Cream Social - Cool Off for PLASE!

2010-07-20T15:33:00.000-04:00

Our Ice Cream Social at Dominion Ice Cream will be held on Thursday, July 22 from 12pm through 9pm at 3215 N. Charles Street in Charles Village (the corner of Charles and 33rd Streets).

Come stay cool for Project PLASE by indulging in a summer treat and helping the homeless. When you buy ice cream, waffles, smoothies and more, 25% of the proceeds go to us! Be sure to mention Project PLASE when you make your purchase.

An added bonus of this event is that Dominion makes its own veggie ice cream including: spinach, carrot, tomato, and sweet potato. Visit their website to learn more about how they make the ice cream and what each veggie tastes like as an ice cream flavor.

CGRN Helps Baltimore Gardeners Make Things Happen!

2010-07-13T14:24:00.003-04:00

Project PLASE's membership to CGRN (Community Greening Resource Network) has made many of our green projects possible this year. CGRN is a program that supports community and family gardens throughout Baltimore. Individuals or organizations become members by paying a small annual fee; included in the membership is access to materials (free plants, tools, seeds and soil!), education, and connections for gardening. The Parks & People Foundation and Maryland Cooperative Extension are the founding partners and sponsors of CGRN. The program is based on similar ones in other cities like Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee and Boston. If you'd like more information, email the CGRN Coordinator at greening@parksandpeople.org.

Last week, we used free plants (hostas and a persimmon tree) and soil from CGRN to spruce up the back patio of our transitional and permanent housing facility on Maryland Avenue. We worked with high school volunteers from the Civic Education Project (CEP), a leadership and citizenship development program based at Northwestern University. The volunteers cleaned up the patio and back yard, weeded, planted and watered in the sweltering 100 degree heat. They did a great job and made the patio ready for our summer-time resident bbqs. Thanks CGRN and thanks CEP!

Garden Harvest Days in July

2010-07-07T11:21:00.000-04:00

Want to volunteer in the garden to help grow organic veggies for Project PLASE's homeless transitional facilities? Garden days in July are as follows:

Thursday, July 8th, 9:30am-11:30am
Saturday, July 17th, 9:30am-12pm
Thursday July 22nd, 9:30am-12pm

If you'd like to help out, contact our Community Projects Coordinator at 410-837-1400 x36. Your work makes our garden possible!

An Important Step Forward for Low-Income City Residents: Select Farmer's Markets Now Accepting Food Stamps

2010-07-01T14:40:00.000-04:00

June marked the beginning of the food stamp exchange program that allows individuals to use food stamps to buy fresh produce at select farmer's markets in Baltimore (Pimlico, the Waverly Farmer's Market on 32nd Street and the market in Highlandtown).

Each location has a wireless machine that allows those using an EBT card (electronic benefit transfer card on which food stamps are counted) to exchange dollar values for tokens that are spendable at the markets. As an added bonus, customers using their EBT cards will receive "Baltimore Bucks vouchers" enabling them to double their food stamp dollars up to $5 at the market.

With 169,000 food stamp participants in Baltimore, having the exchange program at even a handful of farmer's markets will significantly increase access to quality produce. Hopefully, the program will help improve the health and nutrition of low-income Baltimoreans and benefit the farmers who sell their products in the city.

The program is sponsored by Maryland Hunger Solutions through support from the Abell Foundation, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Wholesome Wave Foundation.

Our First Harvest of the Year

2010-06-25T11:09:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Project PLASE intern, Emily, and AmeriCorps*VISTA, Andrea, battled the sun and the slugs to harvest our first veggies of the season from Garden Harvest--a bushel of looseleaf lettuce! We had so much that all three of our transitional shelters (62 people total) will be able to make fresh salads for the next week. Next up: collard greens!

Want to help? Our next trip to the farm will take place on Thursday, July 8th. We are also looking for yummy salad recipe suggestions--do you have a favorite summer salad mix? Contact our Community Projects Coordinator for more details or to pass on a recipe at 410-837-1400 x36 or community@projectplase.org.

Volunteers Speak: a Nurse Talks about her Experience in the Garden

2010-06-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

Sandeep has been volunteering with Project PLASE's Garden Harvest project all spring. She is currently a RN in Baltimore City.

A few months ago, I came across the opportunity to volunteer on a farm to grow vegetables for the homeless. I was instantly intrigued. Serving the underserved has been part of my life since grade school. Now, as an R.N. working at a hospital in Baltimore City, I see my fare share of patients suffering from malnutrition. In the US, we have shifted over the years from healthcare to sick care. The power of food should never be underestimated! A healthy lifestyle and diet may help prevent chronic illness like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.

Project PLASE has been proactive about meeting their community’s needs. Vegetables like eggplants, tomatoes and kale grown at Garden Harvest will be prepared to make nutritious meals for the homeless. I have been volunteering at Garden Harvest for a few months now and had the opportunity to work alongside clients from Project PLASE, people from the community, and groups with special needs. It has been wonderful to watch people weeding and tilling the soil, sowing and watering seeds all in the name of service. Getting back to the land and giving back to the community is a great feeling!

Want to volunteer in the garden? Our next trip to Garden Harvest is on June 26th--contact our Community Projects Coordinator if you are interested in volunteering!

Volunteers Speak: Residents Make a Difference in Each Other's Lives

2010-06-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

David is volunteering as an Advocacy Counselor at our Men's Transitional Facility. He is an integral part of creating an orderly nutrition/meal system there. Here are some of his thoughts about what he does:

"Project PLASE provides three meals a day to our formerly homeless residents. We believe that it is not enough just to provide food--we strive to make good, healthy meals. Weekly menu plans and meals are created through collaborations between staff and residents. Some residents have great cooking skills and are very creative in fixing meals; others just enjoy helping out in the kitchen.

While we appreciate the help of all residents who volunteer in the kitchen, I have been really touched by a couple of residents in particular. Currently we have two fantastic residents, Mr. Eric and Mr. Gregory, who have taken it upon themselves to prepare the house meals and have dramatically and positively affected the lives of other residents. Where simple meals would do, Mr. Eric and Mr. Gregory give the men a variety of elaborate and nutritious meals. They are also very conscientious. They check on other residents to see if they have special food needs, like a special medical diet, allergies, or religiously-based food restrictions. They've even put their talents together to create special, gigantic meals for Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl. These two residents spend their time making the shelter a more comfortable, homier place to be, and their help really makes a difference in the lives of other residents."

Things are Starting to Bloom at Project PLASE

2010-06-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

This spring, Project PLASE was awarded a Neighborhood Greening Grant to help beautify one of our permanent, supportive residences for formerly homeless individuals (made possible by the Parks & People Foundation, Cleaner Greener Baltimore Initiative, Baltimore Community Foundation, and the TKF Foundation!). It has been over two months since Johns Hopkins students, an AmeriCorps member, and PLASE staff planted the garden, and things are starting to bloom!

We are hoping to plan a clean up of the block where the building is located. If you are interested in getting involved, contact our Community Projects Coordinator by email at community@projectplase.org or 410-837-1400 x36.

Getting on the Right Track: Addressing Food-Insecurity in Baltimore

2010-05-20T10:53:00.001-04:00

Some neighborhoods in Baltimore can be considered veritable “food deserts" — areas dominated by fast food chains and with severely limited options for healthy eating. This lack of access to nutritious food, combined with economic and public health factors, has led many residents in the City to live in food-insecure environments. Studies by Johns Hopkins at homeless shelters and transitional houses in Baltimore suggest it is possible that obesity has supplanted nutritional deficiencies as the major “new malnutrition” of the homeless.

Last week, the Baltimore City Food Policy Task Force made citywide recommendations for a healthier Baltimore.

The top ten priority actions recommended by the Task Force:

1. Expand and Promote Farmers’ Markets

2. Expand and Promote Community Supported Agriculture

3. Support Continued Research on Food Deserts and Collaboration with Policymakers

4. Support a Central Kitchen Model for the Baltimore City Public School System

5. Support for Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture

6. Expand Supermarket Home Delivery Program

7. Improve the Food Environment around Schools and Recreation Centers

8. Support Street Vending of Healthy Foods

9. Create Healthy Food Zoning Requirements or Incentives

10. Develop a targeted marketing campaign to encourage Healthy Eating among all Baltimoreans

To read more about their report and the work that the City is doing to combat malnutrition in Baltimore, visit the city’s website. To help Project PLASE clients to access fresh fruits and veggies in our shelters, contact our Community Projects Coordinator to find out about volunteer opportunities.

Come Volunteer in the Garden

2010-05-17T16:56:00.000-04:00

Our next trip to Garden Harvest will be on Thursday, May 27th from 9:30am-1:30pm. Our trips to the Reisterstown farm are always an adventure. Last time, we saved some blackberry bushes, fed a baby lamb, weeded (not super adventurous but definitely good exercise!), and tried to corral a sick sheep.

If you want to volunteer, contact our Community Projects Coordinator at 410-837-1400 x36. Your work will go towards providing fresh fruits and veggies to the people living in Project PLASE's three transitional shelters.

Recycled Purses Fundraiser for Project PLASE

2010-05-10T12:55:00.002-04:00

This weekend, Project PLASE took part in a great Baltimore tradition--Flowermart. The two-day fair is the city's unofficial kick-off to spring with folks walking in the shadow of the Washington Monument with big hats, flowers, and lemon sticks.

2010 marked the 93rd anniversary of Flowermart and was the 4th year that we have had our 'Purses for PLASE' booth selling donated purses (think of it as recycling!). All of the $2,700+ raised will go directly to our programs to help Baltimore's homeless. We would like to thank all of the businesses, organizations, and individuals that made this year's booth the most successful yet!

If you have any gently used purses you would like to donate, please contact us at donate@projectplase.org.

Organic Gardening Has Started

2010-04-08T14:55:00.018-04:00

Saturday, April 3 was our first visit to the PLASE Garden Harvest plot. We had a great time tackling a pile of rocks, dividing up the farm’s fields, and preparing the soil for planting. Our work would have been impossible without the help of the community. We had volunteers come out from Public Ally, AmeriCorps, the US Air Force, JHU, and Project PLASE.

We are always in need of volunteers to help with the garden—the work we put in spring and summer will determine our harvest at the end of the season. Please contact our Community Projects Coordinator if you are interested in volunteering.

Flower Garden Launched!

2010-03-29T14:04:00.004-04:00

The Calverton Greening Project has been launched! Project PLASE staff, volunteers from Johns Hopkins, and an AmeriCorps*VISTA dedicated their Saturday to beginning a flower garden at the PLASE Calverton Street facility. The volunteers raked leaves, installed planters, mulched, and planted flowers. Thanks to everyone for coming out and making it all happened, and thanks again to the Parks & People Foundation, Cleaner Greener Baltimore, Baltimore Community Foundation, and the TKF Foundation for giving PLASE the grant that made this initiative possible.

PLASE Awarded Neighborhood Greening Grant

2010-03-26T15:15:00.002-04:00

Project PLASE was recently awarded a Neighborhood Greening grant from the Parks & People Foundation’s Community Grants Program. The grant will provide funding for our Calverton Apartments Greening Project. The project will bring greening/gardening to the block through the installation of a new flower garden and series of planters along the property line.

Through the beautification of Calverton Apartments, PLASE’s goal is to continue the efforts of the building’s Residential Manager to clean up the block. In turn, our hope is that the project will help to foster a greater sense of community and pride in the residents of Calverton Apartments, all of whom have experienced homelessness.

The Project PLASE Calverton Apartments provides affordable permanent housing for eight individuals. This program is geared towards persons who have a history of mental illness and can live independently but need the extra support from PLASE counselors to ensure both housing and personal stability.

Volunteers from Johns Hopkins and AmeriCorps will be starting work on the project this weekend. If you would like to volunteer to help maintain our garden, please contact PLASE’s Community Projects Coordinator.

Project PLASE would like to thank the Parks & People Foundation, Cleaner Greener Baltimore Initiative, Baltimore Community Foundation, and the TKF Foundation . Thanks to Stack Coordination for use of this image! for making this project possible! Also, thanks to Stack Coordination for the use of their image.

PLASE Gardening Efforts Highlighted in Local Blog

2010-03-09T11:35:00.000-05:00

Recently, Project PLASE was lucky to have fantastic local garden blog, Homestead Gardens, give us a shout out in an effort to help us recruit volunteers for our second year of organic gardening with Garden Harvest. Check out their post about us and then read up on their garden center (the largest enclosed garden center in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas!) and gardening tips. Thanks Homestead Gardens!

Help Our Garden Grow! We Need Volunteers!

2010-02-25T11:06:00.003-05:00

Project PLASE will soon begin our second year of organic gardening with Garden Harvest out in Reisterstown. Starting on Saturday, April 3 and continuing through November, PLASE staff, volunteers, and clients will be taking trips to the farm to plant, weed, and harvest. It's a great way to learn more about gardening, get out in the country, and get some exercise! This year we'll grow cabbage, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Transportation can be arranged.

Garden Prep & Planting Volunteer Descriptions:
Dates: April – May (4/3. 4/9, 5/1, 5/5)
Number of Volunteers Needed: 5+
Number of Hours: 8AM-2PM (or if you arrange your own ride, you can arrive at site by 9AM)
Activities: Clean out debris from last year’s plot; weed; till and hoe; compost/fertilize; prepare rows for planting and PLANT!
Contact Info: If you are interested in volunteering, contact our Community Projects Coordinator at 410-837-1400 x36.

Project PLASE on ABC 2's Good Morning Maryland @ 9

2010-01-20T11:33:00.004-05:00

On MLK Day, Project PLASE's co-founder and current Executive Director, Mary Slicher, went on Good Morning Maryland @ 9 to talk about homelessness and Project PLASE.

In the beginning...

2010-01-15T13:36:00.006-05:00

In Baltimore, health problems are the leading factor contributing to homelessness according to the city’s homeless census. Many of the people we serve at Project PLASE are living with serious physical health problems such as diabetes, physical disabilities, chronic pain, & HIV/AIDS (almost 70% of our clients are living with HIV or AIDS). As part of our services, we provide 3 meals a day for the residents of our transitional shelters (up to 62 people at a given time), & given our residents’ health concerns, good nutrition is an essential part of our meal planning.

Project PLASE allies with many wonderful local food banks to acquire food for our shelters. While this food is a major blessing, it can oftentimes be hard for us to get high quality fresh produce. To help bridge this gap in our residents’ diet, last spring, Project PLASE entered into a partnership with Garden Harvest. Garden Harvest is a grassroots nonprofit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger & improve the nutrition of economically disadvantaged citizens.

It was our very first major gardening endeavor and it was a huge success. The folks at Garden Harvest generously gave us a plot on their farm to grow organic veggies for our residents. They provided the tools & know-how to make our garden grow. From March through November, we made a lot of trips out to the country to tend our plot. From the farm, we received fresh pears, Roma tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and eggs.

The experience of having residents, staff, and volunteers working together outside of our normal environment was really liberating and brought those who participated closer together.

Planning for our 2010 garden is in the works!