Joint Service Effort Brings Food and Direct Services to over 300

By Amy Nguyen

For many, summer has traditionally signified a season for traveling, celebrating and family gatherings. In the nearly two years since Hurricane Ike, however, many of these pastimes have been curtailed, thanks to a difficult economy, and priorities for many to rebuild their lives after the storm.

“Many in our community have faced extraordinary challenges in the two years since Hurricane Ike, from repairing their homes and supplementing their incomes, to prioritizing their health and securing employment,” said An-Phong Vo, BPSOS Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) Director. “With school out for the summer, we decided to boost up our efforts to alleviate households and provide direct services to families.”

On June 24, 2010, BPSOS Houston staff hosted a Community Services Fair at the Marcie L. Keys Activity Center in South Houston, a predominately low-income neighborhood where BPSOS disaster case managers have been providing recovery services. Close to 350 clients were equipped with information on hurricane preparedness, legal aid, health services and prevention, and employment education. In partnership with Houston Food Bank and St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church, the team also delivered ten pallets of food to over 120 households.

“Both Vi Nguyen, Program Coordinator and Judy Hong, Case Manager, were pivotal in making this community event a success,” said Belai Andarge, Disaster Case Management Program Manager. “Judy identified clients in South Houston who faced various challenges in accessing the programs at our office, and contacted local churches to bring the services closer to families.”

In all, the team distributed over 5,000 pounds of food and non-perishable products. The event, following two previous successes in the predominately Vietnamese community in Southwest Houston and Galveston, Texas, highlights the successful partnership between BPSOS and the Houston Food Pantry. The teams hope to follow up the event with additional community and outreach projects slated for the end of July and late-summer.

“Our service to the community was made possible by the DCMP and Social Services Block Grand (SSBG) programs which are designed to not only to address unmet needs but also equip and empower the Gulf Coast communities with additional resources and new strategic collaboration among service providers,” said Trish Nguyen, BPSOS Houston Senior Branch Manager. “As we continue addressing the challenges our community still faces, combining strengths with other service providers is key to our community recovery and rebuilding success.”

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