2011 – January

January  |  February  |  March  |  April  |  May  |  June  |  July  |  August  |  September  |  October  |  November  | December 

January 8 – Wheels of Sharing Mobile Food Pantry – Where? Paul Quinn Campus, 1020 Elm Street, Waco. When? Second Saturday of every month, 10 a.m. to noon. Free healthy food for your family! Get help applying for food stamps! For a flyer to post and share, click here: Wheels of sharing flyer.

 January 8 – Beyond the Backyard Garden Workshop: Planting a Winter Garden (Special MLK growing edition). 10am-12pm. At the World Hunger Relief Farm – 356 Spring Lake Road. To register, contact Bethel Erickson (vista@worldhungerrelief.org). For more information please visit: http://hotugc.org/projects/community-garden-training-series.

January 11 – Food Pantry Meeting – When? 1pm – 2pm. Where? Caritas of Waco, 300 South 15th St, Waco.  Caritas of Waco invites all local food pantry operators to join them in an open discussion, focusing on food needs within McLennan County. The aim of this event is to open the lines of communication between individual pantries, in hopes to better serve the community. Also to discussa possible county wide food drive for the spring. As we know during the summer donations drop but demand is very high. We would like to have everyone’s input and start planning for this drive as soon as possible. It would benefit all pantries. Please RSVP. For more information contact September Pinckney by phone at: 254-753-4593 or by email at september.caritas@gmail.com.

January 13 – McLennan County Hunger Coalition (MCHC) meeting – 11:45-1:00, Caritas of Waco Conference Room, 300 S. 15th. A coalition of representatives of food pantries, feeding programs, governmental agencies, faith-based organizations, businesses, and interested individuals committed to solving the problems of food insecurity and hunger in the local area, the MCHC meets monthly, usually on the second Thursday of each month. Anyone who has an interest is welcome. For more information contact Esther Morales at 753-3545 or foodoutreach@grandecom.net.

January 13 – Spring Training Extravaganza benefitting Youth Programs at Campfire USA – When? 7:00 p.m. Where? Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Featuring Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins and Billy Brewer, Andy Hawkins, Stan Hough, Craig McMurtry, Donnie Sadler, Beamer Weems, Kevin Russo and Pat Zachry. $25.00 Entrance Fee includes autographs, food and silent auction. For tickets visit www.campfiretejas.org  or call 752-5515. For a flyer to post or share, click here: Spring Training Extravaganza flyer.

January 13 and 26 – Volunteer Training for Project Homeless Connect – Project Homeless Connect 2011 is coming up quickly (January 27). All indications are that we will serve a record number of homeless this year. The Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition and PHC organizers would appreciate your assistance this year as well. We are seeking 150 volunteers to help escort homeless individuals through the event. There will be two volunteer trainings held before Project Homeless Connect. It would be ideal if all of the volunteers could attend at least one of the trainings.

• Training 1: January 13, 2011, 7:30 PM, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, 101 S. 3rd Street, Waco, TX
• Training 2: January 26, 2011, 8:00 PM, location of training TBD

The Project Homeless Connect event will be held January 27, 8 am to Noon, at the Salvation Army (I-35 and S. 13th St.) Lunch will be provided for volunteeers.  Please let Alexis Weaver know if you would be willing to volunteer this year and if you plan to stay for lunch!  (If you are willing to recruit other volunteers, please also let her know.) For more information please contact Alexis Weaver by email at aweaver@wacochamber.com  or by phone at (254)757-5630.

January 15 – Wheels of Sharing Mobile Food Pantry at The Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry –  When? 10 am to 12 noon. Where? 1401 N. 34th Street – Wheels of Sharing will be at the Shepherd’s Heart Pantry the third Saturday of every month. Food distributed. Get help with food stamps. For more information contact Charles Middlebrooks by email at shepherds.heart@yahoo.com  or by phone at 254-715-9787. For a flyer to distribute, click here: Mobile Food Pantry – Shepherd’s Heart.

January 17 – 20 – Christian Women’s Job Corps Potential Participant Interviews. –  Christian Women’s Job Corps offers an opportunity to grow from dependency to self-sufficiency. Classes are 14 weeks and meet from 9:00 am to 2:30, Monday through Friday. The next class will begin on January 31, 2011 and will graduate on May 5, 2011. For more information, click here: www.cwjcwaco.org/participate . To receive an application and schedule an interview, contact Elaine George at 757-0416.

January 17 – Baylor University Community Garden Groundbreaking – When? 12:00 – 3:00 Where? 9th and Bagby, Waco –  Please join us for the Baylor Community Garden groundbreaking and dedication. Lunch starts at 12:30. Dedication at 1:30 with Ken Starr, President of Baylor. 12:00 – 3:00 Art, nutrition, construction of raised beds. For a flyer, click here: Baylor Garden Groundbreaking. For more information visit www.baylor.edu/campuskitchen. Rain location for this event will be the First Floor of the Bill Daniels Student Center (5th and M.P. Daniel Esplanade.)

January 17 –Mission Waco MLK Program and “Day of Service.”  Each year, Mission Work does NOT get MLK Day off. Why? Because we think King’s efforts to overcome racial (and economic) prejudice is still an unfinished task that demands effort and discussion. This year’s program will include both morning and afternoon community “work projects,” a time for lunch at the World Cup Café with a guest you choose, and then a program in Jubilee Theatre focusing on the history of Civil Rights, a panel discussion with four community leaders, and a special presentation. McLennan Community College is partnering with us this year! You are welcome to any or all of the day’s activities. For more information check www.missionwaco.org or call 254-753-4900.

January 17 – MLK Day of Service. 12-3pm. At Gardens around the City. Contact Bethel Erickson (vista@worldhungerrelief.org) for more information. For a list of garden sites please visit: http://hotugc.org/mission/gardens-in-the-city .  

January 18 – April 15 – Free income tax preparation.  For a list of AARP tax prep sites and contact information, click here: Free AARP tax prep sites.

January 20 – Urban Gardening Coalition Monthly Meeting/MLK review meeting. Time: 6pm. Place: TBA. For more info about the Urban Gardening Coalition, contact Bethel Erickson at vista@worldhungerrelief.org  or cell: 773-494-3613. Or visit the website: http://hotugc.org

January 20 –Jubilee Theater “Songwriters Circle” -7:00pm Acoustic Music Series, Hosted monthly by The Ermoian Brothers” $5. For more information check www.jubileetheatre-waco.org  or call 254-753-4900.

January 21 – Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition Meeting. Time: Lunch at 11:45 AM, meeting starts at Noon. Place: Salvation Army at Salvation Army on South 13th and I-35. Cost: No cost to attend. Join us to stay involved with what is going on in Central Texas to serve the homeless. Lunch will be provided. To reserve a meal, please RSVP to H.C.user@hotmail.com  3-7 days in advance.

January 22 – Christian Women’s Job Corps Journey Partner Training – 9:00 am to 12 noon at the CWJC Center, 1111 Herring (On the Methodist Children’s Home campus). With each new class, we need Journey Partners. Come learn what is involved in being a CWJC Journey Partner. For additional information about CWJC, please visit www.cwjcwaco.org . For additional information or to register for the training, contact Elaine George or Pam Mohundro at 757-0416.

January 22 – Cultural Foods and Dance Night at the Jubilee Center. When? 6:00 – 7:45. Where? Jubilee center, 1319 N. 15th street. For only $10, you can eat foods from around the world, then go inside the Jubilee Theatre to watch South Asian, Ethiopian, Colombian, Mexican and other dances. It will be a tasty and fun night of global culture. Tickets on sale now at the office (1315 N. 15th) or online at www.jubileetheatre-waco.org. For more information check www.jubileetheatre-waco.org  or call 254-753-4900.

January 23 – Barbeque lunch and bake sale benefitting CareNet of Waco – Where? Waco High School Cafeteria, 2020 N. 42nd Street, Waco. When? 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations accepted at the door. For more information call 254-772-8270. For a flyer to post and share, click here: CareNet Barbeque flyer.

January 25 – Heart of Texas Crop Walk for Hunger  Steering Committee meeting. Time: 5:30 pm. Place: Seeds of Hope office at 7th & James Baptist Church, 602 James (call  Katie Cook at 755-7745 or email seedseditor@clearwire.net  for directions) Join us to help plan the 2011 Waco CROP Hunger Walk, set for October. Three-fourths of the proceeds from the walk will go to Church World Service (CWS)  a world-wide relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry. One-fourth of the proceeds will go to Caritas of Waco . For more information, call or email Katie Cook.  To visit the Crop Walk website, click here: Waco CROP walk. 

January 27 – Project Homeless Connect.  When? 8 am to 12 noon. Where? Salvation Army (I-35 at S. 13th St.). Project Homeless Connect is an opportunity for individuals in homelessness or in a state of poverty to come to a central location that will feature many local service providers. Services such as medical attention, dental attention, job skills, training opportunities, veterans’ services, haircuts, even pet services from the Animal Birth Control Clinic will be available. Project Homeless Connect is an excellent outreach opportunity for your agency to connect services and benefits to the homeless community in Waco. Along with representatives who can assist clients by providing general information, filling out enrollment forms, referrals to other agencies, etc…, please bring brochures and information concerning your agency and the services you provide. We expect 100-150 homeless persons to attend this event. All agencies are encouraged to stay until the event concludes at 12:00 p.m. A brief meeting will be held at approximately 12:30 p.m. to discuss the event and plan for next year.  For more information please contact Kevin Allen by email at H.C.User@Hotmail.com or by phone at 254-297-7733

January 27– Waco Habitat for Humanity Information Meeting (English) – Waco Habitat for Humanity is holding application information meetings for those interested in learning more about owning a Habitat home. Habitat for Humanity makes homeownership possible for low and very low-income persons. Meetings are held at the Waco Habitat for Humanity Office at the corner of 11th and Columbus downtown Waco, 220 N. 11th St. at 7 p.m. You must attend an informational meeting as the first step in applying for the program. For a flyer with additional information meeting dates click here: Habitat Information Meetings Schedule. For more information please contact us at 254-756-7575, info@wacohabitat.org  or visit us online at www.wacohabitat.org. Habitat for Humanity is an Equal Housing Opportunity Lender.

January 27 – 28 – Care Net Volunteer Training - When? from 9-3. Where?  at 4700 W. Waco Drive. For further information, please contact Stella Turrubiartez at 772-6175 or stella@carenetofcentraltexas.org.

January 28 – Lecture and discussion with JC Dwyer, Policy Director for the Texas Food Bank Network on national and state-based food policy. When? 11 – noon. Where? Baylor School of Social Work, 811 Washington Room 212. JC Dwyer has worked with anti-hunger groups as small as Food Not Bombs and as large as the United Nations. For five years, JC worked closely with well-known anti-hunger advocate Joel Berg and author Janet Poppendieck in New York City. During this time he also taught social welfare policy as an adjunct professor at Hunter College, and co-authored a chapter of the book “Gastropolis: Food in New York City” with Poppendieck. In his current position as State Policy Director for the Texas Food Bank Network, JC provides advocacy, research and policy expertise to nineteen food banks across Texas. Most recently, JC was honored to win the 2010 national Goodzuma Challenge for best new idea to end hunger for his work on the Texas “food gap calculator.”

January 28 – Art Show Opening:-“Valle Nuevo” featuring Mark Menjivar. Show will run from January 28 through March 20 at the Art Center of Waco, 1300 College Drive. A photographic project documenting the rural community of Valle Nuevo, the show is sponsored by the Art Center of Waco and World Hunger Relief Inc. Opening will be January 28 from 6-9 pm with remarks at 7:00. Gallery hours: Saturday through Tuesday 10:00 – 5:00, Sundays 1-5. Click here for a postcard with more information: Valle Nuevo post card.

January 28 – Foxfire Friday – Rootbeer Brewing with Gabe the Lost Boy. Location/Time TBD. Contact Bethel Erickson (vista@worldhungerrelief.org) for more information. For more information visit: http://hotugc.org/projects/foxfire-fridays.

January 30 – Once Upon a Prom – 1:00 – 3:00 at the Phoenix Ballroom, 401 S. Third, Waco.  See the lates in prom fashions.  runway show provided by Georgio’s, David’s Bridal, Joann’s Bridal & Vanessa’s Boutique.  Advanced tickets: $8, at the door $10, reserved fron row seat: $20.   Door prizes and Prom package giveaway for one lucky winner. “Once Upon a Prom” is a beautiful event that helps provide prom dresses and scholarships for young ladies who might not otherwise be able to afford them. For more information see the stores, visit the website: www.onceuponapromwaco.com, or call 254-379-1378.

January 30 – Children in Poverty Workshop –  When? 3pm. Where? Wesley United Methodist Church, 125 Turner Street, Waco.  –  Waco District Student Leadership Team of the United Methodist Church and Wesley UMC will offer a workshop on Children in Poverty presented by Kristina Garrison of Baylor School of Social Work.  This will be a great workshop where we will gain insight and understanding into this population we are all called to serve. A fellowship meal will be served after the workshop. For more information call Valda Jean Combs at 817.262.0167. You’re invited!