BPSOS Delivers Food and Direct Services to over 300 in Houston

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.

“Our clients 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, the Houston team has been looking for additional ways to alleviate households and provide direct services to families.”

The month of June has highlighted BPSOS Houston’s efforts to bring such activities and services to its clients, culminating in a recent collaboration between the branch’s two programs, DCMP and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). On June 24, 2010, staff from the DCMP and SSBG teams hosted a Community Services Fair at the Marcie L. Keys Activity Center in South Houston, a predominately low-income neighborhood where DCMP 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. More significantly, the teams partnered with the Houston Food Bank and St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church to deliver 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, DCMP 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. The Marcie L. Keys Activity Center was the perfect venue to empower our community with informational and useful resources.”

BPSOS and its volunteers successfully packaged nutritious items to clients that included bananas, grapes, bread, whole milk and yogurt. Families were also provided with cases of water bottles to combat the summer heat, and clorox bleach to supplement their household goods. In all, the team distributed over 5,000 pounds of food and non-perishable products.

The partnership with the Houston Food Pantry has already resulted in two previous successes, in the predominately Vietnamese community in Southwest Houston and Galveston, Texas.  The teams hope to follow up the event with additional community and outreach projects slated for the end of July and late-summer.

“Both DCMP and SSBG programs were designed to not only equip and empower the Gulf Coast communities with direct services and resources, but also to address unmet needs with compassion,” said Trish Nguyen, BPSOS Houston Senior Branch Manager. “The event and partnership with the Houston Food Bank serve as a wonderful reminder that we are sensitive to the challenges the community still faces, and are supportive of the recovery and rebuilding process.”