- Pin it
- SubscribeUnsubscribe
- Embed
Doug Temple hasn't added a story.
Mary Helen Temple passed away on November 8, 2013 after a brief fight with cancer. She was just 68 years old. Mom was diagnosed only 2 months prior to her passing. She was the perfect mom, wife, sister, friend, companion and role model. Mom encouraged everyone she knew to do their best, try new things and experience life’s little pleasures. Mom deeply cared for her family, friends, animals, and those in the community. Before her passing mom made it clear to her family that she believed is Jesus Christ and this was not the end. "I will see you again, but will really miss you" she said softly from her bed in the hospital. Even as she lay in the hospital Mom was more concerned with how everyone else was going to cope and deal with her passing than she was about herself. Simply said, mom loved! Many friends, family and individuals from within the community have wanted to pay their condolences and have asked how they can help. You can help! Keep the memory of Mary, your mom, or anyone you have known who has been affected by cancer alive by paying it forward and helping another individual through a donation to the East Side Soup Kitchen. The Soup Kitchen feeds hundreds of people a day, offers important medical services, and provides the love we all deserve.
“Your mother is always with you. She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She’s the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick, the fragrance of life itself. She’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not feeling well. She’s your breath in the air on a cold winter’s day. She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow: she is Christmas morning. Your mother lives inside your laughter. She’s the place you came from, your first home, and she’s the map you follow with every step you take. She’s your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you not time, not space….not even death” - UNKNOWN
East Side Soup Kitchen History
In 1979, Pastor Sam Griffin and his wife, Audrey, realized there was a need for a soup kitchen in their east-side Saginaw neighborhood. It was during one of our automobile industry downturns and consequently, high unemployment among other needs. Serving from the basement of their church, the East Side Soup Kitchen began in January of 1980 by feeding 15 people for lunch. It obviously served an immense need that is still growing. In 2007, we are averaging over 300 lunchtime meals per day in the Kitchen Monday through Friday.
In 1994, another realization became evident to us. We were fortunate enough to have several after-school latch-key programs in the city. But from the time the children left school at 3:00 p.m. until the time they returned home between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m., the kids were really hungry. Consequently, our After School Meal Program was initiated. Currently, that adds about 405 meals that are served at the after school sites every school day.
We serve people from many walks of life: senior citizens on a fixed income, people with mental and physical disabilities that make it impossible for them to work, the working poor and homeless men, women and children. The people we serve come basically from the East Side of the City of Saginaw but are not limited to that population.
As one can imagine, a program this size takes a heavy toll on the facilities that we use for our food preparation and serving because they were not designed to handle this load. We started out in the basement of First Christian Church, moved to the basement of Sacred Heart Church, and then to the basement at Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church. The congregations were always very supportive of our mission, but we kept out-growing their facilities.
In the fall of 2002, in collaboration with Hidden Harvest, a food-rescue agency, we partnered to raise funds and build a new handicap accessible facility staying within the neighborhood where there is the greatest need. The community and foundations were very supportive and we moved into our current location in October of 2005 finally out of the basement!!
Raising funds to operate the East Side Soup Kitchen is always challenging and the need ever expanding. We rely on contributions from individuals, churches, businesses and organizations for our funding. The only government money we receive is a portion of the Saginaw County FEMA grant which is about 3% of our budget (and always subject to adjustment depending on FEMA's over-all national needs). We also write for grants from foundations and put on fundraisers.
Our Board of Directors consists of 18 members from throughout the community and meets 11 times per year. The Soup Kitchen employs 3 full-time and 4 part-time employees and depends on another 10 to 15 volunteers and community service workers per day to run the operation. The 3 full-time employees have a total of 61 years of service to this organization.
The Soup Kitchen is also home to a free weekly medical clinic for people with no insurance. This service is provided through Healthy Futures in conjunction with St. Mary's of Michigan. It is a wonderful service to our people who would not otherwise have access to medical treatment. The clinic is staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses.
Eye care is provided to people with no insurance once a month by the Andersen Eye Foundation. People are able to receive eye exams and glasses as needed.
We strongly believe in partnerships with other agencies, etc. to accomplish tasks presented to us. We try not to duplicate services but to provide what is needed to help people improve their lives. We also write for grants from foundations and put on fundraisers.
The Soup Kitchen strives to provide a nutritious meal for all who come to our doors and to the children at the After-School Centers.
We try to make it a pleasant place and a safe place for people to come. We are, in a sense,… a family.
Highlights
See all activity6Activity
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.