In the past two months, AMS employees have gone into their bank accounts and contributed generously to make both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays better for local families. Churches and organizations across Los Angeles contributed as well, as people have become aware of the ‘new poverty’ brought about by job losses and the COVID-19 illness and lockdowns.
News in December reported that Byonce was donating $5000 grants to people facing foreclosure. Reports a few weeks earlier pointed to lines of cars five miles long in Atlanta waiting to receive food donations from Tyler Perry Studios. We even watched Russell Brand on YouTube, working at a food bank and delivering bags of groceries in order to bring attention to an emerging crisis.
In order to understand the impact of the pandemic, we looked into one of the oldest, and most consistent caretakers of the poor and homeless – the wonderful Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen in New York City. The Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen has been around since 1982 in Chelsea on 9th Avenue and West 28th Street. We were fortunate to be able to interview a long-time volunteer with Holy Apostles, Donna Lamb.
Donna told us that they started seeing changes back in February when volunteers felt that they needed to stay at home due to the virus. The Kitchen had to suspend the volunteer program and employ staff, while asking administrators to pitch in on the floor. Employing chefs turned out well and things kept going.
Although the pandemic brought an end to indoor dining and many of the social services, the soup kitchen continued to provide hot meals for the people. Their Backpack Pantry Program provided food for soup kitchen guests, neighborhood children, and families with little access to food or the means to cook meals at home.
Donna explained that in the previous year they provided food for around 840 meals a week. In November of 2020 they provided enough food to prepare about 30,000 meals a week. This is a 3500 percent increase.
She said, “It has given me such joy, over the years, to volunteer at Holy Apostles. 2020 has brought such huge changes, but we have managed. What can we anticipate in 2021? I know that soup kitchens and pantries will need resources and I encourage everyone who can, to donate to an organization that serves the homeless or to a pantry that serves all who have need.”
For those who are doing well financially and not in need of food assistance or a stimulus, we hope you’re inspired to respond to the ‘new poverty’ and donate to meet increasing food and housing needs in 2021.
Happy New Year!!! Let’s make it beautiful.
Please enjoy an article from Grist.org: What California’s farmworkers can teach us during a season of giving.
Each year AMS says Happy Holidays to its clients with a gift of sweets or cookies for everyone in their office to enjoy. It has been an enjoyable tradition. But this year offices are not the same with so many working from home. This year we also have a deeper appreciation for our clients in that we have met the challenges together! We have climbed mountains together!!
At AMS we have some mighty fine employees and when one of our own brings our attention to a special story, we love to re-tell it right here – so here goes!!
In past years, during the Holiday Season, AMS employees could be seen buying and wrapping gifts for children and young people who participate in the Val Verde Youth Activity League. The gift-giving is something the employees have made into a tradition, and it is a very much enjoyed tradition by all who participate. AMS President, Betty-Lou Wiseman, is in charge of the program, and Erica Martinez, Account Management, organizes a team, and works on the fundraising. Through this, a lot of AMS employees are able to enjoy the experience of giving to children who have might need a bit of extra love.
The year 2020 has been life-changing, and we have all been taking safety measures as best we can. Warehouses and fulfillment companies have come under a special kind of pressure. A working supply chain is vital to the lives of American citizens and therefore fulfillment companies are essential businesses in this rapidly adjusting world. Safety from a very contagious virus went quickly to the top of warehouse safety concerns.
This week’s offering in our B Corporation series features the theme of Giving Back to the community. In the past we have published blogs about how AMS Fulfillment gives back to the community through volunteering, donating, serving on Boards and so forth. We know from long experience how giving back is beneficial for the community and for ourselves. This week we will talk about how AMS encourages employees in their support of non-profits.
For the tenth year in a row, AMS employees have reached in their pockets and donated full Thanksgiving dinners to SCV families in need. This year is an exceptional one for all due to the effects of the COVID pandemic and the resulting hardships on families.
Valencia, CA, November 20, 2020 – This Thanksgiving marks the tenth year that AMS employees have joined with the Val Verde Sheriff’s Youth Activity League (YAL) to provide Thanksgiving meals to families in need. The families are participants in the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station YAL ‘Adopt a Family’ program.
