Kroger card fundraiser continues!

TBP compassion team supporters,

TBP’s fundraising opportunity using the Kroger Fundraising Gift Cards continues! If you shop at Kroger, this should be really easy! Here’s how you can help TBP meet some needs in our community:

1. If you don’t already have one, you may acquire a gift card from Linda Edwards (772-1628) or Becky Lloyd (952-8912).

2. Load (recharge) your gift card – either at guest services or at the register inside the store. NOTE: If you recharge your card at the register and use your card to pay for your purchases, please ask the cashier to recharge the card BEFORE your purchases are rung. The gift card recharge must be done as a SEPARATE TRANSACTION. The maximum recharge amount is $500.

3. You can purchase all merchandise from Kroger including fuel and prescriptions! (Exceptions are services – money orders, Western Union, postage stamps, lottery tickets, or another Kroger gift card.)

4. If you let your card reach a zero balance, and it remains there for 90 days, the card will expire. Once it expires, it will then need to be replaced with a new card from Linda. An expired card cannot be re-activated. So, don’t let your card reach a zero balance. Please keep money loaded on your card. But, be careful. Once you load your card with money, don’t lose it. It’s like walking around with cash.

Once TBP account reaches $5000 in charges, we’ll receive a 5% rebate in the form of a check. It’s a win-win situation. Supporters of TBP can pick up groceries, prescriptions and buy gas and TBP receives funds to help those in need with beds and others necessities. (And, Kroger doesn’t do too badly, either.) Last year we received close to $2000.00. That’s almost 3 full sets of bunk beds…that’s 6 children off the floor!

Thank you in advance for helping us help others!

The Bed Project Team

Field Trip Time!

Meet at my place at 7:00 pm this Thursday.  We will visit a group that is part of the network of goodness.  Maybe we can make some beds for them.  They are on the front lines of helping the homeless.  Maybe we can learn something about ourselves and about where the Wind is blowing.

Post Reinforcement Pause

We trained rats in my college psych class to press a level for a food pellet.  After the rat pressed the lever and ate the food pellet, he would go stand in a corner and lick himself for a bit.  This is what is called the post reinforcement pause. 

TBP is in that post reinforcement pause mode.  We finished and delivered the beds for Sheree’s kids two weeks ago.  Now we can take a deep breath and (metaphorically) lick ourselves for a bit.  For us that means thinking a little more long term and working on the block building over at R Street Church.  We have the option of moving the shop over to that space, which would give us a lot more room.  We kind of like it where we are at, but maybe we need to dream a bit and try on some visions about what TBP would be able to do with more space.  Anybody got a vision we can try on?

Sheree’s delivery set for Thursday… come join us

The beds are done! Braelon and Beyoncea will be soundly sleeping Thursday evening.  Plans are to meet at Mark’s at the usual time (7:00pm) and head on over to Sheree’s. 

Sheree reluctantly told us that her car broke down and she’s having to walk (quite a ways) to work each day.  She wasn’t complaining… said it’s “just what she’s got to do right now.”  We believe it might be the transmission, but aren’t sure.  If you know anything about automotive repair work and would be willing to invest your time to see about getting Sheree’s car running again, please give Keith or Mark a call.

Leveraging Consumption

We just got a check from Krogers for $370.  That will buy the mattresses for Sheree’s kids that we will deliver today. 

Thanks to all of you who are using your cards!  If you would like a card, see Linda or Becky.

Posts Are In!

You can experience postio divina over on my blog www.edwardsmarkc.blogspot.com

Meeting Sheree and her kids

Just look at her BEAUTIFUL SMILE! Several of TBP team went to meet Sheree and her kids last Thursday night.  Sheree was happy to show off her home to us.  She’s been living in this apartment since October.  She is a graduate from the Women and Children First Shelter.  She knows she’s blessed to have a place to stay and for the furniture that she does have.  Sheree’s daughter Beyoncea (9) and her son Braelon (5) both share a room, but sleep on separate mattresses on the floor.  Sheree is hoping for better sleeping arrangements for her kids.  How can we help?  Got any ideas?

TBP plans Thurs, March 10

No building Thurs.  Instead, we will visit Sheree in Little Rock.  She has 2 kids (9 yr old daughter and 6 yr old son) who are both sleeping on mattresses on the floor.  They recently left the Women and Children First Shelter.  We will have the chance to listen to her story and let her hear ours.  We will decide if we should build her kids some beds.  Plan to meet at R Street Church at 7pm to drop in before we go.

Julie’s got a new bed!

 Last week we delivered Julie’s bed.  At a previous delivery she received beds for her two daughters and a couch.  She now has the needed furniture that DHS requires for her to get her girls back.  Julie’s made a lot of progress in the last several months.  Please pray that she continues to make good choices as she restores her family.

After Julie’s delivery, we headed over to the Angels of Mercy house where we delivered two single beds.  Jaye and Marcus have really done a fantastic job fixing up this 10 bedroom house to home kids.  We met Yolanda the new “house mom” and Marketa (who has just as much energy – if not more than – Jaye).  Marketa takes care of all the marketing/business outreach for Angels of Mercy.  AOM is blessed to have these two women join its ministry.

Next

We finished and delivered 6 beds recently.  We seemed to have just enough resources to get them done.  Now we are out of money and wood. 

Just as we got these done, another family that needs beds has come to our attention.  Once again we ask ourselves: What now?   

Who wants to go with us to meet with this new family and see what happens?