Dear VIV’s, (Very Important Volunteers),
First, I want to remind you all that our annual meeting is January 10, at 6:00pm. This meeting is where members of the board whose terms are expiring are up for revote and new members are voted on. Many of us on the board now are up for re-election because we were finishing out the term of someone else. Richard Hosking, Anna Cadmus, Jenn Lovell, Len Bates and I are all up for re-election. If you are interested in running for the board, please send an email to auntdotsplace@gmail.com, stating your interest in becoming a board member, a brief bio, and why you are interested in this position by January 9.
Secondly, I wanted to update you about our harm reduction kits. We get harm reduction kits from the state at no cost. We keep them in the annex, so clients can pick one up privately. These kits contain Narcan, Fentanyl strips, personal hygiene items and resources where people can get help with treatment and recovery. Generally, people who have a loved one who is an opiate user get these kits. The kits are being taken. We are on our second order of kits and have not had a single problem with them.
Fentanyl is a dangerous substance that is often added to powders (like cocaine), capsules, and pressed pills to make them look identical to prescription medicines such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Xanax. I would encourage you as a volunteer to pick up a kit if you know someone who might need it. I was thinking about if you had a big holiday gathering, and one person went into the bathroom to take what they thought was Xanax to reduce anxiety, they could die in your bathroom! Administering Narcan could save your family from a tragedy. It’s something to consider, hoping and expecting that you will never need it, but prepared just in case.
Thanks to the hard work of our Financial Committee, Aunt Dot’s Place now has a budget which the board voted on and passed this December. A budget is essential to help guide our financial decisions and is also required by some grant-making groups. One of the things we have learned from the budgeting process is that we are spending too much money on food purchases. The Board and the Food Committee are researching how we can spend less in this area. One possibility is to only have clients come twice a month rather than three times a month. We will keep you updated on this issue.
In the meantime, it is essential that volunteers who help clients shop, don’t allow clients to exceed the limits. We need to be equitable in how food is distributed. Somehow, you will need to be kind, respectful and firm.
Month of November Food Summary
- Purchased Food – $12,989
- Weight of Purchased Food – 8,609 pounds
- Donations from Food Drives – 2052 pounds
- Donations from Organizations – 2251 pounds
- Donations from Grocery Stores – 5042 pounds
Sincerely, Sue Miyamoto (Board President)