We wish to express our deepest appreciation to all who donated to our Annual Campaign this past fall. WE MADE OUR GOAL!!! For the FIRST TIME EVER we reached $50,000 with a little to spare. Our only annual fundraiser usually brings in around $44,000 - $48,000 and last year our campaign was at an all time low at $42,000.  So, what a wonderful suprise that this year was so successful due to your generosity. With an annual operating budget of around $135,000 this campaign gives us a great base to start 2011. Thank-you! We are so grateful to have such loyal and caring supporters.

John Seebach

It is with great sadness that we relay the news that our Advisory Board Member and dear friend, John Seebach passed away on January 22, 2011 at the age of 65. What a sad way to start the new year.

John became a volunteer right after he retired 4 years ago. He started out on Wednesdays and Thursdays as our "juice man" and over the next year became adept in the kitchen. His light spirit and warm smile became a staple for those two days as all who were around him were impressed by his genuine good nature. At some prodding he became a member of our Board of Directors two years ago. Last September he agreed to become an officer taking on the job of Vice President/Secretary.

John worked for the Department of Social Services in Child Protection for most of his career. He was a true advocate for the less fortunate, which he continued here as he volunteered at the kitchen.

Shortly after Christmas 2010, John was diagnosed with cancer. By the time they completed the tests, it was found throughout his entire body and he was actually in hospice the week before he passed.

He leaves his wife Mary, daughter Kate (Eric) , son Eric (Kara),  and many family members and friends.

We cannot tell you what a huge hole his absense has left in the kitchen and in our hearts. We pray for John, for his family, and for the kitchen as we struggle to transform into a new state of being without him. Our most gracious thanks to John for all he did to support this ministry and to his beautiful family who were truly inspiring to watch as they walked this very difficult road.

God Bless you John, Peace, Pray for us as we will for you.

Hello All,
As we have not had an assistent this past summer which made it difficult to keep up with our website. The Holidays followed and I am just now finding time to inform you of all that has been happening here at St. Peter's Kitchen.

We had a few guests accomplish some wonderful events. Marthea received a School Completion Certificate  and Abe received a Treatment Completion Certificate. They were so proud of their success, they wanted to share it with you.

Congratulations Marthea	Great Job Abe

We lost several guests this over the last six months. Five to murder. As many of you know, from our Annual Campaign Letter, Ulysses was one of those who was a regular here. We were deeply saddened by all of those who died, but especially Ulysses. He was a decent man with many issues that causes one to be homeless. He did not deserve to die in such a brutal manner. I went to the funeral to pay our respects and he had a beautiful son and daughter. Both grown and well respected. It's hard to understand why someone would need to live in such a way. We can only help in whatever way we can. Ulysses will be in our prayers and hearts forever.

Ulysses Miller - We will miss you.

Halloween was fun, we gave away "goodie bags".

Happy Halloween

Yeah Candy!

In November, we were able with a grant through Catholic Charities, to give out brand new ski gloves to everyone. This was a huge help and our guests were so grateful for the added warmth. Over 180 pairs of toasty warm gloves were dispersed. It was very much needed and very welcomed.

Pick out a nice pair!

Warm Hands, Warm Heart

Thanksgiving went very well. We had over 35 volunteers serve a "sit-down meal" to our guests. Vincent graced us with a beautiful song and all ate a great meal of turkey, homemade stuffing and mashed potato with gravy, squash, salad, cheese and crackers, pickles and olives, rolls with butter and to top it off, pumpkin and apple pie. Everyone left "full" not only by food, but by spirit also.

Vincent Shares a Song

Waiting for Turkey Dinner

This year for Christmas..we had our Children's Christmas Toy Store. Thank-you to all of those who donated the toys, especially Paychex who came through with over 100 items. We had several individuals who went out and bought toys on their own for the store. What would we do without you? Unfortunately our camera malfunctioned so we have no pictures of the actual event to share with you, but we served over 125 children. The parents came and picked out toys, hat and glove sets, stuffed animal and books for each of their children. It was wonderful and I have to especially thank Gina Muldonato and Nancy Goodman for their generous support in organizing and managing this yearly store. Thanks girls….great job!

Thank You Paychex Employee's

Our Christmas Gift this year was a reusable tote bag with our logo on it filled with deodorant, toilet tissue, toothpaste, hand warmers, lotion, body soap and dish soap. Our community loved it. We gave away over 170 bags. With those we have left over, we will use as birthday gifts thoughout the year as the items included are ones needed at the end of every month. Thank-you to all the Catholic Parishes and others who collected the items for the bags. We were overwhelmed by such generosity. We deeply appreciate your willingness and efforts to help our community have a wonderful Christmas.

Gifts for All	Merry Christmas
Santa Brings Out Smiles	Sprinkles of North Pole Snow

Lastly our Christmas Dinner was served on Christmas Eve Day. We had over 148 folks come for dinner and we had over 30 volunteers decorate, cook, prepare and serve our delicious Christmas meal. Thanks to the Holiday Outreach Organization for their yearly support for this meal and also to Foodlink, who helped us with turkeys and hams for the occasion. We served ham, turkey, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, salad, cheese and crackers, pickles and olives, rolls with butter. You may wonder about our menu, but this is a classic holiday meal for our community. Our dessert was a donation from one of our volunteer families of Sweet Potato Pies from John and Jonathans Bakery. Delicious!

Getting Ready	Fill Those Plates
Waiting Patiently	Content Smiles

Well, we are already one month through 2011. Our newsletter will be out in the Spring so watch for that if you are on our mailing list. If not please feel free to sign up. We only have two mailings a year. Our Campaign in the Fall and our newsletter in the Spring. You will not be overwhelmed by mailings if you choose to join our list and our list is private and does not go to any other organization.

Hopefully, we will be blogging more routinely to keep you well informed of our activities. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and together we do make a difference.