May Faith and Community Based Services Newsletter

FROM THE FCBS COORDINATOR

Last week at dinner, my 16-year-old son asked me what it is I ACTUALLY do in my new job. Apparently my past responses to his inquiries in which I told him I meet with people across Montana did not satisfy his intrigue. So, this time I took the opportunity to dive further with my response. I gave him an example of meeting with a faith based treatment facility who asked about volunteer opportunities for their residents such as yard work or gardening for elderly. I had another organization articulate a need for faith communities interested in helping with a bedroom update for a newly acquired facility to house survivors of human trafficking. And in a third community, a pastor asked what messaging he should use in a memorial service for a community member who had completed suicide to avoid blame and encourage those struggling to seek help. In summary, my role is to find out what churches and community organizations need, and then help connect them to the resources they need. This answer must have sufficed, because the next question he asked was if he could go to his friend's house.

Do you have a program or activity you would like to implement, but need resources, ideas or volunteers? Do you have a question about a health related topic impacting your community and need resources? Reach out and let me know how I can help you find and connect with the resources you need to carry out your human service missions.

Finally, please note, all information, resources and links shared in this newsletter and on the website can be copied and used in your own communications with your congregations and organizations. The contents of this publication serve as a tool for each of you to serve the people in your communities.  

Contact

Tracy Moseman
Faith and Community Based Services Coordinator
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
(406) 202-9465
tracy.moseman@mt.gov

UPCOMING EVENTS

DPHHS to Provide Legal Document Clinics April Through September for Elderly Estate Planning

According to DPHHS experts, a major reason for senior exploitation in Montana is the lack of knowledge of estate planning documents like Powers of Attorney (POAs), guardianships, living wills and health directives.

As a result, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) announced  its annual Kelly Moorse Memorial Legal Document Clinic schedule for 2022 will include stops in Frenchtown, Thompson Falls, Butte, and Baker. The clinics are provided by the DPHHS Legal Services Developer Program. The DPHHS Legal Services Developer Program serves older adults aged 60 and older, enrolled Tribal members and adults with disabilities. At the clinics, legal professionals volunteer to assist participants in completing their estate planning documents, and assist older adults draft, review, notarize and copy each document.

The clinics are comprised of a one-day training session for community members to learn how to screen for senior exploitation, and, on the second day, a clinic is held where trained legal professionals assist senior participants in completing their estate planning documents at no cost. 

Visit the full press release here.  

IN THE NEWS

SNAP, TANF Clients Can Now Make Purchases Online at Walmart.com

Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) announced  Montanans eligible for food and cash assistance can now make purchases online through Walmart.com as part of a federal nationwide initiative to increase access.

“We are excited to be able to offer this convenient method of shopping to Montana families,” Meier said. “While Walmart is our initial launch, we will work on expanding this program with additional online retailers in the future.”

Thousands of households receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) using their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to purchase eligible items at businesses across the state.  Montana expects Amazon to accept Montana EBT cards very soon with other online retailers being available in upcoming months.  A current list of online retailers accepting Montana EBT cards can be found here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/online-purchasing-pilot.

FAITH AND COMMUNITY
IN ACTION

Cultivating a Garden of Hope  
by Monica Edgar

In 2015, Fr. Richard Francesco, pastor of Saint Mary Catholic Community, met with parishioners Helen and Joe Beausoleil about building a garden behind the church. His hope was that people in the neighborhood, who did not have yards, would be able to garden there. Helen and Joe were excited at the possibility and went to visit the garden of Plymouth Congregational Church as well as five or six other gardens that were a part of Helena Community Gardens. Joe then designed a plan for a 100-foot by 100-foot garden (later expanded by 8,000 feet) and presented it to Fr. Richard and the Helena Community Gardens in February 2016. 

A key ingredient to making the garden happen was the Maintenance Committee at St Mary’s. These twelve individuals worked at building the garden for two full days each week until the Jubilee Garden’s opening on May 15, 2016. Their areas of expertise included carpentry, plumbing and construction. They also contacted local businesses for donations and discounts for materials for the garden. This helped offset the garden’s costs tremendously. The Maintenance Committee, in order to conserve water, drilled a separate well for the garden, which is on a drip system with sixty different water spigots, all on timers.

The Jubilee Garden is maintained by the work of thirty plus parishioners, who do everything from planting to making their own compost. Its soil is extremely fertile, and it is an organic garden. During harvest season, Harvest Days are held on Sundays and Tuesdays. Families and individuals come to help harvest and pack up some of the crops from a couple of the larger plots for Helena Food Share. This past year, the Jubilee Garden donated over three tons of produce. Parishioners Nina Heinzinger and Dave Krainacker help facilitate the relationship between the garden and Food Share.

There are over forty plots in the garden at present. While individuals are charged per plot to help with the maintenance fees, no one has ever been refused from the garden due to their inability to pay. Some of the garden plots are also wheelchair accessible, having a solid pressure-treated pine flooring and raised beds.

The garden, in addition to helping the local Helena community, has also taken on a life of its own for the parishioners of Saint Mary Community. Frequently in the spring and summer, one can find prayer groups or other committees meeting in the picnic table area. The Grief Ministry group held at Saint Mary invites loved ones to plant flowers in a specific bed in the garden in memory of those who have passed away.  Also, individuals use the prayer path, the Jubilee Walk, around the garden which includes texts from the Prayer of Saint Francis, as well as the Beautitudes. 

Joe Beausoleil is very excited at what the garden has become and sees it as a place where “everyone helps one another.” He would be happy to help assist others with starting up a garden in their church and can be reached via phone at 406-431-3158 or e-mail at jbeausoleil@mt.net.