FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 7, 2010) – Sarah Owen, CEO of Community Cooperative Ministries Inc., shares definite similarities with the Energizer Bunny^® and the folks at Energizer have agreed. Owen has been named one of the top 10 finalists in the 2010 Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame.

The Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame was created so there would be a place where extraordinary stories of everyday people can live and Energizer could honor those who match the enthusiasm and passion of the Energizer Bunny^®. The Hall of Fame recognizes perseverance, boundless energy and a never-quit spirit. The top 10 were chosen from a field of several hundred nominations.

According to Energizer, every one of the 100 semifinalists has proven to be an incredible individual with an even more incredible story. Owen’s inspirational story is posted on the Energizer Hall of Fame website at http://www.energizerkeepgoinghalloffame.com/2010Finalists.aspx. Visitors can cast a vote once per day between now and August 20 to help determine the 2010 Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame inductee. Each vote will donate $1 to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, up to $10,000.

The top 10 finalists will each receive a flip video camcorder to help in their campaign efforts to become the 2010 Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame inductee. The winner of the 2010 search will receive a $10,000 cash prize for themselves and an additional $5,000 donation for their charity of choice. The inductee will also be honored at a very special awards ceremony in St. Louis with National Baseball Hall of Famer and Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame member, Cal Ripken Jr.

Owen keeps going and going to fight homelessness and hunger in Southwest Florida. She has developed innovative solutions for the new hungry and newly struggling in our community.

“I am extremely honored to be named a top 10 finalist,” said Owen. “I would love to win the prize for CCMI and all the other hunger fighters out there who are working to end suffering in our community.”

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantry that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, visit www.energizerkeepgoinghalloffame.com.

Mobile Food Pantry rolls into Cape Coral United Way House on Friday, July 9 at 10 a.m.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 7, 2010) – Last summer Community Cooperative Ministries Inc. along with a team of community partner agencies, fed more than 20,000 hungry individuals across Southwest Florida through its mobile food pantry. This summer, the mobile food pantry is once again being utilized to feed the hungry in our area at a different location each Friday.

Free Food Fridays will give local hungry families an opportunity to receive social services and food from CCMI at a location in the community. The six week program will make its Cape Coral stop on Friday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cape Coral United Way House, located at 1105 Cultural Park Blvd.

Named “Miss Mavis” after Fort Myers’ local Mavis Miller who donated the first $1,000 toward the mobile program, the pantry is a donated beverage delivery tractor-trailer that has been converted into a rolling distribution center. The 34-foot-long trailer has sliding doors on both sides and has been installed with racks to help distribute the canned items more easily. The truck has already made weekly stops in Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers Beach and will also visit Alva, Harlem Heights and Pine Island in coming weeks.

“There is a whole middle class portion of our community who are now food insecure but we are not reaching them either because of the stigma attached to the traditional soup kitchen or our services are not available when and where they can easily access them,” said Sarah Owen, CEO of CCMI. “Free Food Fridays is our gateway to not only provide food to those who need it, but more importantly empower them with tools for long-term sustainability including job training programs, food assistance, scholarship opportunities, budgeting classes and support groups.”

CCMI is partnering with United Way 211, Harry Chapin Food Bank, The Salvation Army, Department of Children and Families ACCESS program and neighborhood agencies in providing food and services for Free Food Fridays.

According to Owen, the emergency food is available to families in Cape Coral with children. Volunteers will be on hand to help hungry families choose a selection of food available from the mobile pantry including canned items, pasta, snacks and seasonal fresh produce that their children will eat.

In a recent report, “Charity Food Programs that can End Hunger in America,” by John M. Arnold, executive director of Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank, a 50 percent reduction in waste can be achieved by letting clients pick out their own food.

“By giving our clients a ‘choice and a voice’ in the food they are provided we will eliminate waste and better utilize our resources and funds and work smarter.”

With the downturn in the economy, CCMI is focused on addressing the needs of the “new hungry.” The nonprofit agency has seen dramatic increases in the demand for all of their services, especially in the area of emergency food pantry and United Way Social Service Resource Houses.

“These are folks who have never had to ask for help before,” Owen said. “They are former business owners, schoolteachers, volunteers and former donors to the organizations that they are now going to for help.”

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantry that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, call 239-332-7687 or visit www.ccmileecounty.com.

The first 100 reserved ticket holders will also receive an invitation to a VIP Pre-Party Tuesday, Oct. 12 at the Veranda restaurant in downtown Fort Myers.

Sponsorships are now available and range from $1,000 to $10,000. Donations for the event’s live and silent auctions are also being accepted.

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantries that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, call 239-332-7687 or visit www.ccmileecounty.com.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 22, 2010) – Fifteen Target employees from stores across Southwest Florida recently spent a day donating their time to Community Cooperative Ministries Inc.’s Soup Kitchen.

The volunteers helped prepare a nutritious noontime meal as well as meals to be delivered by CCMI’s Meals on Wheels drivers.

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and childr­­en in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantries that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, call 239-332-7687 or visit www.ccmileecounty.com

The aisles are full of food — cereals, coffee, pasta and milk — and there’s a place in the back for fresh produce and even cakes.

Hungry people can go in and choose the foods they want to feed their families. This is a different model from the bread lines and food pantries of the past, and that’s the point.

Community Cooperative Ministries Inc.’s new Everyday Marketplace is an innovative way to feed people who may have never known what it’s like to be hungry — the “new hungry” — and are just looking to sustain themselves so they can get back on their feet.

The marketplace had its grand opening Thursday at CCMI, on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which also runs the Soup Kitchen, a Montessori school and Meals on Wheels. It’s a great benefit to the community.

CCMI CEO Sarah Owen says the marketplace is part of a way “to reimagine the way we deliver services to this community.”

Among other benefits, food waste is expected to be reduced by 50 percent.

Owen often espouses CCMI’s philosophy that food is a “gateway” to providing critical social services people need, such as rent assistance, food aid and mental health services.

Many contractors, agencies and individuals donated time and money for this project.

Congratulations to CCMI for opening the marketplace. Continue the innovation.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 15, 2010) – Reading to children increases their vocabulary and helps kids develop into readers. That is why Community Cooperative Ministries Hands and Hearts Montessori Preschool started a new volunteer reading program at the end of each week.

Each Friday between 10:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., the preschool invites community volunteers to Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) to children in their school.

“The tracking of academic levels of our students two to five years of age shows that lower economic children are developmentally further behind in areas of social, emotional and academics than that of their middle class peers,” said Cindy Venezia, Montessori director. “We work with our children every day but are finding we need additional hands to help us, primarily on letter sounds and numbers.”

“For our children that cannot read we are asking the community to visit our students in the classroom and read a short book,” said Terri Shippey, Montessori teacher at Hands and Hearts. “The book can be the reader’s choice or we have age appropriate books onsite.”

Anyone interested can sign up for a designated time and date by calling Cindy Venezia at 239-332-7687, ext. 2.

“By dedicating just a small block of time to volunteer and read to a child, residents can make a world of difference in our community,” said Sarah Owen, CEO of CCMI. “Working with a child for as little as 30 minutes can make a difference.”

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantries that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, call 239-332-7687 or visit www.ccmileecounty.com.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 14, 2010) – Anyone who has met Sarah Owen, CEO of Community Cooperative Ministries Inc., would agree she shares definite similarities with the Energizer Bunny^® because she keeps going and going.

The folks at Energizer agree and have named her one of the 100 semifinalists in the 2010 Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame contest.

The Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame was created so there would be a place where the extraordinary stories of everyday people can live and Energizer could honor those who match the enthusiasm and passion of the Energizer Bunny^®. The Hall of Fame recognizes perseverance, boundless energy and a never-quit spirit. The top 100 were chosen from a field of several hundred nominations.

Owen keeps going and going to fight homelessness and hunger in Southwest Florida. She has developed innovative solutions for the new hungry and newly struggling in our community.

The top 10 finalists will be announced on July 6. Individuals will be able to vote online to help determine the winning recipient of the 2010 Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame Award.  The top 10 finalists will each receive a flip camcorder to help in their campaign efforts to become the 2010 Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame inductee. The winner of the 2010 search will receive a $10,000 cash prize for themselves and an additional $5,000 donation for their favorite charity. The inductee will also be honored at a very special awards ceremony in St. Louis with National Baseball Hall of Famer and Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame member, Cal Ripken Jr.

“I am extremely honored to be named a top 100 finalist,” said Owen. “Its corporate initiatives, like the Energizer Hall of Fame contest, are the true spirit of community giving and partnerships and I applaud them for inspiring us to keep going everyday.”

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantries that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, visit www.energizerkeepgoinghalloffame.com.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 10, 2010) – Now that winter residents have returned to their northern homes, Community Cooperative Ministries Inc. is in need of volunteers to support their numerous programs and services.

“Almost 40 percent of our volunteer base is made up of seasonal residents,” said Jon Mayhugh, director of volunteer services for CCMI. “This puts us in desperate need of additional volunteers from May through October especially for our Meals on Wheels and senior transportation service Faith in Action.”

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services.

“We have a number of programs designed to address the unserved and underserved members of our community,” said Mayhugh. “The opportunities for volunteering are numerous.”

Opportunities include delivering food to homebound and elderly individuals through Meals on Wheels; working with the children and assisting teachers in preparing projects at CCMI’s Hands and Hearts Montessori Preschool; working in the kitchen preparing meals for the Soup Kitchen; transporting clients over age 60 to appointments or to run errands through Faith in Action; assessing individuals for services and assistance needs and helping with food stamps and Medicaid applications with CCMI’s Social Services; linking the homeless to community services, housing and employment through the agency’s Homeless Services; typing, mailing and answering phones and performing repairs for CCMI’s facilities or clients.

The needs for the services these programs provide have increased exponentially over the past couple of years, Mayhugh added. The average meal distribution for Meals on Wheels has risen from about 6,000 meals per month in 2008 to roughly 9,000 meals per month in 2010.

“By dedicating just a small block of time to volunteering during the summer months, residents can make a world of difference in our community,” said Sarah Owen, CEO of CCMI. “A time commitment of only two hours per week can provide dignity and independence to our homebound neighbors.”

“All 24 of our associates have signed up to help Meals on Wheels for the summer,” said Lori Wilson, shareholder with the accounting firm Myers, Brettholtz & Company. “Our office believes in giving back to the community and summer is a perfect time since we have a little more time on our hands.”

Anyone interested can call 239-332-0441 or e-mail volunteers@ccmileecounty.com for more information.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100606011

Zarifer King was pleasantly surprised when she stepped into the Everyday Marketplace in Fort Myers.
“It’s like a grocery store,” she said. “Most of the time you go to a food pantry and they give you things you don’t eat.”

King, 30, of Fort Myers, personally selected enough food for her family of six for a week. Neither she nor her husband can find work, she said.

The Everyday Marketplace is Southwest Florida’s first comprehensive client choice pantry. That means clients will no longer be handed a generic box full of food, said Sarah Owen, CEO of Community Cooperative Ministries, which designed and operates the marketplace.

“By giving our clients a choice and a voice in the food they are provided, we will eliminate waste and better utilize our resources,” she said.

Access to the marketplace is not based on income. Anyone who needs food can utilize the marketplace five times in their lifetime.

Community Cooperative Ministries Inc. spent about $40,000 on staffing and other expenses to open the choice pantry. There were also donations, including the portable that houses it and labor to build it.

Hunger has become a major issue in Lee County. Community Cooperative Ministries Inc. has seen a 107 percent increase in need compared to last year, Owen said.

The marketplace model is working successfully around the country.

“You will see a 50 percent reduction in waste by letting clients pick their own food,” said John Arnold, executive director of Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank.

The new marketplace will include ready-to-eat meals, fresh produce, eggs and bread, items traditionally not found in food pantries. It also will include recipes for healthy meals with ingredients available.

Owen is hoping to partner with local restaurants, grocery stores and chefs to provide on-site cooking classes and demonstrations.

The Everyday Marketplace is located next to the Soup Kitchen at 3429 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.

For more information, call 239-332-7687 or visit ccmileecounty.com.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 4, 2010) – Nationally acclaimed speaker, author and leadership coach Dr. Dave Fleming has joined Community Cooperative Ministries Inc. to oversee strategic leadership development and social services for the agency.

Fleming writes a popular leadership blog and is the author of a monthly e-newsletter, “leading thoughts,” as well as the host of a monthly tele-seminar. His upcoming books, “Since You’re Already Here, You Might as Well Livewell” and “Since You’re Already Here, You Might as Well Leadwell,” are set for release in 2011. Dave continues to serve as the Leadership Coach for Greater Tucson Leadership in Arizona, an organization whose mission is to inspire, develop and promote current and emerging leaders to take an active role in strengthening and transforming the Southern Arizona community. He has also taught graduate business courses for the University of Phoenix. Dr. Fleming coaches leaders across the domains of business and nonprofits by using a portal of creative conversation and collaboration. As a thought leader in the areas of organizational evolution and personal excellence, he partners with groups and individuals to translate strategies into tangible action that drives personal excellence and organizational effectiveness.

Fleming holds a master’s degree in counseling/education, a doctorate of management in organizational leadership and is currently pursuing a doctorate in human and organizational development from Fielding University.

“We have been working with Dave for the past few years on a consulting basis and we are very excited that he has joined our team and will move his base of operations to Southwest Florida,” said Sarah Owen, CEO of CCMI.

CCMI is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, Montessori Preschool and Social and Homeless Services. CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The Soup Kitchen serves a noontime meal six days a week to men, women and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting. In addition, CCMI prepares and delivers nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the homebound hungry, offers a food pantry and mobile food pantries that provide emergency groceries to families in need, serves two nutritious meals a day for the children in their childcare center and oversees a backpack program for local schoolchildren who would otherwise receive little to no food on weekends.

For more information, call 239-332-7687 or visit www.ccmileecounty.com.