Family Promise friends,

Thanks to those of you who have attended our community meetings in February and March. We're thrilled to have so much support! And thanks to First Methodist for hosting us this month.

Did you know ...
  • Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
  • 33% of the U.S. homeless population are families with children.
  • One out of every five children lives in poverty.
  • 12% of the families in the U.S. are only two paychecks away from becoming homeless.
  • 60% of the guests at Family Promise networks are children. Almost half are 5 and under.

We know that Sarasota is not an easy place to be poor or homeless, and we're grateful you're joining with us to do something about it.

At this week's meeting, we broke into groups to get going on our next steps.
The host recruitment team learned how to best describe what Family Promise offers and what host congregations do. They're ready to start visiting potential host organizations. Teams also met to work on our fundraising and communications strategies.

Here's a look at our dedicated host recruitment team.
We won't have another full community meeting until late summer or early fall, but we welcome your help anytime you're ready to offer it.

Here's what you can do now to help:
  1. Join our fund development team, which needs a few more people willing to work on our funding sources.
  2. Talk to people you know whose congregations might be interested in getting involved. If they willing to hear more, we’d love to visit them. And if you can serve as an introduction, we’d be so appreciative.
  3. Forward this newsletter to people who might enjoy knowing more about Family Promise, and encourage them to talk to their faith communities. Community awareness matters.

Just reply to this email to ask questions, offer suggestions or get involved.

Tom Cioffi, the Family Promise National Associate working with us, was here this week and will be back in April. We're so grateful to have his expertise and passion as we prepare to re-open. He continues to tell us we're in great shape!

Many thanks for your ongoing support,

Wendy Leventhal, board of trustees
Joy Mayer, board of trustees
Meredith Strahle, board of trustees
Toska Strong, board of trustees
Tom Cioffi, Family Promise National Associate