| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Mobile Loaves & Fishes has made a positive impact in |
|
|
Central Texas through its efforts to benefit the homeless; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In September 1998, Alan Graham and several of his |
|
|
fellow parishioners at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin |
|
|
began delivering meals out of the back of a minivan to people living |
|
|
on the street; the civic-minded group quickly grew, and within |
|
|
months it was able to purchase a more suitable vehicle for catering; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mobile Loaves & Fishes later expanded to San |
|
|
Antonio; Providence, Rhode Island; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and |
|
|
Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its thousands of volunteers have since |
|
|
served more than five million meals; as the reach of its food truck |
|
|
ministry increased, the organization implemented new programs, |
|
|
including Community First! Village, a 27-acre master-planned |
|
|
neighborhood in Austin that provides affordable, permanent housing |
|
|
and a supportive community for the chronically homeless; the |
|
|
development fosters a friendly, familial environment and includes |
|
|
such services and amenities as a medical facility, an outdoor movie |
|
|
theater, walking trails, a marketplace, and common spaces for |
|
|
projects, worship, and meditation; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Through its Community Works initiative, Mobile |
|
|
Loaves & Fishes offers microenterprise opportunities to those who |
|
|
have experienced homelessness; Community First! residents join |
|
|
with volunteers from across Austin to work as farmers in the Genesis |
|
|
Gardens, which feature three acres of organic vegetables, hundreds |
|
|
of fruit and nut trees, honeybees, dairy goats, chickens, and other |
|
|
animals, as well as a geodome and aquaponics system; in addition, |
|
|
residents can develop their talents and earn income at the |
|
|
Community Art House and Community Forge and Workshop, as well as |
|
|
through participation in the Community Concessions and Catering |
|
|
program; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, While meeting urgent needs for food, clothing, and |
|
|
shelter, Mobile Loaves & Fishes also assists clients in gaining a |
|
|
firmer foothold as contributing members of society, and in so |
|
|
doing, it has strengthened the entire community; now, therefore, be |
|
|
it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor Alan Graham and Mobile Loaves & Fishes for |
|
|
their tremendous contributions to the Lone Star State and extend to |
|
|
the organization sincere best wishes for continued success with its |
|
|
important work; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Mobile Loaves & Fishes as an expression of high regard |
|
|
by the Texas House of Representatives. |