URBAN HANDS
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Mission Statement
Urban Hands exists to provide nutritious meals and work opportunities for our homeless and hungry neighbors in the Puget Sound area by partnering with local organizations in need of food services in order to sustain life, build community, and foster human dignity.
About This Cause
We believe in the power of a shared meal. There is commonality in the simple act of sitting across a table and eating together. Our meal partnership and job training programs are founded and driven by this principle. Ultimately, individuals & organizations are empowered by this practice. Urban Hands collaborates with organizations that already are serving vulnerable populations in the Seattle area. Our partnership enables them to add warm meals to the list of services they provide, such as shelter, social services, healthcare, and life-skills and job training. We want our partners to focus on what they do best, while we do what we do best – which is creating fresh, nutritious, healthy food. The meals are enjoyed by homeless men, women, and children; at-risk youth; survivors of prostitution; and more. History and accomplishments In July 2006, the co-founders of Urban Hands, Jim Lustig and Don Platt, began providing one meal a week to residents of Tent City III, one of Seattle’s homeless camps. Urban Hands officially began in 2009 out of the founders’ passion to continue feeding and caring for the homeless community, as well as other struggling residents in the Seattle area. The founders had been—and continue—using the commercial kitchen from their catering business to prepare the meals. Jim, Don, and their team of volunteers have established a culture in which anyone in need of a hot meal and inviting atmosphere can be fed and be known. By extending the hot meals to local organizations that already have relationships with people in need, Urban Hands seeks to meet physical needs while also supporting people’s mental and emotional needs. In 2007, Urban Hands served an estimated 3,600 meals. The number of meals served has grown significantly over the years, with over 100,000 meals served between 2013 and 2014. Goals and impact Urban Hands currently serves 10 weekly meals throughout the Seattle and Shoreline areas, as well as drop-in meals at The Upper Crust Catering facility in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. The majority of the people being fed by Urban Hands are homeless and are being served through partners such as Community Dinners, Tent City, and Street Youth Ministries. By the end of 2015, we anticipate serving more than 30,000 meals through current and new partners. This amount is lower than the number of meals served in 2014 due to decreased involvement from one of our partners in mid-2015. Additional funding will go toward our 2016 budget and our plan to serve more than 37,500 meals. The majority (90%) of Urban Hands’ beneficiaries, served by our partner organizations, are low-income individuals and families (most of whom are homeless), and 10% are moderate-income individuals and families. Partners COMMUNITY DINNERS began with a small group of individuals affiliated with a local church that expanded to organize weekly community dinners throughout Seattle to encourage people to build relationships with one another. Community Dinners partners with local organizations to create job opportunities and is planning to build affordable housing in Seattle for 648 people. TENT CITY III is a self-managed community that hosts up to 100 homeless people at a time, providing them with a safe place to live and store their belongings. Upper Crust Catering/Urban Hands has been serving meals at Tent City III every Monday since 2006. STREET YOUTH MINISTRIES serves homeless and at-risk youth in Seattle’s University District. Street Youth Ministries meets basic needs through its drop-in center, empowers youth with life-skills training, advocates for them, and organizes group activities. ORGANIZATION FOR PROSTITUTION SURVIVORS was started by survivors and their allies to stop the violence of prostitution. The organization focuses on three areas: survivor services (support group, drop-in center), community education, and men’s accountability. The goal is to shift the social norms that support the practice of prostitution while walking with survivors of prostitution to heal from their experiences and become empowered to build a new hope-filled life. DIVINE ALTERNATIVES FOR DADS SERVICES works closely with men (the majority of whom have been incarcerated) to become positive, active role models in their children's lives and to support their families. The Monday night meals provided by Urban Hands give participants an opportunity to invite their families and eat together. AURORA COMMONS (started September 2014) provides a safe place of hospitality along Aurora Avenue where people can care for one another and share resources. Community is fostered through breakfasts, children’s activities, community dinners, and educational classes. Aurora Commons also builds partnerships with local organizations and housing providers so that, through case management, they can connect people in need with resources such as housing, emergency funds, or healthcare. The majority of women who visit the Commons are directly involved in sex work and have a history of sexual abuse. The Commons cares for them through street outreach, meals, case management, and free medical care. Needs In 2012, Meals Partnership Coalition, an organization dedicated to supporting the work of nonprofit meal providers in Seattle, analyzed the state of Seattle’s emergency food system. Their findings revealed that Seattle is short 2.5 million prepared meals each year, based on the number of documented sheltered and unsheltered individuals and the available meals through food banks and meal systems. In addition, there is an estimated need of 1 million meals for those who have exhausted their food bank and federal benefits. To meet these needs, the coalition suggested several options, two of which were to expand current programs to meet these needs, and to ask additional community organizations currently not providing meals to begin doing so. With additional funding, Urban Hands’ goal is to increase our number of weekly meals and partner with organizations that are not yet providing meals, as recommended by Meals Partnership Coalition. Measuring success Urban Hands will measure success and effectiveness through direct contact with and feedback from our partner organizations. Partners will be required to keep track of the number of meal beneficiaries. Urban Hands also will monitor and record the amount of food being prepared and delivered. Key personnel Board of Directors • Lisa Hernandez has a theology degree and works as a counselor and life coach for people in need. • Jim Lustig is a co-founder of Urban Hands. • Summer Mohrland is involved in Seattle’s Greenwood community as an outreach consultant. • Dan Moses joined Boeing Aircraft Company in 2010 as an engineer but continues to engage in community outreach. • Don Platt is a co-founder of Urban Hands. • Jeremy Scranton works for Quote Wizard as a data analyst. Key Staff/Volunteers • Joey DeYoung, executive director • Gregory Adams, prep cook • Nicasio Agustin, dishwasher and custodian • Kelly Hannah, pastry chef Jim has been involved in the food service industry for more than 40 years and currently is the owner and operator of The Upper Crust Catering, in addition to being the co-founder of Urban Hands. Over the years, he has developed a large network of contacts and is deeply knowledgeable in the business of large-scale food preparation and service. Using his experience and expertise, Jim has been able to stretch every dollar for Urban Hands by purchasing high-quality ingredients in bulk from food banks, bakeries, markets, and other locations.