How can we be better neighbors?

The goal is to go out of business. There shouldn't be hungry and homeless people in the richest country in history.

Frank Kartheiser

What is the Seed that We Need?

The pandemic forced the Mustard Seed to be apart, as evident from the halved attendance rate, and, yet, it allowed us to think about the more societal issues of hunger, as well as how to be better neighbors. The future of the Seed is filled with ambition to move beyond managing hunger and towards the realm of tackling hunger as a whole and considering what will that take. The Mustard Seed is actively trying to be better neighbors both in Piedmont Street and in the world.

Proposition for Holy Cross Students

If you have stepped outside campus, you have most likely seen homelessness. The fact that such homelessness is happening right outside our campus whose mission is rooted in Jesuit traditions about service, justice, and love is distressing. We, as Holy Cross students and members of the community, can do better to fix this problem. We would like to propose a joint effort with Holy Cross and the Mustard Seed to work towards change in our community.

In the Short Term

At Piedmont Street, the Mustard Seed hopes to:

Fix Piedmont Street for the people who live here (due to the high turnover rate) and invite neighbors to events to build community
Constantly ask what roles we can play to help the community
Highlight the good things about the neighborhood

Here are some upcoming Mustard Seed 50th Anniversary Events as of 3/3/22:

Summer Enrichment Program

Tuesday, July 5 - 29, 2022

Weekdays for neighborhood 3^rd and 4^th graders

Mustard Seed House

Neighborhood Block Party

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Mustard Seed

Hunger and Nutrition Summit

A Saturday in September 2022

National Catholic Worker Gathering

Thursday, October 20 - 23, 2022

College of the Holy Cross

Jubilee History Publication, 2022

On the Hill, Holy Cross students can be involved immediately by:

Volunteering at dinners at the Seed through SPUD
Spreading awareness of and working one-on-one with the Seed in seminars, such as the God, The Senses, and Us Montseratt class, or in community-based learning (CBL) opportunities
Hosting events for collecting non-perishable items, clothes, and medical equipment

In the Medium Term

Holy Cross students can help the Seed's efforts by asking themselves how they can use their Holy Cross education and talents to spark discussion and enact societal change. Students with relevant majors can research their respective fields within the city of Worcester using what was learned in the classroom. These specializations in majors within the fields of public policy, community-building, health care, teaching, and more have the ability to agitate social change and approach Frank's goal of "going out of business."

These are some opportunities and resources on campus that Holy Cross students can get started with this.

Taking courses with CBL integration (courses offered may be paired with organizations other than the Mustard Seed)
Being involved with and attending events offered by the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning (events for the 2022 fall and 2023 spring semesters are yet to be updated in this link)
Participating in a Non-Profit Careers Conference

In the Long Term

The pandemic has made apparent the extremity of homelessness in the United States. According to a presentation by Holy Cross students (shown below), there is a rise in shelter numbers and yet a volunteer decline by 90%. The community has also been broken in many ways and the mental health of many is at all-time lows. It is noted that there is an increase in deaths in the homeless population, especially those from overdose or suicide, and many charitable organizations that usually hold community events cannot do so because of COVID.

The Mustard Seed is actively working to combat these issues, but they shouldn't do it alone. Holy Cross and other allies can work towards a Worcester that has places like the Seed function as places that reflect Peter Morrin's community (cult, culture, and cultivation) instead of ones that address problems of hunger and homelessness.

Homelessness Resources:

For general information on resources relevant to homelessness (for persons experiencing homelessness, policymakers and providers, and HHS Operating and Staff Division Resources), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has an excellent database to help you get started here.

endhomelessness.org is a website created by the National Alliance to End Homelessness dedicated to resources on homelessness.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has mental and substance use disorders and homelessness resources in preventing and ending homelessness.

Hunger Resources:

For a database of Federal Food Assistance Programs, Feeding America has an exhaustive list of information about these programs such as eligibility, application, forms of support, and volunteering.

For general information and resources on youth hunger, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has a useful list to refer to.

This article from HealthyPeople.gov is a useful explanation of what food insecurity is and its effects on America.

See what other Holy Cross students have proposed in the Holy Cross Non-Profit Conference here:

Mustard Seed Proposal from HC Conference.pdf

The Mustard Seed Catholic Worker Facebook Account is a regularly updated account of the Mustard Seed that serves as a way to communicate and highlight the good things about the Seed, the neighborhood, and the world. Posts include historical milestones, art made by the community, quotes from major figures from the Catholic Worker Movement, neighboring charitable organizations, and social justice issues.

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