Save the date!

In 2002, Will Clinger and his co-hosts from Wild Chicago, the popular television show that took viewers on a tour of Chicago’s urban jungle, filmed The Annual Blessing of Pets and Animals at St. Paul’s Church by-the-Lake, which became one of the unconventional places and people to appear on the show. 

A year later, Clinger, Mindy Bell, and Harvey Moshman wrote Wild Chicago: The Companion Guidebook to the Wildly Popular Television Show (Globe Pequot, August 2003) that profiled their favorite Wild Chicago features.  The book includes St. Paul’s Blessing, over which the Church’s Rector, the Reverend John Heschle, has presided for many years.

They described the early moments of the service perfectly.  “The service began appropriately with the hymn “All Creatures Great and Small,” followed by a prayer that was greeted with many hallelujahs in the form of barks, meows, and tweets.”  And so the service begins every year.           

After several readings and prayers, people and their pets line up in the central aisle of the Church.  Father Heschle blesses each animal individually, followed by a splash of holy water.  He must put his priestly duties and love of animals above his personal safety because, well, we all know how much cats love water!  The service is followed by a reception for the two-legged and the four-legged. 

Since Clinger’s visit in 2002, hundreds of people and animals have walked down the aisle to be blessed by Father Heschle and enjoy the gathering that follows.  Clinger and friends wrote that “As for the pets, they sensed a certain spiritual enlightenment.  Either that or they were happy about the snacks.”  We think it may be a little of both.

The Annual Blessing of Pets and Animals will be held on Sunday, October 4^th, at 4:00pm.  For more information, please visit our Events page, or, find us on Eventful.com.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Caring about children, too

The connection between violence against animals and violence against people has been well documented.  According to the American Humane Association, founded in 1877 for the prevention of cruelty to children and animals, pet abuse is a high indicator that other types of abuses, particularly child abuse, are also present in the home. 

Children and animals are among the most vulnerable in our society, so it comes as no surprise that those who care about animals also care about children.  In fact, Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, advocated on behalf of Mary Ellen Wilson, a child in New York City in the 1870s, whose foster mother was imprisoned for abuse.

Poverty, like violence against animals, also is an indicator of violence against children.  Earlier this year, in her Child-Watch Column for the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman discussed the impact of the economic crisis on children at risk.  According to the experts Edelman cites, “economic stress puts already fragile families, like those facing domestic violence or substance abuse, at even greater risk.” 

Almost 30 million children in the U.S. live in poverty.  More than a third of Illinois’ children and almost 60 percent of children in Chicago live in low-income families.  And, according to the USDA, more than 12.4 million children lived in food insecure households in 2007.  The World Food Summit of 1996 defines food security as all people at all times having access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.  Food insecurity, it follows, means not having regular access to enough nutritious food for a healthy life. 

Food insecurity unquestionably affects children’s academic performance.  According to Reading, Writing and Hungry (2008), food insecurity “depresses both the starting point and the upward trajectory of a child‘s education from the moment he or she enters the kindergarten classroom.”  Child Food Security: The Economic Impact on Our Nation, a report published by Feeding America, concludes that “Even children considered marginally food insecure—meaning that they had enough food but their families struggled to meet their needs—lagged behind their peers”. 

As indicated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), public school enrollment rose 26% between 1985 and 2008.  Of the nearly 50 million students who attend public schools, more than 400,000 attend one of the 660-plus public schools in Chicago.  Tragically, many of these children will experience the consequences of food insecurity as they return to the classroom or begin their first year of school.  Fortunately, many resources exist to help them and their families.  Unfortunately, sometimes even this is not enough.

There is something each of us can do to address food insecurity, poverty, and abuse. There is something each of us can do to help children and their family members, including their pets – get involved in a local food bank, mentor a child, become a pet-assisted therapy or humane education volunteer.  September is Hunger Action Month.  Did you know that giving up one latté can provide nine meals?  Check out Feeding America’s Give-a-Little Calculator to learn how small changes in our lives can make a big difference in the lives of others.  Take the time to give up something small to give kids the start they deserve.

Community

Clients and volunteers unload pet food in Uptown on August 19th.

According to Feeding America, 36 million Americans struggle with hunger.  Of those 36 million, more than one-third are children.  The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s network of pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters provide food to almost a half-million people In Cook County each year.  Chicago Uptown Ministry is one of those pantries and one of our pet food distribution sites.  On Wednesday, I was reminded why I love Uptown so much.

Uptown has a rich history.  It once was home to movie palaces and dance halls.  The Green Mill and the Aragon thrive still.  In the 1960s, though, the deinstitutionalization of state hospital patients impacted neighborhoods across the country, and Uptown felt the effects disproportionately to other neighborhoods in Chicago.  Meeting the health care needs – both physical and psychiatric, of the chronically ill remains a challenge today.  

Uptown has been in the news lately.  Residents have been concerned about their safety.  A video of a recent brawl involving at least thirty people was posted online and, obviously, did nothing to quell concerns.  People are angry at Alderman Hellen Shiller.  I do not live in Uptown, so I readily acknowledge that my perspective is different from that of the people who live there, or at least of the people who are upset with their Alderman. 

Alderman Shiller said in an interview earlier this year, “Embedded in the community is the opportunity for people from all walks of life to have a good quality life and realize their fullest potential.”  That is why I feel so inspired and so humbled when I am at Chicago Uptown Ministry.  The staff, volunteers, and clients care about each other.  They are a community.  They are part of Uptown’s community.  And, even in the midst of despair, there is the hope for something better. 

A new client registered for AniMeals on Wednesday.  She said, “I don’t want to get in trouble.”  Trouble for asking for help?  Trouble for wanting to provide for her cats?   It was a big step for her, a difficult step to take, but she did it.  She is one of many people who are reaching out for help for the first time.  And, of course, there are the chronically ill and those who are caught in a cycle of poverty who just cannot make it on their own.

Chicago Uptown Ministry and other agencies do the best they can in these difficult times to help people in need.  And, we do the best we can to help them care for their pets, who are members of their families and members of our community, too.  Please visit our Donate page for information about making a gift today.  Make a call to your local food pantry to see how you can make a difference in your neighborhood.  Contact your local animal shelter to find out how you can pitch in.  Everyone needs a little help now and then.  Especially now.

Hello world!

Welcome to AniMeals, a non-denominational, all-volunteer community outreach program of St. Paul’s Church by-the-Lake of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.  Since 2001, AniMeals has provided pet food to low-income and senior pet owners in Chicago’s Rogers Park and Uptown neighborhoods.

This year has been particularly difficult for struggling pet owners, many of whom have asked for assistance for the first time in their lives.  We have managed to meet the growing need for our services because of the generosity and commitment of donors and volunteers.

Please visit our Pages for general information about AniMeals, locations and schedules, resources for pets and for people, events, and information about donating, volunteering, and contacting us.  We welcome your interest in AniMeals and thank you in advance for your support.