Grant will help group continue AIDS/HTV work
BY COURTNEY GA1LLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Neighbors in Ministry of
Winston-Salem has been award
ed a $13,000 grant from Philip
Morris Companies Inc. to
increase NIM's supply of food
for those living with HIV/AIDS.
The Philip Morris Positive Help
ings initiative is part of a nation
wide partnership with the AIDS
Nutrition Services Alliance to
address the nutritional needs of
people living witl^-HIV/AIDS.
Neighbors in Ministry was
founded in 1096 to be an ecu
menical outreach to neighbors in
need. It was one of 52 organiza
tions selected to receive a por
tion of the $9<X),0<) grant from
Philip Morris that will allow
; NIM to provide a four-day sup
plemental food package to more
than 120 individuals and their
families as well as 20 HIV+
individuals and their families.
Jennifer Goodale, director oil
corporate contributions for
Fisher
Philip Morris, commented on
Philip Morris' response to the
AIDS epidemic and the compa
ny's dedication to hunger relief
in the country, "As one of the
largest corporate funders of
hunger-relief programs in the
United States, we are committed
to helping feed people living
with HIV/AIDS and to finding
solutions to their complex nutri
tional needs."
Carla Fisher, executive
director for NIM, said, "We are
just terribly excited and look
forward to utilizing the funds
from the grant." She learned
about the grant opportunity
while attending a conference last
year. She is thrilled that the
Philip Morris grant will allow
Neighbors in Ministry to almost
double the amount of food it
provides fer its clients.
First on Fisher's list of
things to do after receiving the
grant is to contact a local grocer
about supplying vouchers for
milk and eggs to the organiza
tion's clients and to also increase
the supply of fresh fruits and
vegetables to be included in
food bags.
The Triad has been defined
by the Centers for Disease Con
trol as an area of emerging
HIV/AIDS infection. Fisher
says this fact indicates that the
rate of people becoming infected
is rising.
Fisher started wi^ff Neigh
bors in Ministry just one year
ago when the food pantry was
servicing 95-100 clients a
month. In October, clientele rose
to 130 each month. The Positive
Helpings grant could not have
been granted soon enough as far
as Fisher is concerned. Although
her organization would never
turn people away, the amount of
food would be considerably
smaller if more funds had not
become available.
"(The grant) will allow us to
go to the place to get the best
deal (on food) and to make the
funds go as far as possible,"
Fisher said.
Lack of money and lack of
willing volunteers are constant
struggles for Fisher at the min
istry. Fisher is the only staff
member and is grateful for the
help and time offered by volun
teers at NIM, some of whom are
clients of the food pantry.
"We want as many people in
Winston-Salem to know what
we are doing and know that the
service is available," Fisher said.
"We look to the community for
support of the ministry and the
outreach."
The ministry has operated its
food pantry since ft98 and serv
ices the growing A1DS/H1V
population in Greater Winston
Salem. Fisher said that because
NIM services the HIV/AIDS
populatidri, NIM must be certain
to provide higher caloric foods
that fight off any toxic side
effects of medication taken by
most HIV/AIDS patients.
Neighbors in Ministry's food
pantry is funded through the
Northwest Care Consortium as a
result of . funds made possible
through the federal Ryan White
Dollars. Those funds pay for a
good portion of the food. The
rest comes from the Second Har
vest Food Bank. Several area
churches - such as St. Anne's
Episcopal Church, Fairview
Moravian Church and St. Leo's
Catholic Church - provide sup
port to the ministry financially
and by donating food.
Food bags are given out four
Thursdays a month between 2
and 4 p.m., and most of the
clients are individuals who live
off of incomes totaling $500 or
less a month. Food bags can
contain $75 worth of groceries.
In the last month, more than 40
tons of food was distributed to
NIM clients.
According to Fisher, a quar
ter of the NIM clients have no
income at all and reside with
family members or friends.
While many NIM clients drop
by NIM on a monthly basis,
some are too weak and dehilitat
ed to carry any food bags to their
vehicles. Thanks to transporta
tion components that exist in
other case management agen
cies, food bags can be delivered
to extremely ill clients in need.
If you are interested in mak
ing a food or financial donation
to NIM, contact Carla Fisher at
723-6651.
Shooting
from page AI
whelmed at what I saw and what
1 heard. My neighborhood was
being terrorized by a group of
young black men. Upon walking
on my porch 1 observed a large
bullet mole through my storm
door.and gun powder on my front
door' 1 also observed shell cas
ings on the inside on the floor. I
immediately reported it to the
Winston-Salem Police .Depart
ment.
"As for me and my house,
we will speak out against crime
and violence in the community.
This can happen anywhere and
we all need to work together to
fight crime everywhere. I truly
believe that the devil meant it for
bad but God turned it around for
my good. I thank God that none
of mv neighbors or relatives was
hurt in this ball of confusion. I'm
a firm believer (in Psalm 91),
which reads: He that dwelleth in
the secret place of the most High
shall abide under the shadow of
the Almighty.' meaning that God
had me hid. I hope the Winston
Salem Police Department will
work hard to bring these people
to justice. )
"The ? management (ot
LaDeara Crest) was very insensi
tive to my needs. She compared
my life to a maintenance problem
by saying if it was a maintenance
problem she could assist me. but
since the problem didn t fall
under maintenance, she didn t
show any further concern about
the problem at hand. If she didn t
value me as a resident she should
have valued me as a human
being."
(Editor's note: Northeast
Ward Alderman Vivian Burke
told Mitchell early last Friday
afternoon that management for
LaDeara Crest" had already
looked at the damage to the storm
door and front door at Mitchell's
apartment and that management
was in the process of taking care
of it.)
"I'm not the only resident
over here." Mitchell wrote in "It
Happens Before You Know it."
"I'm speaking out for the best
interests of the children as well as
the whole community. I'm not
fighting for me. because God
fought my battle: I'm only speak
ing so people will become aware
of what's going on around them.
In an interview early last Fri
day afternoon, Mitchell elaborat
ed on the shooting incident. She
said she was standing outside,
behind her apartment, talking
with her niece. "1 had just told
my niece. Let me go home and
sit on my front porch, and
that's when I heard the gunshots.
If I had a-came home when I said
I was going come. I probably
would have been in the line ot
fire coming in the front door.
Mitchell's apartment is near
the intersection of Pinedale Drive
and Toddler Place. Mitchell said
that a car stopped near the inter
section. and two. of the young
men inside the car got out of the
back seat. She said that at the
same time there were three young
men walking down the street.
"The three guys walking
down the street evidently had
some words with the guys who
had stopped in the car," Mitchell
said. One of the guys walking
started shooting a pistol, and one
of the guys who got out of the car
started firing a pistol. Mitchell
said. The guy who was walking
shot about eight times, and the
guy who had gotten out of the car
fired six or seven times. Mitchell
said.
All the young men then fled,
she said.
One of the bullets pierced the
storm door and dented the metal
front door at Mitchell's apart
ment.
Mitchell, 47. praises God that
no one was at her apartment at
the time of the shooting. Her
three grandchildren - 6 years. 4
years and 6 months old - come
to visit, she said. "And my
daughter comes in and out. I have
church friends and relatives who
visit me frequently...."
"I don't do too much visiting.
1 don't know what made me go
yesterday to visit my niece If I
had come home like I said I was
coming I would have been in the
line of fire. I know that God is
good and he'll take care of you
anywhere. He'll put you where
you need to be in the right place.
He held me back there talking to
that girl because He knew if I
had canie this way what would
have happened. God protected
me. I just give God the glory."
"I didn't have no idea that
something like this would hap
pen yesterday....That just goes to
show you you can be here today
and gone tomorrow," Mitchejl,
said.
While Mitchell was talking, a
concerned neighbor came in to
check on her. "You all right? I
seen it on the news. You all
right?" the neighbor said.
Mitchell responded, "I was
shook up a little bit, but I'm all
right."
Alderman Vivian Burke and
Lee Garrity, assistant city manag
er who works with public safety
and police, also came to check on
Mitchell.
Burke said in an interview
that the city is taking the shooting
very seriously. "...As public safe
ty chairman for the city ... we are
concerned about what took place
up here. Ms. Mitchell called me
late Thursday night. And after
she called me, I did advise her
that we will do everything we
possibly could to help eliminate
the problem about the door and
about her safety and welfare. I
was concerned that she had to
stay in the house last night with
out knowing what the problem
(was), why someone would (fire)
shots into this house. First thing
this morning I was in communi
cation with our office about her
welfare. My understanding, we
have talked with the main office
about the door being repaired.
But the most important thing for
me is the solving of this particu
lar situation. She's here but she
still doesn't know what hap
pened. And that's where we are
now, trying to get to the bottom
of why someone shot in the door,
what connections it had with her,
if any. This is my priority, her
safety and welfare and her fami
ly"
Mitchell said, "...The Police
Department, when they came last
night, they were very con
cerned...They "stayed here until
everything was over,"
Burke said: "We've (the pity
has) spent a lot of time and ener
gy to make it (LaDeara Crest,
which replaced the Fairchild pub
lic housing project) a very nice
place for people to live. So our
biggest, No. 1 priority now is to
eliminate the crime that has got
ten in here that's dealing with
drugs and cocaine....Mitchell
could just be an innocent victim.
They could have just been shoot
ing, ride by or whatever it is. And
that's why we have to get to the
bottom to see ... what is going on.
It's also going to make residential
management (at LaDeara Crest)
... stricter as they interview ...
people to come in here to live."
Burke said, "We made this
(LaDeara Crest) what we would
consider first-class. We spent
(millions of dollars on) acquisi
tion to make sure people have a
nice [Sace to stay, their children
can feel good and parents can
leave home to work in a place
that's safe. So 1 don't want you to
think this is something that I'm
taking lightly. I'm serious as seri
ous can be
"It's been like five years we
have been working. We have
been working to acquire and
clean up. We have a group... Lib
erty East Redevelopment Associ
ation, with volunteers and a good
bpard who comes in and moni
tors programs and activities for
these parents and their children,
and not only the parents but also
the elderly who live up in this
area and also people of special
needs.... We have a resource cen
ter that's open for that purpose.
"With the money we have
spent, the money is important,
but the people who live here are
more important than the money.
"We want to make sure they are
comfortable and that they feel
good that when they get out of
their car or they get off the bus.
when they walk into their homes,
everything is all right. We have
full-time maintenance people
who work (at LaDeara Crest); so
a maintenance person is also on
premises that is maintaining his
living here..."
"...To us, this is an example, a
model, of how you can turn
around something that is negative
and make it positive. I stand
down there a lot of times. I watch
the children coming from school.
I see how parents are taking an
interest in their children's wel
fare."
Mitchell said she phoned
Burke several times last Thurs
day night after the shooting and
that Burke showed great concern.
Lee Garrity said the city
wants to "find out what happened
and make sure it doesn't happen
again. We're going to investigate
it thoroughly and get to the bot
tom of what happened. The
Police Department has an investi
gation going on."
LaDeara Crest is privately
managed, he said. "The Police
Department, if we find things for
safety recommendations that we
would make to the management
company, we would do that. The
city has invested a lot of money
in this development. We are a
partner with ... the property
development company. If there
need to be changes because of
safety, we would make those rec
ommendations."
Mitchell concluded, "I don't
want this swept up under no rug.
I want something done about it."
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January 21, 2002
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