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Braes Interfaith Ministries Newsletter

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Donate to Braes Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry


Donate to Braes School Supply Program


Donate to Braes Garden


Donate to Braes Clothing Ministry

Mark Your Calendar

35th Anniversary Celebration
October 13

Statistics for May

Individuals Served:
1417
Households Served:
512
Clothing Vouchers:
97 (230 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$7,057

Statistics for April

Individuals Served:
1,369
Households Served:
512
Clothing Vouchers:
168 (479 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$21,570

Statistics for March

Individuals Served:
1,356
Households Served:
527
Clothing Vouchers:
127 (338 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$25,227

Statistics for February

Individuals Served:
1,378
Households Served:
371
Clothing Vouchers:
221 (457 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$18,372

2019 YTD (Jan.-May)

Individuals Served:
6,859
Households Served:
2,418
Clothing Vouchers:
728 (1,819 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$85,726

2018 YTD

Individuals Served:
18,140
Households Served:
6,736
Clothing Vouchers:
1,836 (5,114 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$64,041

2017 YTD

Individuals Served:
19,679
Households Served:
7,183
Clothing Vouchers:
1,647 (4,398 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$69,540

2016 YTD

Individuals Served:
18,505
Households Served:
7,164
Clothing Vouchers:
1,770 (4,456 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$72,923

2015 YTD

Individuals Served:
16,417
Households Served:
6,942
Clothing Vouchers:
1232 (3307 people)
Value of Vouchers:
$52,376

2014 YTD

Individuals Served:
18,183
Households Served:
7,757
Clothing Vouchers:
616 (1659 people)

June 2019

Welcome to the Braes Interfaith Ministries Newsletter. We would appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Please forward this newsletter to your friends and neighbors.


Welcome to the Summer Edition



Volunteer Training Workshop - April 23



The Annual Volunteer Training Workshop was held on Tuesday, April 23. One of the main topics discussed was a safety talk by Officer Guinn from the Houston Police Department.

Other presenters were Rozelle Anderson from Wellsprings, Jenny Martinez and Jessica Gaehring from Easter Seals, and Ryan Kreipe, representing the Braes Resale and Consignment Shop.

Presenters (from left)

Jessica Gaehring and Jenny Martinez from Easter Seals, Rozelle Anderson, Wellsprings

School Supply Program



School supplies have arrived and will be distributed during the months of July and August. Vouchers are currently being distributed. Fundraising letters have been mailed.

Please consider donating to this much needed and important project. Make sure it is in your congregational announcements, newsletters, bulletin boards, etc.

When making your check, please write "school supplies" in the memo section of the check. Should you decide to donate cash, make sure Sissy Contreras is aware that the money is for school supplies. (YES, we still accept cash!)

You may also donate online. Note that you do not need a PayPal account. Just enter your credit card information when prompted.

Donate Now to Braes School Supply Program


New Braes Advertising Cut-outs



One of three new cut-outs featuring Tim Heller, former ABC13 Chief Meteorologist, has been sent and is currently on display at St. Philips United Methodist Church. Tim is a long-time volunteer and supporter of Braes Interfaith.


These are cut-outs that supporting congregations (or others) can use to promote Braes Interfaith Ministries' programs. One will be on display at Southwest Central Church of Christ during July.

Thanks to Ryan Kriepe and Diane Hollingsworth for their work on this project.

Braes Interfaith Ministries Celebrates its 35th Anniversary!



Braes Interfaith Ministries' 35th Anniversary Celebration will be on Sunday, October 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. A dance will be held at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church ( 9900 Stella Link Road, 77025 ) Prefontaine Hall (their Fellowship Hall).

Dance instruction from Eddie's Exclusive Dance Club will be featured, followed by live music from the Quicktone Band.

Tickets are $10 per person. Please make every effort to attend. Tickets will be available from all board members.

Click here for a flyer that you can use to advertise this event.

History of Braes Interfaith Ministries

This year marks a major milestone in Braes Interfaith Ministries' history. This year, Braes is celebrating its

35th Anniversary...thirty-five years of ministering to our community. And to celebrate where we are now, it is important to remember how we got here:

In 1984, the Southwest Ministerial Alliance met to discuss poverty and homelessness in our community. The result was a food pantry at the Willow Meadows Baptist Church. SWAP (Sharing With Area People) opened its doors on October 1, 1984.

Then in 1986, Louise Chalupa, the President of the Board of Directors applied for and was granted non-profit status (501 (c)) for the pantry. The name was changed to Braes Interfaith Ministries. By this time the clothing closet had been added to the list of services.

For a more complete history of Braes, click here.

Braes Interfaith Ministries is grateful to all our supporting congregations for not only walking through this journey with us but also for holding our hand. Our success is their success and we appreciate their support, commitment, and dedication to serving an underserved population.

And just as important, Braes Interfaith Ministries is particularly thankful to those in our community who have helped sustain our mission throughout the years. We could not be successful without your food drives, toiletries' drives, and clothing drives.

Eloise Mauzy

Eloise Mauzy passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 20, at about 9:30 in the morning. Eloy had a pleasant visit with her daughter Harriet shortly after at their home. Harriet and her sister Susan are doing fine. The Memorial Service took place on May 5 at Grace Episcopal Church.



Eloise with Paul Brown, former Braes Board President



Eloise and Eloy Montez at her 100th birthday celebration

Eloise was one of the original volunteers (along with Shirley Kouri) at Braes Interfaith Ministries and helped shape and mold Braes during its infancy. She was an interviewer, handled the financial aid program for years, and sat on the board of directors representing St. George's and St. Patrick's Episcopal Church ( now Grace Episcopal ). She was also the interim director on several occasions. Eloise was also the first recipient of Braes' Volunteer of the Year award.

Shortly after her retirement from Braes Interfaith Ministries, Braes renamed the clothing ministry Eloise's Closet in her honor.

Eloise was deeply loved by Braes Interfaith Ministries and appreciated for her dedication, loyalty, and hard work. She was very devoted to Braes. She leaves wonderful stories and memories that need to be shared to keep her spirit alive. Who can forget the antics that she, Renilda, and Vera used to get into.

This is the end of an era but her legacy lives on.

Braes Resale Shop News

Message from Ryan Kreipe, Resale Shop Manager:

Hello all,

Things have been super busy at the shop. We received an estate sale house that was worth $2.2 million.
We have been setting things out at the shop for sale on a daily basis.



I also wanted to bring to your attention that Meyer Park Storage has given us a storage unit for the month of June for free and we are working hard to get that cleared out so as not to take advantage of the generosity they have bestowed on us. We filled a 10x25 unit with all the extra stuff from the estate and have already moved more than half of it from the storage unit to the shop. We still have 3 couches at the storage unit and hopefully we will sell everything to make room for those couches.

Some great news: we made $15,700 at the shop last month and are on par to hit that again this month. We are super excited to be consistent with those numbers now and hope this will be our new normal.

This time of year is also all about getting ready for school with our school supply program. We have such high needs for the program that Sissy has ordered the needed supplies. Unfortunately, the donations that were needed to fully fund the school supply program did not come, but with all the extra money we have made at the shop, we will be donating the money needed to make up that deficit and then also give $1,000 to the pantry for additional funds needed for client support!!

See related School Supply article above. It's not too late to support this important program.

I hope all is well with you and I look forward to seeing you at the shop!!


Ryan Kreipe
IT Director/Manager Braes Resale

Support Braes While You Shop

Support Braes Interfaith Ministries



While you are doing your holiday shopping, don't forget that Braes Interfaith is a participant in the AmazonSmile program.

If you haven't already registered Braes as your selected charity, this is all you need to do.

  • Log onto smile.amazon.com
  • Select Braes Interfaith Ministries as the charity you wish to support
You only need to do this once.

Just continue to shop in your usual manner. In the future, just log onto smile.amazon.com when you wish to shop on Amazon.

Support Braes Interfaith Ministries by starting your shopping today at smile.amazon.com.

Also don't forget to support Braes while you shop at Kroger or Randall's. If you aren't already set up at these stores,

Click here for Kroger Community Rewards

or

Click here for Randalls Good Neighbor Program


Braes Interfaith Ministries

Eloy Montez, Executive Director
Sissy Contreras, Administrative Assistant
Janet Ellis, Office Manager

The Mission Statement:

Braes Interfaith Ministries, a collaboration of Judeo-Christian congregations, provides physical, spiritual, and emotional assistance to persons in need within selected zip codes in Southwest Houston.

*Zip codes served are 77025, 77035, 77045, 77051, 77053, 77054, 77071, 77085, and 77096

The Vision Statement:

During a person's period of need, Braes Interfaith Ministries will endeavor to provide basic necessities, such as food, financial assistance, clothing, and household items to improve his or her quality of life. Services will be handled in a courteous and respectful manner.

Braes Pantry

4300 West Bellfort, Houston, Texas, 77035
(on the grounds of the Willow Meadows Baptist Church)
713-723-2670
Fax: 713-723-5065
The pantry is open 10 am - 2 pm, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Braes Resale and Consignment Shop

10814-B South Post Oak Rd., Houston, Texas, 77035
(just south of Foodarama)
713-723-3841
Fax: 713-723-3972
Hours are 10 am - 4 pm, Monday - Saturday

Ryan Kriepe, Manager
The shop houses Eloise's Closet, the Braes clothing ministry.




Braes Interfaith Ministries, 4300 West Bellfort, Houston, TX 77035

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