Put Out The Call and They Will Come!

The truly inspiring piece about being a part of NAM is to see the community rally to help itself all year long but in this particular instance, what is even more inspirational is when people who are struggling themselves put their own needs aside to come to the aid of their neighbors.

At first they came one at a time and before we knew it, we had delivered more than 7,000 meals to the elderly and disabled population and almost 4,000 individuals rec'd disaster relief assistance in the form of food, vouchers, water, cleaning kits and financial assistance.

In the first few days, following Ike, it seemed we had lost our strength - the connection to our congregations and volunteers, but within a few days we were back in full swing as volunteers came from all over along with donations of food and cash to help those coming in the front door seeking assistance.

From all of us here at NAM to the community who supports and assists us in the work of neighbors helping neighbors - a heartfelt thank you!

Lights Are On!!!!

Power was restored to the main building on Kuykendahl this afternoon! It will take a good 24 hours to get everything functional again so we'll be back in the saddle on Monday for sure.

There are many, many people I wish to thank for advocating for NAM during the last few weeks to assist us in getting the power turned back on but the people that really stand out are State Rep. Patricia Harless, State Rep. Debbie Riddle, and Congressman Ted Poe.

State Rep. Patricia Harless is a tireless advocate for NAM and deserves a huge

THANK YOU for personally calling me several times a day, everyday to check

on the status of NAM. Thank you for advocating for NAM with the County and City of Houston, thank you for caring about all the people we serve and working tirelessly to make sure we have what we need to do help those in need. The last time I spoke to you today to inform you that we finally had power - I found you going door to door in the neighborhoods checking with those who still did not have power to take photos to send to Centerpoint Energy! What an amazing individual you are and how lucky District 150 is to have you representing them.

State Representative Debbie Riddle organized seven tractor trailers of meal replacement drinks, water, nutrition bars and vitamins along with a shipment of fruit snacks to assist the families coming to NAM for help when FEMA was no longer in our area and 70% of the community was still without power. Rep. Riddle's staff personally came to NAM to check on us and assist us when our generator was failing and we were in danger of losing the refrigerated food we had just procured.

Congressman Ted Poe's office worked diligently to procure 2 semi tractor trailers of much needed ice and chose to coordinate with NAM to assist all those in our area that were seeking ice when it was so hard to find.

Houston is extremely lucky to have such dedicated, community leaders who truly care about the Districts they represent and serve.

Click Here To See How NAM Could Use Your Help

President of the Tomball Rotary, Mayor Gretchen Feagan presents a check fo $1,000.00 to Ceo, Carole Little, at their September 24 meeting to assist NAM.

Since Wednesday, September 17, 2008 NAM volunteers and staff have:

• Delivered 6500 meals to the seniors and disabled population of Northwest Harris County



• Assisted more than 3,000 individuals with Food, cleaning supplies, information and referral



• Continued to provide food, shelter, case management and hope to families housed in NAM Interfaith Hospitality Network.

As a response to the growing number of sick, uninsured children needing access to free or reduced cost healthcare - NAM's Children's Clinic has set up temporary quarters at 4635 FM1960. Appointments for sick visits only are the priority at this time. Appointments may be made at the temporary location by calling 713-500-3267.

Both Shops have Power!

The Jones Road store and the FM1960 store are up and running, fully stocked and judging by the crowds the last few days, filled with lots of bargains. Remember, your purchases help your neighbors, so if you haven't come by the stores lately, come on in - there are lots of treasures to be uncovered.

All donations are gratefully accepted at our main building located at 15555 Kuykendahl Road. Need us to pick up? Call the donation hot line at:281-880-9482.

Due to the rising temperatures and the main building still without power, our client services end at 2:30. We need help in the Kuykendahl Building with the following:

Volunteers are still needed to help with unloading deliveries in the Food Pantry, stocking shelves and making food bags. The pantry opens at 8:00 a.m. Volunteers are needed to work in the lobby to assist with hurricane relief at 8:30 a.m. and Meals on Wheels drivers are needed to deliver FEMA boxes Wednesday and Friday. Come anytime from 9:00 a.m. - 11:30.

Volunteers are needed help sort and process donations at the 3645 FM1960 shop beginning at 8:30 everyday.

Email us at nampresident@gmail.com

Volunteers Make All The Difference!

Disasters are stressful times for all of us but the up side is that it brings out the best in the community. This past week, as thousands of families turn to NAM for assistance, we were fortunate to receive calls from both Rep. Patricia Harless & Rep. Debbie Riddle who have worked diligently to bring much needed supplies to those who continue to struggle to feed their families without power. They were able to procure six tractor trailers filled with meal replacement drinks, vitamin water, nutrition bars from Nourish America among many other wonderful things they have done to assist the community and NAM.

The logistics of unloading, stocking and distributing this fabulous gift required some spur of the moment planning. In the midst of our management huddle, one of our NAM volunteers, SJ Lewis, called to see how she could help. I told her NAM needed lots of volunteers to assist with the shipments that were coming in this week. Not only did SJ agree to volunteer, within two hours a fork lift arrived to assist us in unloading the hundreds of pallets of supplies!

Families continue to pour through our doors looking for relief, food, information and assistance on how to get back on their feet and with your help, we will continue to be there with or without power.

While both the FM1960 store and the Jones Road store have had power restored, NAM's main building remains without power. The generator has begun to malfunction causing the phone system to fail. We have forwarded the main line to an answering system to keep the community informed of daily activities and needs. That number is 281.885.4555.

NAM needs volunteers to help in the food pantry, deliver Meals on Wheels, the shops and to assist families coming to NAM for food, information and referral.

The need for food and cash donations to assist NAM are gratefully received as daily the challenges continue to grow. To volunteer, show up at the times and locations previously listed in the blog. Donations can be made securely through NAM's website or mailed to 15555 Kuykendahl Road, Houston, TX 77090 c/o NAM President.

On behalf of NAM and the community we serve, I wish to thank all of our local, State and Federal representatives that have worked tirelessly to restore normalcy to our community by advocating for Houstonians day and night. Hat's off to all of NAM's volunteers and donors - we can't do it without you! Finally, to my staff who find themselves doing jobs they never thought they'd be doing - thank you for your tireless efforts, flexibility and hard work.

Together, you make a huge difference in the lives of those struggling!
If you wish to get involved, email me at nampresident@gmail.com or simply come to NAM between the hours of 9 - 2:30 when we are distributing food and information. We sure could use your help.

NAM's Food Pantry Running Low

NAM's food pantry is running low and we need your help to serve those who will be coming to us over the next several weeks. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated however the following items are in short supply:

Pop top food items

Shelf stable food

Pasta

Spaghetti sauce

Soup

Ramen noodles

Peanut butter

Jelly

Canned meat

Rice

Pinto beans

Mac n cheese

Canned veggies (corn and green beans)

Baby food

Diapers

Formula

Email & Phone Down but Still Hard at Work

Even without power, NAM continues to serve our community with your continued support. Volunteers are delivering meals to our seniors, working in the food pantry and helping us process donations in our Resale Shop. If you wish to help:
Go to the FM1960, Houston, TX 77090. Shop at 9:00 a.m. each day to help process donations Monday - Saturday. Help unload trucks and sort food donations in NAM's Food Pantry located at 15555 Kuykendahl, Houston, TX at 8:30 M - F.



Sharon Record, R.N.P. & Shelley Rosales, R.N., remove
stitches from a child who was injured by flying debris
during the storm.
To deliver meals, arrive at the rear of the main facility located at 15555 Kuykendahl Road between 9:30 and 10:00 to help unload truck, pack coolers and deliver meals to our neighbors in need.

• Donations of food are gratefully accepted at 15555 Kuykendahl Road (rear of the building). Donations of furniture and clothing are gratefully accepted at 3645 FM 1960W.

• Cash donations are always appreciated. Donate at http://www.namonline.org/ or mail donations to NAM President/CEO, 15555 Kuykendahl Road, Houston, TX 77090.

• NAM's Email and phones are currently down. Please contact us via nampresident@gmail.com and we will respond as quickly as possible.

NAM Needs Volunteers To Deliver Meals and Distribute Food

NAM will be distributing food beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, September 22, 2008. All personnel that are regularly scheduled to work on Monday need to return to work at their regularly scheduled time.

NAM needs volunteers to help in the food pantry, to sort clothes in the Resale Shop and to deliver Meals on Wheels.

A heartfelt thanks to Rep. Debbie Riddle's office in conjunction with Rep. Patricia Harless's office who are working in conjunction with Nourish America and NAM. We will be distributing meal replacement drinks, nutritional bars and Centrum vitamins generously donated by Nourish America next week along with a number of other nutritional food items. We wish to thank our State Representatives on behalf of the community we serve, for all their hard work in procuring much needed supplies for their District.

NAM will accept donations at the main building at 15555 Kuykendahl Monday through Friday, 8:00 - 5:00 PM. Cash donations may be also be securely made on line via www.namonline.org. Saturday donations are gratefully accepted at the NAM Resale Shop located at 3645 FM.1960 (across from Wal-Mart).

We are expecting five semi tractor trailers with food donations from Nourish American over the next seven days. We will need to mobilize lots of volunteers on short notice to assist with unloading the donations. Please check back each morning and evening for updates if you wish to volunteer this weekend.

Many thanks!
Carole

Ways You Can Help

NAM is currently operating out of our 3645 FM1960 location due to power outages at the main building. Cash donations can be made on line at www.namonline.org, via phone or by mail to 15555 Kuykendahl Road, Houston, TX 77090. We are accepting donations of food & clothing at the 1960 location.

Volunteers are needed to sort clothing at the 1960 shop and to deliver meals on wheels out of our 15555 Kuykendahl Road location. For those wishing to deliver meals, call 281-885-4622.

Hours of operation for volunteering at the store are 10 - 6 Monday through Friday and 10 - 4 Saturdays. Meals on Wheels deliveries are from 11 - 1 daily.

Ice Distribution from Noon until 5:00 P.M.

Northwest Assistance Ministries will be distributing bags of ice tomorrow at 3645 FM1960W location @ Walters Road, Houston, TX 77069 from noon until 5:00 p.m.



Thanks in advance,
Carole Little
President/CEO
Northwest Assistance Ministries

3645 FM 1960 NAM Resale Power Restored

All,

Today the power was restored to the FM1960 store located in the old Wal-Mart at Walters Road. We have a skeleton crew cleaning up the water that blew in from Ike and working hard to get the store ready for business. We will be open for regular business hours tomorrow.

We are working with State Representative Patricia Harless's office to establish a POD site at our 1960 and Walter's Road location. We rec'd a call from Judge Ed Emmit's office today and they are evaluating our location at this time. So please keep checking back as we will need plenty of hands to help with distribution should we be chosen.

In addition, I rec'd a call from Congressman Ted Poe's office and they are working with a vendor in Louisiana who has a load of ice for us to distribute. We are still waiting to receive confirmation from the vendor that the shipment is on the way.

The main building and the Jones Road store are still without power and there is clean up going on due to water damage from the storm. The building amazingly sustained no glass damage!

I know that many of you are wanting to volunteer and help your neighbors and we could use your help at the 1960 store and in Meals on Wheels to deliver shelf stable meals to the at-risk senior population that we serve. Please E-mail me at nampresident@gmail.com if you wish to deliver meals.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to fully restore NAM so we can get back to doing what we do best - helping our neighbors in need.

Carole

Post Ike Update

All,

My hope is that this note finds you and your loved ones well. Many of you,
most likely, will not be able to view this due to continued power outages however this update is being posted in the event that some of you may have Internet access.

To my knowledge, all three NAM locations at this hour are still without
power. The facilities have not sustained any damage. Although some of our NAM staff
have sustained damage to their homes due to falling trees and most remain without
power, no one is injured. Many evacuated as they resided in low lying areas.

Most are involved in the clean up efforts in their neighborhoods which,
as you know, will take a few more days. For those staff that have been able to access
the main building, the trip to the building posed major traffic challenges and was
fraught with road hazards to the extent that the decision has been made to follow
Spring ISD's lead to remain closed until Wednesday. NAM's capacity to assist
neighbors in need is only as great as the capacity of the community in which we
reside and right now our community is struggling so we will leave the disaster relief
effort to the Red Cross and FEMA who are in a much better position at this point
than NAM is until Wednesday.