Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #255 – Collective Compassion: A Conversation with Pat Yancy
In this episode of Our Community, Our Mission, we sit down with Pat Yancy, Executive Director of Let’s Help & Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church, to explore the impactful work of Let’s Help since its founding in 1969 and the many ways it continues to serve the community today.
Pat shares insights on Let’s Help's current initiatives, including food programs, a clothing bank for all ages, and GED educational support. With a mission to expand their reach, Let’s Help is seeking innovative ways to address food insecurity, partner with other organizations, and utilize their facilities more effectively.
We also discuss the importance of collective community compassion, emphasizing collaboration over competition and the need to stay adaptable to meet evolving challenges. We reflect on the power of unity and how working together amplifies the voice of those in need.
To lean more about Let's Help, visit: letshelpinc.org
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Dear Heavenly Father, we just come humbly before you and we thank you, lord, for this day that you've given to us, and Lord, this time to record this podcast. Lord, we thank you for just the incredible community partners and Lord, we thank you for our special guest today and Lord, his heart and Lord, I just pray your blessing over this time in this conversation and Lord, that ears that would hear it would be encouraged. Lord, to some action today. Father, that we would love those in front of us. Father, we love you and we praise your name. Amen.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody, Thank you for joining us for our Community, Our Mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission. I'm Barry Feeker, your host today, here with Lamanda Broyles, Executive Director, and Marion Crable, Deputy Director. We don't edit here Of Supporting Services, Hi Mary, Forgive me for that would you.
Speaker 3:It's okay, yeah, it's okay. It's cold again outside. That's the problem, right there yeah. If it would be warm, you wouldn't have made even one mistake.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I failed to mention the date. We are on February, the 5th of 2025. So for the FCC part of this, no, we don't do that, do we Josh?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:So we're good, but it is podcast number 255, for those of you who are on track for listening to every single one, which. There are some people, there are a couple, there are some folks out there, josh, I think your mom's one, mom yep Do you remind her every week, Another shout out.
Speaker 1:She'll regularly text me and say that was a great podcast.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's very cool Love you, mom.
Speaker 4:Yeah, thank you, mama Turley.
Speaker 2:Hopefully that's every time. She texts you then.
Speaker 1:But uh, there's been a couple that she's like. That was an obstacle.
Speaker 4:Who was that? And it's always when we don't have a guest, and it's just us three. Exactly. Nobody ever likes those oh.
Speaker 2:Oh well, thank you for being faithful listeners. If this is your first time, or this is your 255th time, we appreciate that we're already in February of 2025. We're January ago.
Speaker 3:It was quick.
Speaker 1:But also really long.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Are you kidding me?
Speaker 3:Three years happened in January I know but does it seem like the year is already February? Well, we're not talking about that, okay.
Speaker 4:Because there's a lot that was due in January. There was a lot and it didn't get done in January.
Speaker 2:They threw warming centers into it and record snows and all that jazz.
Speaker 3:There was that kind of stuff, that happened, that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:But we got a little lull. Right now it's cold again.
Speaker 3:You know, we kind of don't talk about lulls.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:That just invites chaos.
Speaker 1:Well, and we won't talk about the groundhog.
Speaker 3:Apparently he saw a shadow, I know.
Speaker 4:He did yeah. Six more weeks.
Speaker 1:I'm guessing that's why it turned cold all of a sudden.
Speaker 4:We had beautiful weather and then it's cold Yesterday and then all of a sudden I'm not really sure groundhogs were on Noah's Ark. You weren't, no.
Speaker 3:You think they came after.
Speaker 4:It makes me yes, Keep going Anything that would predict six more weeks of winter. I don't think it's from God, and so I don't know who created groundhogs, but I'm not sure my Lord did, or I need it to be a different groundhog. So he predicts spring.
Speaker 3:I am so confident right now that we are in line for something to come through the ceiling or a comment on Facebook.
Speaker 2:I know that's right.
Speaker 4:I'm just kidding, I love groundhogs, but I'm pretty mad that we're going to have more winter.
Speaker 2:We're going to pivot away from theology right now to the more important things here about the value of the day of February 5th every year globally. Okay, are those very, very important things that we talk about occasionally, like almost every time on this podcast? Okay, are those very, very important things that we talk about occasionally?
Speaker 3:like almost every time on this podcast.
Speaker 2:So world Nutella day. You know, world Nutella day.
Speaker 3:I am a fan. Okay, it's the best spread. It's the best spread ever. Except they kind of act like it's healthy. It's not healthy, but it is really good on toast or strawberries.
Speaker 2:Okay, would you explain why?
Speaker 3:Because it tastes really good.
Speaker 1:That's why it's a chocolate spread. What more do you need it's?
Speaker 3:chocolate and hazelnut.
Speaker 2:Okay. Hazelnut butter, okay. So it's not just Nutella, it's a special flavor.
Speaker 3:It's hazelnut butter with chocolate in it?
Speaker 2:Okay, it's the chocolate part. Okay, yeah, I'm not in it.
Speaker 4:I'm not either. I'm a peanut butter girl.
Speaker 2:But the Italians first introduced it in 1964. I don't know why they waited so long, but anyway it was first held as a world recognized day in 2007. I'm not sure it's worth a day. Yeah Me either. So I see it in the grocery store.
Speaker 1:I keep walking, so anyway, I'll be honest, there's a lot. There's a lot worse days.
Speaker 2:I mean, this was, you know, one of the better ones to something a little more appropriate to what we were talking about. It's national weather person's day. They need a day because people hate their guts, I mean to the groundhog, to the weather guy. No we have some great weather. People in Topeka, kansas, yes, and when they predict it and it's right and we didn't close everything down and it really does snow. They was good guys. Yeah, we close everything down as bright and sunshiny out, we don't like them so much.
Speaker 2:But anyway so hug your weatherman today if you see him, and send him a nice text message or something like that, because probably he needs it. So it's somebody who continues to keep their job and they're wrong most of the time, so but anyway. But we still listen to them because they've got an inside, just like the groundhog does. So one more here from our research and development department. Thank you, josh. National Pork Rind Day.
Speaker 1:National Pork.
Speaker 2:Rind Day, okay. So you're driving the grocery store, going down, you're looking at your phone for the weather and you see Nutella sitting over there. You keep on going by, so you see the pork rinds, and so what do you do now?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm going to be a little behind you, because I did stop for the Nutella, but I'm definitely stopping for the pork rinds. Okay, why. No, because it's basically air. Just good that you air, just good that you're chopping well and eating, but it tastes kind of like bacon and everything pork and bacon is good. Have you ever seen the movie, babe? I?
Speaker 2:have. Yeah, why would you eat pork rinds in?
Speaker 3:I eat pork chops too, so I also eat bacon, and ham people but you know I'm always very grateful to those little oinkers.
Speaker 2:It's called our community, our mission. Not everybody agrees about everything here, so yeah.
Speaker 4:My mom loves pork rinds With hot sauce. Well, if they're going to go for it.
Speaker 2:you might as well get the skin and fry it up, but I can't.
Speaker 4:I can't do the smell and the crunch. So when she's eating like when I go back to Arkansas to visit her she's always so excited because there's kind of a little mom and pop shop in my hometown that makes them, and so they're really good yeah.
Speaker 4:And so it'll be. You know, we'll have the kids in bed and it'll just be kind of my time with my mom and we'll be sitting on the couch and she busts out the pork rinds and I just stare at her like the smell is annoying, the sound is annoying, and she's just happy and her heart is just so full and I'm grossed out Love you Mom.
Speaker 2:So if this is, your first time listening to our Community, to Our Mission. We do this weekly and it really didn't have anything to do with what the importance of the day is.
Speaker 5:This is the group therapy session for that's right, for the Secret Rescue.
Speaker 2:Mission leadership here, because it's tough work and so they're very serious. The rest of the day, the rest of the week, until we get to Wednesdays. It's relationship building, and then we unpack this part, and then they can laugh, and they don't ever laugh any other time.
Speaker 3:I know so it's too serious of work. We are very serious people.
Speaker 4:We learn so much about each other too in these partnership buildings.
Speaker 2:Thank you for sitting in on our therapy session Tune. In next week We'll have another one. So anyway, our community, our mission is about our community and what's the mission of our community coming together, and part of that is about great partnerships that Topeka Rescue Mission has with agencies and individuals to combat the challenges of our community, whether it's hunger or homelessness or without a pair of shoes or, more importantly than anything, probably, people that need to know that they matter and hope. And here today we have a great agency that we partnered with for many, many, many years, who's gone through a lot of changes here, recently formed in 1969 here in our community, I think out of the back of a station wagon, if I recall that, handing out food, and that is our let's Help organization. And we have Executive Director Pat Yancey with us here today. Pat, thank you for staying with us in spite of us here on our community our mission.
Speaker 5:Thank you for being here, Barry. Thank you so much for the invitation and just for the record, I hope you all don't think any less of me, but I am addicted to pork rinds. My wife and I even make them at home for ourselves. There is nothing better than deep fat fried bacon.
Speaker 3:And that's what they are Exactly A whole new level of respect.
Speaker 2:A whole new level. Pat, you live on a farm and you just take it from scratch, or do you go to the store?
Speaker 5:We order the rinds from mail order and fry them at home. It's really great.
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 5:Wonderful.
Speaker 3:I didn't even know you could do that.
Speaker 5:Now that I know you're so loving of them. I will invite you over for dinner tonight.
Speaker 3:Please do there you go.
Speaker 5:That's fabulous.
Speaker 2:Gosh, we're going to lose all of our PETA listeners here today. They didn't know. They didn't know.
Speaker 4:I just need everybody to know that the ED of TRM said she doesn't like pork rinds. So when those complaints come in, it was not LaManda, it was Miriam.
Speaker 2:It was a balanced approach. Well, pat, it was really good to learn this about you, anything else we didn't know about you today.
Speaker 5:That's the dark side of it. That's the dark side.
Speaker 2:Well, Pat, let's Help has been like we said 1969. It's been a long time Topeka Rescue Mission 1953. So there was a lot going on in our community back in the day, and there still has been for many, many years now. And so you've come along into the executive director role in regards to let's Help. There have been a lot of changes before you stepped into that role and currently, right now, we want to talk about that. Talk about your other hat that you wear with a church here in town. And then, how did you get to this place where you stepped into that role?
Speaker 5:Yeah, well, I am also the associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church right down there at 8th and Harrison Street. We are the church with the world-famous authentic Tiffany stained glass windows, by the way. Everybody ought to come by and look at them and I've been there for about eight years, and actually being a pastor is a second vocation for me. I worked in child welfare services and in the mental health arena for most of my career and just felt the calling to ministry. And doing that now in conjunction with that.
Speaker 5:You know, First Presbyterian Church being a downtown church, we have a lot of visitors who come from the streets, and so our church, wanting to be the hands and feet of Christ, said let's do something about that.
Speaker 5:So we've initiated a number of food programs to help feed hungry people. We also provide clothing through Doorstep and through let's Help and in other ways. And in conjunction with all of that, I joined the board of let's Help about not quite two years ago and last year year when there was a transition of the executive director, with so much that was going on, with a pending move and with lots of questions about that building the new location and how that move would proceed, I just felt a calling. You know why don't I come in and help us get through that time? And so the board agreed with that and I started in July of last year and it's been a wonderful experience, both from a learning experience for me, but it's just been very gratifying to help working with the partners in our community to kind of help meet the needs of individuals in need within this community.
Speaker 2:So for decades let's Help has been in the core downtown area yes, it was right around St Joseph's Church for many years, moved across the street into new facilities. I don't remember when We'd have to go back and look at the records on that. I'm sure you don't have that just on the top of your mind when we'd have to go back and look at the records on that. I'm sure you don't have that just on the top of your mind. But third, in Kansas, feeding many, many people through a prepared meal there At one time I know it was five days a week, sometimes six days a week for lunch and a lot of volunteers, food baskets, clothing.
Speaker 2:Education's been a big piece of let's Help for helping people with GEDs and life skills and those kind of things. So talk about the move where it is, why and kind of where you came into the intersection of that. I think some people know that let's Help move, but maybe not where and the why.
Speaker 5:Right, right. So the move was needed because of the new viaduct project that's going on through Topeka the I-70 viaduct and one of the pillars that's going to hold that viaduct up is we'll be sitting right where the let's Help building currently sits, so there was a need to. They didn't want to cut a hole in the building and put it down and keep it where we are?
Speaker 2:huh, no, I think they didn't.
Speaker 5:No, I think they didn't. So obviously that necessitated let's Help Moving and working with both the state and city folks. Let's Help found a new location over at 6th and near 6th and McVicar, just north of the Walmart. And you know, when I first heard that because I came on the board at a time when a lot of those decisions had already been made I was a little worried that gosh, are we going to lose the individuals that we currently serve? And since the move it's interesting a lot of the folks we served in the downtown location now find us and a lot more people now find us in our new location.
Speaker 5:Our service numbers are up significantly, between 20 and 30 percent since the move. When we first got out there, of course, the service levels were pretty low. People just weren't finding us. But as time has gone by, our numbers have grown and grown and grown and we don't see that slowing down just now either. When we were downtown, for example, our daily meal that we would serve the community meal, we'd serve close to 200 people, and when we first moved out to our new location we were running about 60. And now we're up to about 150. And that's when the weather's really cold, so as soon as it warms up and as soon as school kids get out of school for the summer, we anticipate those numbers actually exceeding where we were last summer at the old location. So a lot of the folks that we served are finding us and a lot of folks that we were not serving are also finding us.
Speaker 2:So the new people coming in maybe are in the neighborhood that have needs there as well. That's right. That's the former Topeka State Hospital grounds. It is, and one of the buildings you're in is a former unit for a state hospital.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, you know it's interesting. We have a number of different groups that come in and volunteer and one of them is a group of individuals with intellectual disabilities and one of those individuals comes and finds me every time they come because he tells me I used to live in this building and I think, how cool is that? A bit of a homecoming for him, you know he really feels a sense of joy when he comes there. So out of necessity, to move.
Speaker 2:The board looked for a location and picked this one, and it's always a challenge when you take a social service into a new area. Is it going to work there like it worked before? Is it going to be better, not as good? Also, neighborhood relationships you are in the same proximity. There's Sh kind of health department down the street and around the corners of a Leo and around the other corners for Leo, so it's not like it's a brand new service to help the community. There's a bit of a somewhat of a campus feel there that that is going on. It's on a bus line, so people, once they find out what your services are, where they can get there, they can get to you and that sounds like what's happening. So what are you doing now? In regards to services? You've got a beautiful facility. I'm just really blessed to go through there a couple of times sit down, visit with you, get the tour.
Speaker 2:It's well done it's, you know, it's everything's modern now.
Speaker 5:Taking an older building and making it really look beautiful.
Speaker 2:What are the services today and what are you hoping in, say, next year, you'll be able to do?
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, thanks for that question. That's a good question. So right now and I'll kind of just start on the west end of our building and I'll walk through it with you if you will. So one of the things that let's Help has always been known for that you've already mentioned Barry is food. We have always been known for that you've already mentioned Barry is food. We have always been about addressing food scarcity within the community and providing food to individuals. So we still do that. We have our community hot meal, which is currently served on Monday, wednesday and Fridays and it used to be every day. You're right, it used to be six days a week. That got cut back during COVID and it's just never gone back post-COVID. So that's actually one of the things we're working on for 2025.
Speaker 5:We want to expand our reach with food and nutrition to make sure folks are fed. In addition to that, we also have a clothing bank actually three parts to it One is for adults, one is for children and infants and then another one for housewares. So individuals that need household items or clothing items can come to let's Help and we have a lot to offer to them. Offer to them. We also do offer a food pantry for individuals to take packaged foods home and cook meals for their families or for themselves when they get home. That's another area that we would like to expand in 2025. You know we want to. We have this vision of cooking food and packaging it in take-home heat and eat containers. That individuals more nutrition. You know packaged foods sometimes are high sodium, they're high fat content. They're not always the the most nutritious food that you can get. We'd love to be able to cook fresh foods, fresh vegetables, fresh meats, package them for folks to take, warm up and share with their family to have a nice family meal that's also very nutritious.
Speaker 5:So food is a big focus for let's Help in 2025. A lot of what we're doing revolves around that. We do also still offer our GED program. So individuals, everybody that walks through the door to ask for services we ask them do you have your high school diploma? And if the answer to that's no, then we go would you like to get it? Because we can help them with that. And so we have a constant I won't say a flood of people coming in, but a constant trickle of individuals coming in to study and we offer a tutor to teach them what they need to know. A lot of it can be done through online learning and then they can actually. We have testing facilities available where they can actually take their GE test and, if they pass, get their high school equivalency.
Speaker 2:Pat, what is requirements, for example, for the three days a week hot meal program or the food that they can take home with them clothing, whatever.
Speaker 5:Yeah, for the community meal it's just come one, come all. We don't have any criteria at all other than if you're hungry and you'd like a meal, come and get that. And for the other programs we have individuals complete an intake form I hate that term but we find out a little bit of information about them and the only real criteria is if they are either living below the established poverty levels or they could actually be. Maybe they have a job but they just don't earn enough to cover their most basic needs for food and for shelter and clothing and the things they need. Just to get by the basics. We'll help them. We're all about helping individuals who just need a little help up. We're not about building dependency with people. We're more about helping them while they try to lift themselves up out of their circumstances.
Speaker 2:So it's not an everyday get a food pantry, correct. How often can a person come back to get a food?
Speaker 5:box or whatever. They can come back to get a food box once a month. And likewise with all of our other services, the clothing bank and things like that.
Speaker 2:Likewise with all of our other services, the clothing bank and things like that. So we've noticed obviously there was an increased need for food distribution. First Press stepped into that during the pandemic in a big way with Operation Food Secure and really did stellar work on that. We get a chance at the Rescue Mission to work with you guys on that and others and so these particular areas with the economy, food prices and so forth, let's help being a big player in that. What do you see? The gaps are in our community right now. Rescue mission two days a week have people coming to get food boxes of unprecedented numbers that have come through. You guys have relocated, starting to see those numbers pick up, do you see?
Speaker 5:a need for more. I do. You know, and it's interesting, you mentioned the Operation Food Secure. That barrier was the springboard for First Presbyterian Church initiating a much broader food program. So we offer on the second Wednesday of every month, the church literally purchases food and we'll hand it out to hungry people in our parking lot. And then we have a partnership with harvesters on the fourth Friday of every month where harvesters will pull their big semi truck up and they just unload their warehouse in our parking lot and we hand that out as well.
Speaker 5:But none of all of that was because of Operation Food Secure and our folks said you know, even when that program was finished we said we don't need to stop, let's just keep going. So we did. You know.
Speaker 5:I think there is more need for programs to address nutrition scarcity in this community.
Speaker 5:There's a lot going on. Part of the challenge, I think, is that we need a much bigger coordinated effort and because so many people they don't know where they can go to get those. You know, if you happen to know you can go to First Presbyterian on the second Wednesday of every month, great, but so many people don't know that, and so there's kind of a need for a much for an umbrella, if you will, of organizations that are all working together in Topeka. Let's Help has asked ourselves at the board level how can we help address that? You know we all know that part of the Viaduct project also moved harvesters out of Topeka, so that has created some changes just from delivery schedules and other things. Harvester is a great organization, so we're just asking ourselves can we partner with them in different ways that might help the community even more? We have a huge warehouse facility. We have lots of storage facility that we could maybe play a partnership with them in helping address the needs of Topeka.
Speaker 2:I think you're spot on. Maryam and I had a little experience a number of years ago, when she was director of the United Way, of working together to try to address the larger issues of hunger in the community and who's doing what, and we learned a lot, didn't we, maryam? We learned a lot.
Speaker 3:We learned that food is not as easy as it might sound.
Speaker 2:That's right and organizing those systems, but it still is a need.
Speaker 3:It's so important.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I think out of the crisis we learned a lot of things during the pandemic on how to come together. But how do you sustain those efforts and it sounds like at the church as well as let's Help Now again picking up the ball and running with it? Trm has expanded dramatically in that arena with the distribution of food. So a year from now, two years from now, you guys are reestablishing, not reestablishing. You're in a new building establishing. People are finding you want to continue to do what you do now. Do more of it, innovative things that aren't being done. Obviously, you're probably, you know, still trying to figure out where the fire extinguishers are and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a little bit of that.
Speaker 5:Hopefully not that part, but yeah.
Speaker 2:But I know how it is in new facilities. So what's the goals?
Speaker 5:Yeah, well, you know, having been in the building for the time that we have, I have kind of estimated that we are actually using maybe, maybe 40 percent of its capacity and what that tells me is we still have 60 percent capacity for new initiatives, new ways of taking care of the community. So we are we are just a sponge right now kind of pulling in different ideas on how we could do that. So, for example, you know we have a clothing bank and we have washers and we have dryers, so that when clothes come in, if they need to be washed, we wash them and then if they need to be dried, we dry them. Could that possibly become a program where individuals can come and get their laundry services done? They can come in and wash their clothes and dry their clothes and take them with them.
Speaker 5:You know, because for some folks, particularly folks who are unsheltered, where do they do their laundry, right? So there's lots of those kinds of ideas. Certainly, a lot of ideas are around food. You know I have this, I have this dream that you know I could work partner with maybe one of the local education programs that teach culinary skills to individuals. Hey, come into my kitchen and help us cook those meals that we're packaging for people to to take home and feed to their families right, and not only are they learning skills, but they're also learning the importance of community service.
Speaker 2:I've been in that kitchen over there. It is probably the best kitchen in Topeka, Kansas right now.
Speaker 5:And it is not being used at the capacity it could be.
Speaker 2:So it sounds like what you're talking about is we've got extra space here, we want to partner in community with different entities, maybe address some gaps, and then we've got 40 to 60% more some space over here to be able to do some things together. Amanda, you obviously network with lots of different entities in the community and you've been here and seen the transition of let's Help and so forth. And now what are your board?
Speaker 4:And when we met in my office, I said, I just want you to know I'm trying to understand all of the good stuff that you guys already do, but I'm also interested in what you feel like needs to be moving forward with let's Help, and TRM wants to support that. I see all of us as allies like, and the enemy is food, insecurity, and it's people without things Right, and so we're all in this together, and so, you know, I think, when I look at what let's Help does, I'm just so appreciative, and the rescue mission sees the value of let's Help, and we see what they've done, we know the heart of why it originated, and I've said that before, even just with the rescue mission, it is so important that current leadership always understands what came before us, and that's what has propelled us to then be in this moment. That doesn't mean, though, that we stay there. Then it's our responsibility to find out what the Lord is asking for us to do for the next generations of this ministry, um, whichever one you're talking about, and so, um, you know, I'm so appreciative of what they do, but I also just want to be, I want TRM to be a part of whatever is next for let's Help, and then that trickles down into a mine and pass relationship. I love that he and I can talk about. Well, this is what we do. This is what probably needs to change. This is what.
Speaker 4:We are not sure what's coming next, and we've had those conversations and I think we're just excited to have more of that in the next 30, 45 days. We're both exchanging teams, so we're going to go over to let's Help and we're going to tour and help them, brainstorm and listen to their hearts and see if there's anything we can do to help. They're coming over here to us to do the same thing to look in our buildings we can do to help. They're coming over here to us to do the same thing to look in our buildings. And I kind of see it as when the community donates things to us, they're entrusting us to then give it back to the community right and take care of the needs.
Speaker 4:And so I don't think, pat, nor I personally as leaders, but also our organizations we just don't have the heart of, well, stay in your lane or do your thing. That's just not our hearts. We want to work together because we see, collectively, this community want to be compassionate and generous, and so then it's like okay, let's talk about what we're doing well independently and what needs to remain that way, because other things might be out of each other's scope and sequence. But I think we're doing well independently and what needs to remain that way, because other things might be out of each other's scope and sequence. But I think we're also talking about very logical next steps, of how do we bridge the organizations together to better take care of community needs with what the community has blessed us with.
Speaker 2:I think to speak more into that even is that Americans appreciate and are really good at some healthy competition and sometimes unhealthy competition, and that branches out into about every facet churches, nonprofits, business, sports teams, you name it.
Speaker 2:And so to strive in the area of healthy not healthy competition, but healthy networking, not competition is different than what we naturally think about, and so just to hear you speak to this LaManda and Pat you as well is something that is exemplary. It's needed, it's been done, but it has to be maintained to go forward. There are some communities that don't get along well with agency to agency. There would be some communities and some situations, maybe here in Topeka, that if an organization like Topeka Rescue Mission has a podcast, they're not going to talk about any other organization and what their needs are and how they can work together for fear of losing for fear of losing.
Speaker 2:But that's not the case here. It's not a fear of losing. The enemy, as you said, is food insecurity, it's homelessness, it's brokenness, it's home, all those things. It's not another agency. And when we find an agency who maybe is protective and tries to downplay others, we just have to say sorry, we can't work together with you. But that's not the case in most of our situations here, and obviously TRM and let's Help working together is very exemplary.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think it really requires that, and I'm one of those. I've worked in nonprofit segment for a lot of years and over those years you've seen some services and programs come, some services and programs go, and the organizations just need to be nimble and kind of move in directions that play to their strength. And in that vein, you know, if I see something that let's Help is doing that maybe is better served elsewhere and we're both trying to do it, maybe it makes more sense that I just kind of let that organization do that work and then ask what else can we do to help? Because I mean, in the end we're all viewing this as a community system of support and we're working together. And where can we best serve is the question we really ought to be asking.
Speaker 2:So any of you can try to answer this one. So you've got Donor A here and they want to help. Let's Help's doing this over here, united Way's doing this over here, doorstep's doing this over here, speaker S Commission's doing this over here, and they come to you. Where should I give?
Speaker 3:What do you say? I can tell you what, and I'll put kind of go back to United Way days. Where are they most passionate? Right, because there's not any of the organizations that you mentioned that wouldn't be able to effectively use someone's resources. So where is their passion? And where does their passion go beyond just the money they can give? What is their heart telling them to do? Because anytime they're helping our network of nonprofits, they are helping us too, because if someone else can serve these folks, that frees us up potentially to serve these folks that nobody was serving, right?
Speaker 3:So to me, people just need to follow their hearts when they're giving and where they want to engage beyond just their, their pocketbook. Right, because I think that we get the most from our donors when they are fully engaged with us. Not that, not that we don't want. If people want to just give us one hundred dollars a year, of course we're going to utilize that. If people want to just give us a hundred dollars a year, of course we're going to utilize that. But when they can give us a hundred dollars a year and maybe they give us some of their time and they talk about what, I'll just talk about TRM, what TRM is doing in the community. That's a huge advantage, right, and that's what we need from folks. So, whether they give to TRM, whether they give to doorstep, let's wherever it's going to be helping the people that need to be helped.
Speaker 2:At this level of community involvement, engagement, support with nonprofits, helping some of our most vulnerable to have the organizations and its leadership working together, is a goldmine. It really is. It exemplifies things that ought to be done in other areas. Obviously, we know, politically we're very divided in this culture today, very divided even at the local level, and people are used to people not getting along Well. If you're hungry and you're standing in a food line somewhere, you don't care what people's politics are, their religion is or whatever the case might be. You're wanting to make sure they're all getting along, that they're cooking the meal. Well, you know, and I'm going to get what I need today, and that is an important element of healing of people in our community, which then heals the whole community.
Speaker 3:Well, barry, if we just go back to Operation Food Secure, which was we jumped in not knowing what in the world we were doing, absolutely and we could not, trm could not have done that alone. It was really because this collaboration of organizations, whether it was churches, whether it was nonprofits, whether it was just general public volunteers that worked because everybody was willing to come together around one cause and it didn't matter who got credit. What got credit was Operation Food Secure, which nobody necessarily knew it was an operation.
Speaker 3:It was an operation right, and that's why that was so successful and why people will remember. You know, we worked together really well then, and when I hear them at First Press carried it on, that's like, oh my goodness. So the seed was planted during a time of significant crisis and yet look what happened. It carried on, not because we weren't willing to work together, because TRM, frankly, could have never distributed 6,000 boxes of food a week, which is what that got up to. Yeah, when I think about that, barry, I still wonder how we survived.
Speaker 5:And you know. The other advantage of working together is we all gain a better vision of where are the gaps in services in the community and where can who you know?
Speaker 5:LaManda can call me and she can say hey, you know what, you're midtown and we don't have anybody that can offer showers in midtown. Can you possibly do that? Well, that'd be something we could talk about, right. What are those services that people need in the community? And I don't have all the answers, but it's kind of always been known that the wisdom of the collective always exceeds the wisdom of one. That's kind of what I look at it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I would say the same thing. A couple of things came to mind when you asked about that. If somebody calls and they're inquiring specifically money right, where to donate and I would agree with what Pat said and what Miriam said and I think the only thing I would add in it is so that people understand kind of my thinking right, there is a faith piece to this where and I know this might not be popular or people might question my integrity with it or whatever, but this is truly how I check it. I think to myself one day we're going to face eternity, right, and I just cannot imagine that the Lord would say Lamanda, thank you so much for persuading, enlisting the name of donors that they put their money at TRM and didn't help anyone else. I just don't think that's going to be it. You're probably right, and so.
Speaker 4:I know it sounds mushy, but there is such a big portion of me that I know for a fact God has multiple messengers on this earth, both in a secular capacity, both in a nonprofit capacity, a ministry capacity, a business capacity, and that the financial stewardship of the rescue mission is his. He's the captain of it. That doesn't mean I can just be lethargic with it and not be wise with decisions or not try to do things. Have our actions match our faith right. We can have faith and action, and so all of those things are important. But I feel very strongly that one of the reasons because there's a lot of reasons I am not qualified for this job, but one that I think God needs me to be in this position is I better continue to have the heart of his and the heart of his, is that we are all called to love him and to love people, and so there is no way I could walk in integrity, be proud of or even accept thinking that I'm doing something that helps build up TRM. Why tearing down? Let's help, or tearing down? There is no way. I can't. I cannot do that personally, nor as a leader, nor would my leadership team, the board of directors, no one, no one would feel good about that, and so I evaluate that with one, thinking about my judgment day.
Speaker 4:But then, two, there's this other piece that and I've said this about United Way and a panel that I did, but I'm really starting to see it really is for a lot of our nonprofits. I think to myself if something happened to that nonprofit and they weren't there anymore. There's a dent in our community. And so when I think about what Pat is facing with let's Help and whether it's decisions, what type of expansion, what the next steps are, I personally and TRM we want to support that because if let's Help is not in their location, where they are and or doing whatever they're called to do, that's a dent in our community. So just because I'm not responsible directly for let's Help does not mean I'm not called to care and support let's Help. And so the rescue mission sees the work that they're doing and we want to help that continue. And so we trust that if someone needs to financially give in another capacity, god is still going to provide for TRM. Or it might be that they're going to give us the clothing and give them the volunteerism or whatever the case may be.
Speaker 4:So much of that is it's not my responsibility. Or whatever the case may be, so much of that is it's not my responsibility. My responsibility is to do things right, to do things with integrity and to see the bigger picture. Why trusting God with the details and I know that sounds silly? Because as EDs we are responsible for the financial stewardship. We have to look at the bills, we're looking at the overhead. We're looking at the overhead, we're looking at the budget, and so it's not that we can be dismissive of that. But there is no way that my budget is going to be healthier if I am vindictive or ugly to other nonprofits or anybody that's helped. There's no way and we will not act like that. We will not view that as that. We will not hoard, we're not going to do that. That's just not what we're called to do.
Speaker 2:And be willing to take that risk, to be able to say, okay, if it doesn't come my way, it comes another way, then the greater good is going to be done. There's one other thing I'm hearing too just want to draw it out. You're not just talking about not downplaying another nonprofit or dogging them or trying to get your donations away from them. You're also talking about celebrating them. Celebrating the uniqueness of a let's Health, the uniqueness of Topeka Rescue Mission coming together in a podcast like this and many other ways to do it together best. And so that's why it's extremely important for both of you, as executive directors, to be able to be on the same page, working together, even though you have your separate responsibilities, which, even in Operation Food Secure while it was a name that wasn't an agency name there was backbone organizations that were a part of that that were propping that up to do the work.
Speaker 2:But it would never have been done if they wouldn't have done it together and came around this whole idea of we're going to help our neighbors together. Yeah. So, um, yeah, this is good, healthy conversation. I just think it's good to draw this out for listeners so that you hear, because it's just not normal. It's not natural, I should say, in regards to who we are as competitive humans and how we would tend to try to protect our thing at the expense of others.
Speaker 5:If we're working together, we have an opportunity to be the collective voice for the community, for people who don't have a voice, and to really emphasize the need, the level of the need, and to cultivate that really, that community culture of charity. Right, and if we can do that I'm kind of like you, lamanda I think God will provide if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing together.
Speaker 2:We can test him out and see if he's telling the truth.
Speaker 5:We've learned he is.
Speaker 4:Well, that is one reason why I'm thankful for Pat is not just as the ED, but just him as a person. He's trustworthy. So I want to be able to and I know it's not probably the popular opinion I want to be able to tell Pat the good, the bad and the ugly about the rescue mission, because once Pat knows that I know for a fact when he's in other meetings and he's networking or in his prayer time, whatever the case is, he's looking at that, I know God's going to use him to be like man. I know Lamanda was saying they were struggling with that. This could be her answer.
Speaker 4:And I want Pat to know, as another executive director, I'm doing the same thing for him. When he tells me, hey, we're looking at, do we do more of this? Do we do less of this? I need to be listening. So when I'm in other meetings or we have other opportunities, then I can send those answers his way or validate hey, you were sharing that concern. Well, me and so-and-so and so-and-so just met and we have the same ones. I don't have the answer, but at least we all have the same answer and there's.
Speaker 4:That's in my opinion. That's just how it should be. I shouldn't have to go Well, we can't let Pat know this part because it's let's help. It shouldn't be that way. And when you have the right characters and leadership positions, you will have more. The trust is just there. And then you just have this vulnerability and you see momentum pick up in that Momentum doesn't pick up when there's deceit.
Speaker 2:And it doesn't do any good, as we've talked about, for it to be separated. It's powerful when it's together, and that's what you're doing here, pat. I think it's good to recognize that during the warming center's needs, when the temperature's out, you stepped up to the plate, being new in your position, new building, everything, not having done this before. You stepped into that and that really showed a lot about you and about your board, your staff, small staff at this point, to open up that facility, to be able to do what you could, why you could, to help people to not die.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that was. You know, I remember the first meeting that I went to where LaManda was inviting organizations to do that. And you know, as I was listening to her and I was thinking about this wonderful facility that let's Help has and this big, spacious area that in particular, would serve well as a warming center, I just felt personally a call that you know I can do something to help with this and realizing the resources at let's Help, that that too, that we could, we could really make a difference and you know that was a. That was a very interesting experience. As you know, let's Help is three and a half employees and about 70 volunteers, and what we learned on that because when the snowstorm hit volunteers couldn't get to us that was a problem.
Speaker 4:The ice was awful.
Speaker 5:You cannot run that facility with three and a half employees. It broke my heart, but the board had to make the decision to go ahead and close the warming center when it did. But you know what? I'm still willing to get to the table and ask what can change about the next time that we could do it again. I'm not giving up on that one.
Speaker 2:And then we just want to recognize and say thank you for stepping up doing what you could while you could. Have you caught up on your sleep yet? No, but I'm still working on that.
Speaker 5:What is that anyway?
Speaker 2:by the way, Right exactly.
Speaker 5:I like to say you know, I'm a part-time pastor and I serve.
Speaker 4:Let's Help part-time, but my wife reminds me I have two full-time jobs that just pay me part. Well, and I just want to say you know, pat was really conflicted with closing, like he knew that's what was best, and I couldn't get him volunteers either, because everybody was iced in. That was our whole goal was the first couple of days. We were going to try to send everybody their way. People couldn't get out of their driveways.
Speaker 4:So we it wasn't like we had a surplus of volunteers either and it was so kind because volunteers were letting us know left and right. It's not that we don't want to be there. I tried. Now it's stuck in the ditch. Whatever the case may be, and that is you know.
Speaker 5:Really, that's a good example of how we were working together. Yes, lamanda did get volunteers over to us, which actually put us through for a few days. Anyways, you know, I was seeing people that had had signed up to be over at let's, over at the rescue mission that were coming to let's go. So thank you for that. I never got a chance. Yes, no, that's fine mission that we're coming to let's go.
Speaker 4:So thank you for that. I never got a chance. Yes, no, that's fine. Well, and then you know, when he let me know, hey, we're going to have to be closing, I said don't feel bad about that, I support the decision that you and the board made. You said yes for what you could do, um, and we see that come together. And then someone else was ready to say yes. And then, in that, I wanted to know from him, like, how are you and your board going to communicate this, because I'm going to get on either Facebook Live or do a press release or something in support. I don't. I don't want there to be any ugliness about let's help closing earlier, this, that and the other. I need people to hear from me that I'm saying we're so glad for what they did. That's exactly what we needed when we needed it. Saying we're so glad for what they did, that's exactly what we needed when we needed it.
Speaker 4:And so I just loved we were on the phone and I was like, okay, let me know when your communication's ready. Then I'm going to say what you're saying, because I appreciate what you did and I I don't want anybody to do any flack towards that. I need them to know we support this closing too and we're thankful.
Speaker 5:Well and we work together. I mean to know we support this closing too and we're thankful. Well and we work together. I mean Miriam and I were on the phone several times that day because we had individuals that we needed to relocate and thank you for coordinating with us to make that happen.
Speaker 3:I think Pat looked at his phone and went oh shoot it's her, again it's her again.
Speaker 4:But so I say all that because not everything working together and everything is always like easy, or you know, roses and rainbows, it's just not. But what's also incredible is when characters of people or organizations or whatever are the same, even when we're like, oh, this is going to get sticky or what does this look like Anytime we start new initiatives, just all of those things that opens up opportunity for there to be conflict or whatever. And there just wasn't. It was like, oh, we're on the same page.
Speaker 2:Might be easier not to work together, but if it's right, it's right and we don't do this because it's easy. We do it because it's right and you know I'm thinking of John F Kennedy right now. We don't go to the moon because it's easy. We go to the moon because it's hard and the things that we're going to learn in the process of that are going to bring us better together. Pat, we're excited that you're in your role here. Incredible decades-old organization in our community doing many things With the new direction, new place and all that leadership and all that. It's exciting to know that you're at the helm here. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us today?
Speaker 5:Just thank you again for inviting me. I do feel blessed to be at let's Help at this time. It's an interesting time for that organization and lots of positive direction that's coming our way, and I just look forward to the many ways that let's Help can utilize its resources, its facility and its human resources and financial resources to partner with the Rescue Mission and other organizations to really help bridge the poverty gap within Topeka.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very good. What's your website? Letshelpincorg. Letshelpincorg. Okay, so we'll put that on the Facebook because, again, this is collaboratively coming together, working on doing what we do together as a community. And so, again, pat, thank you for taking the job, thank you for being a great partner, thank you for keeping let's Help moving in the right direction. We're excited about what's going to happen going forward and these partnerships with the Topeka Rescue Mission and others. Thank you for listening to our community, our mission. You've heard from Pat Yancey today, who is the executive director of let's Help, a great organization in the community, but you've heard even more about this networking together with the Topeka Rescue Mission, let's Help and Others, and the value of that and how we are better together. If you'd like more information about the Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to trmonlineorg. That's trmonlineorg. Thank you for being a part of our community, our mission. Thank you.