The post Building Inclusive Communities: The Role of Mountain Mediation Center appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Michele Roepke for Town Lift (May 10, 2024)

PARK CITY, Utah — The Christian Center’s Mobile Food Pantry program will begin its summer distribution schedule on May 15. The nonprofit’s need for food increased 22% during the 2023 calendar year.

Jaime Mira is the program’s manager. He told TownLift, “I have an amazing team of staff and volunteers that I’m grateful for, and without whom we could never do all the great work we get to do throughout the entire community. It’s wonderful to see all the families that come out to these events and get to see each other sometimes for the first social time after a hard-working winter.”

Nonprofit’s like the People’s Health Clinic, Summit Community Gardens, Mountain Mediation, Hope Alliance, Summit and Wasatch Health Departments and the Summit County Sheriff’s Department partner with the Christian Center to make this mobile program possible.

Sometimes, some of the donated food products come from Smith’s, Macey’s, Fresh Market, Starbucks, Walmart, Park City Bread and Bagel, and Whole Foods.

Documented proof of financial need is neither requested nor required.

Although Mira helps find and/or facilitate food resources for all those who are in need, he prioritizes year-round locals. Over the winter, when the lines at the food pantry started wrapping around the building, he and his colleagues implemented a successful, staggered system whereby locals lines were served earlier in the day with J1 residents a couple hours later, still ensuring, however, that the community-at-large had its needs met.

For the mobile program, Mira works closely with the Utah Community Action Network double checking that their food distribution dates and locations align such that there’s no overlap.

Donations to and purchases from the Christian Center’s thrift stores assist in keeping such community programs going. For example, during the interview for this article a nondescript car pulled in to the Drop-Off Center and a nondescript-looking resident donated a nondescript piece of furniture.

It turned out to be none other than Olympic gold medal ski racer, local Ted Ligety making one of his frequent donations which often include gently used U.S. Ski Team parkas rarely available in stores. His jacket’s, if lucky enough to come across one on the clothing store’s racks, can be purchased for pennies on the dollar, shoppers know they’ve scored one because on the part where a name can be written, there’s just one word, “Ted.”

Locations on the routes are:

• Elm Bridges Apartments in Heber
• Wing Pointe Apartments in Heber
• Liberty Station Apartments in Park City
• Iron Horse Apartments in Park City
• Aspen Village Apartments in Park City
• Holiday Village Apartments in Park City
• Deer Mountain Apartments in Kamas
• Kamas
• Coalville

Dates include:

• 5/15
• 6/12
• 6/19
• 6/26
• 7/10
• 7/17
• 8/1
• 8/8
• 8/15

Click here to see when they’ll be in which neighborhood.

—

Click here to read this article on the Town Lift website

The post Christian Center Mobile Food Pantry begins May 15 appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Michele Roepke for Town Lift (July 12, 2023)

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Meeting people where they are, literally and figuratively, the Christian Center of Park City (CCPC)’s Mobile Food Pantries have been bringing free, healthy food to all corners of the County for a couple years. For this summer, they’ve brought on some new community partner entities to serve people more thoroughly thus creating a one-stop-shop.

“In the spirit of bringing services to the community, we have invited like-minded nonprofit partners to join us at our mobile pantry events,” Matt Melville, programs director for the CCPC told TownLift. “Partners that join us include: People’s Health Clinic, Mountain Mediation Center, Summit Community Gardens, Park City Police Department, and Summit County Health Department.”

Dates, locations, and times for the Mobile Food Pantry, as well as the Food Pantries in both Park City and Heber can be found here.

The post Christian Center Farmacie RX and mobile food pantry partners with local wellness nonprofits appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Michele Roepke for Town Lift (January 6, 2023)

PARK CITY, Utah — The seasonal worker population is in town, in force, and the Christian Center of Park City (CCPC) is on a mission to feed them all a free, hot meal every Tuesday night.

Besides taking an exciting moment to watch their Argentinian countrymen compete in the FIFA World Cup, J1 employees from Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Costa Rica (a few of whom are housing at CCPC Executive Director Rob Harter’s house) are staffing the resorts in invaluable ways.

As one of the oldest services the nonprofit CCPC has offered for decades, Free Community Tuesday Night Dinners is starting back up this winter. The schedule is as follows: January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 21, and 28.

Other local nonprofits like Mountain Mediation come in to discuss with the diners, in Spanish, the potential perils and pitfalls regarding renters’ rights. The Park City Transit Dept. shares tips and tricks to get everybody to work on time and home afterward.

Matt Melville, Programs Director, told TownLift, “There are a whole lot of awesome seasonal workers back in town after a few COVID seasons, and we’re thrilled to invite them all to these weekly meals. It’s the best opportunity for local groups to feed and then to simply sit down and share a meal, some laughter, and some stories from home over a home-cooked meal that these friends will often get in Park City.”

Individual families, nonprofits, restaurant-related groups, community service organizations like Rotarians, and religious groups have already shown interest in providing home-cooked or otherwise prepared meals for 50-150 people.

The dinners are located upstairs in the community gathering space at the CCPC.

—

Click here to read this article on the Town Lift website

The post Christian Center’s free Tuesday Night Dinners start for seasonal workers appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.