SAM 2007 Thanks SHAPE for a Wonderful Year
It is with great pleasure that the SAM Council (Share-A-Meal) addresses the SHAPE community in this issue of the Community Life magazine. We have excellent tidings to convey to all Shapians! This year the SHAPE SAM programme succeeded in providing food for 185 local disadvantaged families. We also provided gifts for all children under the age of 16 for those families and we were fortunate enough to be able to supplement the charities through which we work, with additional food stuff for their food banks. Altogether, SAM provided some 8,000 meals contributing to an enjoyable Christmas for all recipients.
SAM is a registered SHAPE charity programme that has been supported by the SHAPE community since 1985. Armed with a constitution, even from its humble beginnings, it has grown to be a tremendous venture of love and charity, which relies entirely on the consistent and generous support of the whole SHAPE Community, without whose commitment SAM would not be possible.
The SAM Council wishes to extend a wholehearted and warm thank you to everyone involved in this most worthy cause whereby people who have little prospect of a Christmas season like one most of us enjoy, could celebrate with their families.
In 2007, this programme was once again sponsored by the International Chapel, under a new International Chaplain, Peter Bornkessel. The SAM programme operates in concert with local charities who nominate candidates to be put on the list as recipients of our donations. The local charities that SAM cooperates with are: Notre Dame de la Croix, St. Vincent de Paul, Les Soeurs Clarisses and E.S.O.P (Entraide et Solidarite Protestant). We trust that these long standing societies will identify the neediest families.
SAM, as many other organizations with a history, has developed standard practices to cope with the workload during the campaign, but we never rest on our laurels. We try to expand our operations to develop new and alternative methods for acquiring donations. This was the first year that SAM had a raffle and a dedicated effort to collect spare change. SAM was able to raise more than 800 euros through its raffle and donations with the winner on ticket 272 receiving a truly nice pair of tapestry pillows. But we did more than that. We shared a table with two other charitable causes raising money for the less fortunate. A special thank you is hereby extended to Mrs. Marylene Maes, who shared her “Silver Spoon table” with her calendars for the children from Tibet, and Mrs. Anne Blokdal-Pedersen, who championed a dual purpose venture raising monies for the local animal shelter and SAM through donations from her Christmas card sales.
The SAM programme could never succeed without the many volunteers and the organizations that support it within the SHAPE community; from the Office of the SACEUR, down through the J Divisions to the NMR offices that sponsor families or give their Nation’s members the time off to volunteer, together with the family members that take an hour to come pack a box on packing day, and help deliver the boxes to those that sponsor a family – it’s a group effort!
Speaking of which, we should use this occasion to encourage all SHAPE members, staff and dependants alike, to enlist in the SAM programme! Here is a wonderful opportunity to make a real difference in some people’s lives and an equally rewarding environment in which to address this undertaking. The SAM Council is one way of engaging, volunteering is another, and everyone is welcome. The membership of the SAM Council, many of whom are “repeat customers”, provide testament to the notion that it is worth it, fun and at the same time rewarding.
There have been many people involved and we cannot begin to mention them all, but they comprised members from the International Chapel and affiliated congregations, staff in SHAPE, the NAEW, the NCSA, NMR offices, SHAPE International School, dependants and even retirees!
So this year, why not come and join the SAM team? Our goal is to support at least 20
0 families in 2008. If you are interested or would like any further information, please send an email to sam.shape@yahoo.com for contacting the SAM Secretary, Mrs. Pam Giacomello, or call the Chairman, Nils Baaring at ext. 6509.
Now, as the Council brings SAM 2007 to a close, we look forward to seeing you as we consider our planning for the year to come! If you wish to make a monetary donation for the SAM programme at any time, please contact the Fortis Bank: Acct SHAPE Share a Meal (SAM) 001-5042985-31; receipts can be provided upon request.
May God Bless you and have a very happy and healthy New Year!