Hello neighbors,
Thanks to everyone who was able to tune in for the PPNA Virtual Community Meeting on February 8, 2021! Read on for the meeting recap, featuring Baltimore Ceasefire and sustainable food solutions. Full digital recording is posted below. We talked about composting food scraps with the community compost bin and building a permanent Little Free Pantry, accompanying our Linwood Community Fridge (Instagram: @Linwoodcommunityfridge). All of our guests’ contact information is provided. We encourage you to reach out directly to get involved.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mental Health WARMLine: The Pro Bono Counseling WARMLine is a free resource for Marylanders who are experiencing increased stress, anxiety, and life transition concerns. The WARMLine is staffed by a licensed mental health professional, 10AM-6PM, Monday-Friday. Callers can connect to the WARMLine Specialist by calling 211 or directly calling 443-608-9182. The WARMLine is great for callers who are not sure if they want ongoing counseling, but want to talk to a licensed social worker about stressful situations. Callers who speak a language other than English will be immediately connected to an interpreter with the WARMLine Specialist. Contact: Elizabeth Stoner, LCSW-C, phone: 443-608-9182, email: estoner@probonocounseling.org; web: ProBonoCounseling.org.
Produce Boxes from Bmore Children: Produce boxes are available at the Virginia Baker Rec Center on a weekly basis, Thursdays at 12:00n while supplies last. Contact: Evelyn da Costa, email: ecox21204@gmail.com.
William Paca Elementary Food Distribution: Food distribution continues at William Paca Elementary School on a weekly basis. Volunteers needed to help set up and distribute, Wednesdays at 11:00a. Address is 200 N Lakewood Ave. Contact: cheryl@southeastcdc.org.
Patterson Park Branch Library: Sidewalk Services recently resume at the Patterson Park branch of Enoch Pratt Free Library. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10a-4p. Contact: ptt@prattlibrary.org.
Julia Glatfelter, a Baltimore-based Mixed Media Artist and PPNA Neighbor has an exhibition going on at The Carroll Mansion (800 E. Lombard Street), also featuring Jaz Erenberg. Drop in on Saturdays and Sundays, 12n-4p. The exhibition benefits Baltimore Ceasefire. Contact: glatfelterjulia@gmail.com.
Dwain Johnson is the new community liaison for the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. Contact: djohnson@stattorney.org.
Larry Nunley is the community liaison for the Department of Public Works. Contact: larry.nunley@baltimorecity.gov. Phone: 443-615-2626.
LaToya Eff is the community liaison for MDOT MTA. The Monthly Citizen Advisory Committee Meeting is coming up on February 16.
Matt Achhammer is the community liaison for the Liquor Board. Use the 311 app to record your liquor board complaints. On February 1, 2021, the liquor board released guidance for Baltimore City's licensed establishments regarding updates to indoor and outdoor dining. Contact: matt.achhammer@baltimorecity.gov. Phone: 410-241-6525.
COMMITTEE AND BOARD HAPPENINGS
Welcome to PPNA Board Members, Kelli Poole and Gabriel Dutton! Kelli is our new PPNA Treasurer (treasurer@pattersonparkneighbors.org), and Gabe is our new Vice President for South Sector (vpsouth@pattersonparkneighbors.org). We look forward to working with you on PPNA Leadership!
Sustainability Committee: The next PPNA Sustainability Meeting is coming up Thursday, February 11 at 7:00p. Tune in for a discussion with Delegate Robbyn Lewis on sustainable policies and composting. Contact Allison Blood to get login info: sustainability@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
Sustainability Committee: We are delighted to introduce Community Composing Bins for the PPNA Neighborhood. This is a community-accessible composting drop-off site to collect food scraps and other compostable items from our homes. You can bring them to the compost drop-off site starting February 15, and there will be 24/7 accessibility. The bins will be emptied at least once per week by a commercial composting provider, Veteran Compost (info@veterancompost.com). The bins will be located at 2818 E Baltimore Street, at the corner of E Baltimore St and N Streeper St. Contact: sustainability@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
Economic Development Committee: In April 2020, PPNA set pop-up pantries in Patterson Park to support our neighbors experiencing food insecurity during the early days of the pandemic. Now, we are ready to move forward with a more permanent installation for a Little Free Pantry, similar to the one in Canton's O'Donnell Square. We need volunteers to contribute project management skills, building/construction, art/design/architecture, and fundraising/grant writing skills. Interested? Contact Megan Doyle Sappington: econdev@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
GUESTS
Jesse Schneiderman, Baltimore Ceasefire
Baltimore Ceasefire is a movement believing that violence is a a public health issue. The goal of Ceasefire is to reduce gun violence and move towards a safer Baltimore with zero murders. Ceasefire is inclusive, transparent, and persistent.
Jesse is a volunteer Ceasefire Ambassador from Upper Fells Point.
Ceasefire weekends are held four times per year, in February, May, August, and November. In 2020, Baltimore saw a 52% reduction in gun violence during Ceasefire weekends.
Ceasefire hosts Life-Affirming Events throughout the year, and Sacred Space Rituals at the site where a person loses their life to gun violence.
Ceasefire is completely run by volunteers. Ceasefire is not a political organization, not a leader-driven organization, and not anti-police/pro-police.
Contact Baltimore Ceasefire: Facebook: @baltimoreceasefire. Instagram: @baltimoreceasefire. Twitter: @bmoreceasefire. Website: www.baltimoreceasefire.com. Email: bmoreceasefire@gmail.com.
Contact Jesse: jesseschneiderman@gmail.com