Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel provides meals, feeds souls
For Release: October 25, 2010
Contact: Brandi Smitherman, Program Director (208.676.0772 or bsmitherman@voaspokane.org)
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho–Food speaks to teenagers. That's why providing warm, nutritious meals is an essential part of welcoming at-risk youth at the Project Safe Place drop-in center. For the past 2 years, the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel has supported the local nonprofit by providing meals. Each time the Casino visits Project Safe Place, they provide a buffet style hot meal as well as 25 sack lunches. The next drop-off will be Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010.
The hot meals are often times highly anticipated by the youth and historically have brought in our hard-to-reach youth who may otherwise be reluctant to seek help. These meals also give staff the opportunity to sit down and have important conversations with the youth in a non-threatening and natural environment. The sack lunches are then offered to older siblings, parents and other family members who otherwise may not have access to a healthy meal that day.
"The meals provided by the Coeur d'Alene Casino are an immense help to our program financially allowing us to spend more money on direct services to the youth," shares Brandi Smitherman, Program Director.
In the past year, Project Safe Place served 2,186 meals and snacks during Drop-In Center hours. In addition to the hot meals served, Safe Place was able to provide 100 food boxes to youth and their families to assist them in supplementing their limited financial means.
Project Safe Place is a youth program of Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho. The program offers a teen Drop-In Center three days a week ( M,W,F) from 2:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. where local youth can socialize with age appropriate peers, participate in recreational activities, receive mentoring and case management, as well as a hot and nutritious meal. Project Safe Place also has an emergency shelter program which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to youth and families in crisis. And lastly, a multitude of community sites which display the Safe Place logo that youth in crisis may enter to receive immediate support and assistance connecting with Safe Place staff.
For more information regarding services provided by Project Safe Place, or to learn how you can get involved, contact Brandi Smitherman at 208.676.0772 or visit the Drop-In Center at 201 E. Harrison, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814.
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