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Email from Norm Fadness, L&F Board VP, but not representing board, re homeless paying for their upkeep

I thought I would post on this blog an email I received last May from Norm Fadness, who identified himself as Loaves & Fishes' "Board Vice President," and CC'ed the whole of the board, but then wrote "Disclaimer: This comment does not represent an official position of Loaves & Fishes."

Seems pretty feckless on Norm's part, if you asked me.

Following is Norm's email and my response.

  fromNormand Fadness

toTom Armstrong email

ccRudy Ahumada ,
Libby Fernandez ,
Kelly Tanalepy ,
Kathleen Kelly ,
Karen Banker ,
Jim Peth ,
Gerrie Baskerville ,
"Dorothy R. Smith" ,
Don Fado ,
David Moss ,
Chris & Dan Delany ,
Bob Pinkerton

dateTue, May 25, 2010 at 7:46 AM

subjectToday's Bee article

mailed-byfrontiernet.net

Greetings Tom

I was just wondering if when you are not spending time bashing Loaves & Fishes in your "blog" if you signed up for work at the Food Bank to help pay for your upkeep?

Norm Fadness
Board Vice-President

Disclaimer: This comment does not represent an official position of Loaves & Fishes.
Reply
Tom Armstrong to Normand, Rudy, Libby, Kelly, Kathleen, Karen, Jim, Gerrie, Dorothy, Don, David, Chris, Bob

show details May 25

Normand,

I learned this morning that Foodlink [not Food Bank] had 'lost' eight of its employees that Jim Peth gathered for Allen at Foodlink to work for that charitable organization.

This was an almost-unique situation where jobs were not being funnelled to SafeGround people. Indeed Allen did an end-around (as I understand it), going to Jim rather than through top administration, to get hard workers. It was also more-that-nice that employees weren't being selected for ideological reasons.

I am a hard worker and would be delighted to work for Foodlink. But if I did so, I would not be making donations to Loaves & Fishes. Until Loaves & Fishes properly represents itself, including its political activities, to donors, I don't believe donors to the charity understand what they are contributing to.

Loaves & Fishes refuses to give up its national revolution activities, I'll call it -- synonymous with the Safe Ground Movement -- which I believe would be repulsive to the great majority of donors, if they knew about it.

As you may not know, Normand, I had been volunteering for Wash House. Right now, they have a surfeit of volunteers. Also, I volunteer to work in the kitchen at Union Gospel Mission much more often than I am required to.

But I am very much in favor of homeless people organizing themselves, through the mayor's Volunteer Tsar, such that we can do more to contribute to our upkeep, as you call it.

BTW, Normand, a great many of the Christians in the homeless-help industry provide for the poor for Biblical reasons, relating to good works they are motivated to do because of their faith. They are not looking to the poor for upkeep payback.

— Tom Armstrong

Fadness, nor anyone else, responded, either officially or unofficially, to my email.
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