Marco Morosini is an Alabama Bright Light opening his Heart to Table for the homeless
When the temperature dips near freezing in Birmingham, Boutwell Auditorium opens as a shelter for more than 300 people on many nights. But what will they eat? Marco Morosini knows the answer, provided by Heart to Table. “Six or seven years ago I began to bring food to the homeless,” said Morosini, the owner of Silvertron Café and the founder of Heart to Table. “We feed them local food from Alabama, which is the beautiful thing about this organization. I had local eggs, collard greens, pork chops and cabbage delivered. Royal Cup donated coffee. All of this gets delivered to the Boutwell for the homeless during cold nights.” Silvertron has been around for 30 years, and Morosini took over as owner in 2007. He has implored other restaurant owners to come on board. Heart to Table now has 22 restaurants, including Basil Gourmet Pizza & Bar, Bellinis Ristorante & Bar, Bottega Café, Chez Lulu, Gianmarco’s, Rojo and others. “Throughout the year I’m working on recruiting more restaurants, but I’m always helping. The original idea was to just do this in the winter, but in September when the tornado came through Birmingham and they opened Boutwell auditorium for the homeless, we stepped in,” Morosini said. The restaurants in Heart to Table partner with Urban Food Project with REV Birmingham. “It connects local farmers with the restaurants,” Morosini said. “On Christmas Day, we served 70 pork chops from Fudge Family Farms in Madison, Alabama. We had two big containers of cooked collard greens and cabbages from farms in this state. There’s nothing more beautiful than seeing farmers supporting the homeless.” Don Lupo, director of the Office of Citizens Assistance for the City of Birmingham, said that if it wasn’t for Morosini, feeding the homeless at shelters for nearly 30 nights a year would be difficult. “I have called Marco our patron angel,” Lupo said. “He’s there not some nights, but every night, and he brings amazing food with him. Heart to Table happens because of him. The Boutwell has been open this winter for 16 nights already.” In addition to Heart to Table, Morosini has created Movies in Avondale Park, a free family summer movie series. He has also brought the Alabama Symphony Orchestra to the park for free spring concerts. His love for the community is unending. “Having 22 restaurants, and as big of a number as that is, at the end of the day it’s not that many. When the time comes, it’s not that easy to drop what you’re doing and cook for 250 people,” Morosini said. So why does Morosini do all of this? “I do this because everyone is a person just like you and me. Nobody deserves to have second-class food, nobody deserves to have anything less than what you and I would eat,” he said. “These people are sadly less fortunate, and if I can do anything to make their night at the shelter more enjoyable, tastier, warmer, then I’m going to do it.” Morosini insists that Silvertron provides not only good food, but a warm and inviting atmosphere. He puts as much value in the surroundings and the community as he does in the food. “It’s priceless when someone who is homeless says ‘God bless you’ and ‘thank you for what you’re doing,’” Morosini said. “That moment right there is payback for all the hours spent in the kitchen and all the money invested. There’s no better feeling than that.” For information or to be included in Heart to Table, visit the organization’s Facebook page. Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Christian homeless shelter accused of requiring attendance, tithing at Alabama’s largest megachurch
A Christian women’s shelter in Alabama is being accused of forcing homeless residents to attend the state’s largest megachurch and when they finally get employed, tithe 10 percent of their income to the church. AL.com reports Jessie’s Place, a women and children’s shelter in downtown Birmingham, is asking the women who stay there to specifically attend Alabama’s largest megachurch, Church of the Highlands, regardless of their church preferences. And ultimately, once employed, to tithe the Bible-recommended 10-percent to the church. Dana Johnson, who has been homeless on and off for two years, told AL.com her story saying that the shelter required her to attend Church of the Highlands rather than her own church, First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham. When her pastor at the First Presbyterian, Rev. Shannon Webster, found out, she reached out to Jessie’s Place asking why the women were all required to attend the same church. LaTonya Melton, director of Jessie’s Place, responded to Webster explaining the shelter policy “prevents women from lying and saying they went to church when they didn’t. She also said that tithing is required, but the women can tithe to whichever church they want.” Tony Cooper is the executive director of Jimmie Hale Mission, which operates Jessie’s Place, says he has no problem with the tithing, but does take issue with telling the women where to specifically tithe. “We are a Christian ministry,” Cooper told AL.com. “Tithing is just a part of our Christian walk. We’re trying to get them to exercise the discipline of giving back to God what’s his. We charge them nothing. It’s not like we’re trying to get their money. The tithe does not go to us. We’re trying to teach them Christian discipline. Tithing is part of the budgeting process. Whatever your policies are, they’re not going to please everybody.”
Robert Bentley awards $2.4 million grants to help fight homelessness
Gov. Robert Bentley on Thursday awarded $2.4 million in federal grants to 12 local governments and community agencies across the state to help homeless Alabamians find immediate housing and to assist others who are in danger of becoming homeless. The grants are awarded through the Emergency Solutions Grant program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will support programs that provide shelter, legal and health services and money-management education for families and individuals who are without a residence. The National Alliance Against Homelessness says the vast majority of homeless individuals and families fall into homelessness after a housing or personal crisis. These grants aim to provide services necessary to help these persons at-risk of homelessness or homeless quickly regain stability in permanent housing. They can also help families with costs associated with moving to a new apartment or home including utility deposits and rental deposits. “Nearly everyone encounters hard times at some point in their lives, some more severe than others,” Bentley empathized. “This program helps prevent homelessness by giving a helping hand at a time of critical need.” The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grants to the selected recipients state-wide. “Through this program, many who find themselves homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless can take important first steps back toward independent living,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “This federal-state-local partnership provides essential aid to help Alabama families find housing and get back on their feet.” Grant recipients will administer the funds at the local level and assess the needs of individuals who wish to be considered for assistance. Local case managers screen applicants for program eligibility. An individual or family requesting assistance can contact their local agency directly or may receive a referral to the program by a local shelter. Below is a list of each amount awarded, the name of the grant recipient and the areas served: $300,000 to YWCA of Central Alabama (domestic violence victims in Blount, Jefferson and St. Clair counties) $300,000 to Montgomery Area Coalition for the Homeless (Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery counties) $300,000 to Housing First Inc. (Baldwin and Mobile counties) $204,150 to the city of Florence (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties) $204,150 to Alabama Rural Coalition for the Homeless (Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, Escambia, Fayette, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Lamar, Lee, Macon, Marengo, Marshall, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Walker, Washington and Wilcox counties) $200,000 to the city of Birmingham (Birmingham) $200,000 to the city of Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa County) $200,000 to the city of Huntsville (Huntsville) $200,000 to Penelope House (city of Mobile) $200,000 to the Shelby County Commission (Shelby County) $60,000 to Mobile Area Interfaith Conference (inmates being released from Mobile County Metro Jail) $18,500 to the Marshall County Commission (Marshall County)
