JVUF’s vision is to “be a model sustainable urban farm that teaches youth and the Birmingham community about sustainable agriculture and nutrition through outdoor experiential education.” JVUF grows food at a variety of locations, including 3 acres of vacant property downtown and 7 acres of land at Mount Laurel. Their community garden rents 4×8 foot plots to 30 members who then grow their own organic produce and flowers on it under the guidance of JVUF staff. From the months of May through October, JVUF sells their food, flowers, and herbs to the public at the After Work Farm Stand and Pepper Place Farmers Market. JVUF is also involved in a Food Box program which provides family-sized boxes of fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy recipes at low cost through a weekly subscription.

Jones Valley Urban Farm does much more than just grow and sell food. They also host a variety of educational programs that inform everyone from pre-schoolers to students to adults about gardening, sustainable farming, and nutrition. Their Second Saturday Education Series invites families, adults, gardeners, and anyone else who wants to play in the dirt to learn more about gardening! The next one is this Saturday, December 12, and the topic is Hunger in the Real World, so visit their website if you’d like more information on that class or any of their other great programs.

In an interview in the Tannehill Trader, Executive Director Edwin Marty shares his hopes of changing Birmingham through Jones Valley Urban Farm: “The vacant land all over Birmingham could be the very earth that feeds the people that aren’t getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables. And it could give those same people jobs and a way to make an honest living. Imagine if Birmingham grew 50% of all its own food!” It seems that JVUF is well on its way to making those hopes into realities as it continues to educate the community and promote healthy food in practical ways.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

Nomad Supply wants everyone who stops by to feel welcome, even if you don’t spend any money. That’s why they have an upstairs with sofas to sit on, DVDs to watch, and a used bookstore to browse through. Downstairs they sell everything from fair-trade coffees and organic teas to flip flops and T-shirts. They also sell art and handmade crafts from people they have personally met all across the country. You can find hand-blown glass, home-made jewelry, soaps, tie-dyed clothes, drums, incense, stickers, things made out of hemp and bone, and so much more in their collection. Nomad Supply also features live music, is involved in a community garden, and has a booth at Pepper Place.

One of the taglines on their blog says “This world is not our home, we’re only passing through.” As followers of Jesus, who spent years of his life as a homeless traveler himself, the people who run Nomad Supply offer more than just a shop; they offer a community for people who are passing through. A place to come and hang out for a few hours, drink some coffee, have a good conversation, and listen to some music. Sounds like a great place to me.

If you’re in the area, stop by their shop which is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Find out more about what Nomad Supply is up to by visiting their website, blog, or facebook page.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

For the past 14 years, Magic City Harvest has recovered food, prevented food waste, and educated the community on topics such as nutrition, poverty, and hunger. Using a network of over 800 volunteers, MCH collects donated excess food from places like grocery stores, restaurants, and cafeterias, and transports it to more than 30 feeding programs in Jefferson, Shelby, and Talladega counties. All of the recipient feeding programs are non-profit organizations that include soup kitchens, shelters, and food pantries.

Magic City Harvest has distributed over 5 million pounds of food to hungry people since its beginning, and over 1 million pounds of food in just 2008 alone! They also hold an annual World Hunger Day event, and at the most recent one in October they fed a meal to approximately 3300 people. Other programs include their Empty Bowls annual fundraiser and their current “U-CAN” food drive in which they are partnering with Starbucks stores in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Oxford to collect cans and other non-perishable food items.

There are 80,000 people in the Greater Birmingham area who fall in the category of “food insecure,” which MCH defines as “a condition in which people lack basic food intake to provide them with the energy and nutrients for fully productive lives.” One in five of those 80,000 are children.

These might just be statistics to you, but each number represents actual hungry people and malnourished bellies. So please, as you spend this holiday being thankful for the blessing of family, friends, and food, consider sharing your bounty with those who are in need. Magic City Harvest has some great ways to get involved, donate food, and reach out to people in our community. Find out more at their website.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

There are 1200 kids in Jefferson County with incarcerated parents and the statistics are stacked against these children. Children of prisoners are six times more likely than other children to be incarcerated at some point in their lives. Without effective intervention strategies, as many as 70% of these children will become involved with the criminal justice system. To keep this from happening in our community, IMPACT’s Mentoring Children of Prisoners program matches a volunteer mentor to a child between the ages of 4 and 16 who has one or both parents in prison.  Research has shown that kids with a positive mentor in their lives have better school attendance, are less involved with drugs and alcohol, and have more trusting relationships with adults. MCP has seen firsthand how much positive change can happen in a child’s life when someone takes the time to be a friend and a mentor.

Many of the kids in the MCP program have barely left their neighborhood and live at or below the poverty line. Jazmine said that something as simple as feeding ducks at a pond or picking out fruit at the grocery store can be a fun and new experience for these kids. The main thing the kids need is to have an older friend who takes an interest in them and cares enough to hang out with them once a week.

Qualified mentors are much needed, especially men. Right now there are 60 kids in the MCP program with about 60 more on a waiting list, and IMPACT receives new referrals every day. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money to be a mentor to one of these kids. Mentors must be over 19 years old, go through a background check, and commit to spending just one hour per week for one year with the mentee they are paired with.

The MCP program is just one of many run by IMPACT Family Counseling. To find out more about these programs, visit their website: www.impactal.org.

And if you’re interested in being a mentor, contact Jazmine McDaniel at jaz@impactal.com. IMPACT hosts training sessions twice a month for potential mentors as well as on-going training throughout the year for all current mentors. You can also connect to IMPACT through their facebook group, IMPACT Mentoring .

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

For nearly 70 years, Brother Bryan Mission has been helping homeless and impoverished men from Birmingham get off the streets and transition into a better life. As a non-profit, nondenominational Christian organization, BBM believes that the “life-changing power of God and His Word” is a vital aspect to recovering from issues such as depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The Mission is a long-term shelter with room for 66 men who are required to have a job in return for a place to stay. Besides the basics of three nutritious meals a day, a bed to sleep in, and a safe place to live, BBM also offers counseling services, access to AA, NA, and Celebrate Recovery meetings, nightly chapel services, transportation to work, and seminars on life skills. Their programs are designed to help men “learn to live responsible, productive and independent lives and to become contributing members of the Church, the family and the community within 9 to 24 months.”

The motto of BBM is “Changing lives through Christ-centered recovery,” which has been the goal from the very beginning. The mission was named after James Bryan, a pastor in Birmingham who was well-known for his good deeds such as running soup kitchens for the homeless and handing out presents to poor children in the Christmas season. He earned the nickname “Brother Bryan” because he always addressed people as either brother or sister and ministered to both the physical and spiritual needs of his community. His last wish before he died was to start a shelter where homeless men could find a meal, a bed, and God’s love. Brother Bryan Mission was founded shortly before he died in 1940 and has moved locations four times until finding its current location on 2nd Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.

Brother Bryan Mission is supported solely by donations. Their website tells more about the history of the mission and includes directions on how to donate your time or money. Though it may be one of the oldest non-profits in the area, BBM is keeping the community up to date through its Facebook page, Twitter account, and blog.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

But there are people all across the nation and world in need of a good photograph, perhaps to include with a resume or just to keep as a family portrait. Photographer Jeremy Cowart had an idea of how to use his camera and connections to change the world in a practical display of love. What if photographers all across the country took one day to make portraits of people who couldn’t afford them? People who maybe had never been in front of a camera before. People like single moms or homeless families or anyone without access to a camera.

Jeremy’s idea has resonated with other artists, photographers, graphic designers, and organizers, and has expanded into a movement called Help Portrait. On December 12, 2009, photographers all across the nation and even the planet will be taking pictures, printing them, and delivering them to those who need them the most.

One of the things I love about this idea after looking at their website and checking out some of the videos about this project is how much the folks at Help Portrait stress that this is not about the photos ending up in a photographer’s portfolio or website. It’s a chance not just to take pictures, but to give them away. And hopefully, to make connections and build relationships with people in the community in the process.

Several photographers from the Birmingham area will be gathering at Jason Wallis’ studio downtown to take pictures of families from the YWCA and Jessie’s Place, and anyone else who needs a portrait. Stephen will be photographing and Jessi will be managing, so if you want more info about the Birmingham Help Portrait day, send an email to jessi@bedouinsinternational.org.

It’s happening on 12.12.09. Check out the Help Portrait Community page to find out more.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

The purpose of The Mentoring Project is to connect mentors from local churches with boys between the ages of seven and fourteen who don’t have dads. Their current goal is 10 mentors from 1000 churches, creating 10,000 mentoring relationships. Mentors sign up for a two year commitment of spending one hour a week with a fatherless boy, doing anything from shooting hoops to building car models to just hanging out. Right now this program is based only in Portland, Oregon, where Donald Miller lives and works. But The Mentoring Project plans to expand into a national program by Fall 2010.

Part of the idea behind The Mentoring Project came from elephants. In his book To Own a Dragon, Donald Miller parallels the plight of orphaned elephants with that of boys without fathers, which he realized after watching a documentary about elephants in a wildlife trust. Teenage orphaned elephants often took out their aggression on other animals until older, mentoring elephants were introduced to them.

“I began to wonder if we guys were designed to have a father, whose very presence would cause us to understand more accurately what our muscle is for, what we are supposed to do with our energy,” he writes. (To read more of this excerpt, click here.) Donald Miller’s organization is helping young boys connect with older men who can provide that kind of presence and guidance in their lives.

Currently Donald Miller is on his A Million Miles in a Thousand Years tour, so if you want to hear more about his book or The Mentoring Project, check out his tour dates here. He will be in Birmingham November 19! You can also check out his blog and follow The Mentoring Project on Twitter to find out what he’s been up to.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

Christmas is a time of giving. Of cookies and warm drinks and story-telling. Bedouins International wants to kick off the holiday season by hosting a party for our friends and community, one complete with snacks, stories, and the chance to hang out with the people who helped us get here in the first place.

So mark it in your calendar/phone/planner: Friday, December 4, at 7:00 p.m. we will have a Night of Storytelling in Apartment #501 in the Phoenix Lofts. This will be a chance for us to reminisce and retell some of our favorite stories from the past two years, three continents, eight countries, and a plethora of projects. It’ll be a time to say “thank you” to those of you who have supported us along the way as well as a chance to let new friends know what we’ve been up to and where we hope to go next.

So come party with us! We’ve created an event on our Facebook fan page for you to find out more details. Hope to see you there!

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  —James 1:27

After studying the book of James as a congregation this fall, the Church at Brook Hills began to put this centuries-old sentence into practice with their recent emphasis on foster care and adoption. When they read this verse on Sunday, September 6, the leaders and members of the church started asking what it would look like to take care of the orphans of Shelby County. Pastor of Brook Hills Dr. David Platt met with workers from Alabama’s Department of Human Resources to find out more, and challenged the members of his congregation to consider being foster parents or adopting.

To find homes for all of the children in Shelby County’s foster care program, DHR representatives told Dr. Platt it would take 150 families. On Sunday, September 20, Brook Hills held an informational meeting for families who wanted to begin the process of being foster parents. At the end of the meeting, 160 families had signed up. Brook Hills is now partnering with several adoption and foster care agencies in Alabama to provide the necessary classes and training so that potential foster parents can welcome a foster child into their home very soon.

Some of these children have been abused, ignored, and rejected. All of them have a story about how they ended up in foster care. And now, because of an ancient letter from one of Jesus Christ’s disciples and a church family willing to put those words into action, hundreds of the orphaned, forgotten, and abandoned children in Shelby County will have a story about finding a home.

To find out more about the Church at Brook Hill’s Care for the Children program, visit their webpage or send an email to careforchildren@brookhills.org. For more information on foster care in Alabama from DHR’s website, click here.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.

In the same way that Jesus Christ came and dwelt among us (John 1:14), Global Teams sends out missionaries to dwell and live as salt and light among the nations. As they train and send out missionaries, they emphasize the importance of being culturally and linguistically connected to the places that missionaries will go. Global Teams organizes multi-cultural and multi-national teams of missionaries, as well as provides a great support base for on-the-field missionaries with their member care staff. Another branch of Global Team missionaries is made up of the mobilizers, those who recruit new missionaries from places where the church already exists.

Rather than claiming to have created a formula for disciple-making, Global Teams recognizes God’s creativity among the people of the world. They embrace the fact that the way a mission movement happens in Kenya will differ from one in Laos, though the same Holy Spirit is behind them both.

Right now, Global Teams has over 150 missionaries in 19 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. They hope to start 17 more bases around the world as places to send out missionaries by the year 2020. Find out more about Global Teams by visiting their website.

Each week Bedouins International posts a story. Maybe it’s one we’ve helped to tell, or a story we hope to tell, or it maybe it’s just a story we think deserves to be told. In any case, we hope you find them inspiring and motivating. Read more stories here.