Bringing It Home Dinner Series Update

Bringing It Home is a national dinner party/ event series taking place in homes and workplaces across the country to support Give Us Your Poor: Homelessness & the United States Project.

In June, Cheryl Middleton hosted a Saturday night event in Medford, MA as part of the Bringing It Home Series. Cheryl, who has experienced homelessness herself, got numerous businesses to donate prizes and food. There were also three bands that played for the crowd, speeches were made and good food/fun was had by all. Proceeds went to Give Us Your Poor and Homes for Families, a fantastic advocacy group for homeless families in Massachusetts. This successful event was featured in the Boston Globe.

Are you interested in hosting a dinner party for a few friends? Hosting a golf tournament? If so please contact Anna Bremner at abremner@blueskycollaborative.com, she'll help you with materials and support to make hosting easy.

Give Us Your Poor: Homelessness & the U.S. is a national project aiming to create a revolution in public awareness and homelessness to implement solutions. Itincludes a documentary film, enhanced DVD, curriculum, music CD, and community action forums. Bi-partisan partners of the project include national and statewide advocacy groups, politicians, volunteers, celebrity artists, researchers, local PBS stations, and people experiencing homelessness. Believe in "US".

Cheryl Middleton with Fred Gutierrez and Stephanie Brown, Exec Dir. of Homes for Families at Bringing It Home Kickoff.

GUYP Filmmaker in Boston and Washington, DC

Give Us Your Poor executive producer Michael Mierendorf was in Boston and Washington DC recently, filming part of a segment in Boston with particular focus at Boston's Long Island Shelter, part of the City of Boston's Public Health Commission (BPHC).

Michael then traveled to Washington D.C. where he interviewed Michael Stoops, acting director of the National Coalition for the Homeless and longtime advocate for homeless people in America. Michael Stoops also traveled to Boston to be part of the film at Long Island Shelter. Filmmaker Lauren Berliner was the assistant producer for the shoot.

Funding was made possible by GUYP partner
organization, Friends of Boston's Homeless (FOBH). Special thanks to Mariann Bucina, John Rosenthal, and Rich Weintraub. The filming could not have happened without the support of many folks from the FOBH, BPHC, and the staff and guests of the Long Island Shelter. Special thanks also to the Doubletree Club Hotel Boston Bayside who contributed rooms to for the film crew from out of town.

While in DC, Mierendorf also was able to meet with the project board members including partner organizations: The National Coalition for the Homeless, The National Alliance to End Homelessness , The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, and other individuals