John Tumino

Investing in our friends who are making strides is very important when assisting individuals who have done a 180 degree turn in life. Kdog going on 5 months of sobriety has been a beautiful thing to watch. He is now sober in his own housing and giving back to his community. Today he is doing some scraping of our IMFK store front getting it ready for primer and some fresh paint. We surprised him with this new bike so he can get around town to appointments as well as being able to visit us at IMFK. This bike was given to us over a year ago by a Sous Chef who overcame his own addiction. He wanted us to be able to give it to someone who was making a positive change. Well we are blessed to be able to be a blessing to Kdog, check out the video

Eating with a Purpose in our community assists us in serving those experiencing homelessness in CNY. How you ask? By purchasing the sauce and other products we carry allows the finances to come in to assist us with our work. In Onondaga County you can get these items delivered to your front door for a $20 minimum order for delivery. Please consider purchasing some items and partnering with us with this recipe.
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 large zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise (I used a mandoline)
1 Tbsp olive oil for brushing + 1 additional Tablespoon for sauteing
1 small sweet yellow onion, finely diced
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped well
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
16 oz IMFK Taste and See Pasta Sauce
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup organic ricotta
1 free range egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a handful or fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Lay out the zucchini strips on a large cutting board, lightly sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and very lightly brush with 1 Tablespoon of oil.
Bake strips in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly tender and easy to roll. Allow them to cool until ready to handle.
Meanwhile, add remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add in the onions, mushrooms, Italian seasonings and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Stir in 3/4 of the Taste and See Pasta sauce and simmer your mushroom sauce for about 4 minutes, or until slightly reduced.
In a medium bowl add ricotta, parmesan cheese, the egg and a tiny pinch of sea salt + pepper, and fresh chopped parsley. Stir well to combine everything.
Use a 9×13″ casserole dish or an ovenproof cast iron skillet and spread remaining IMFK Pasta sauce on the bottom.
To assemble the zucchini rolls, lay out one zucchini slice on a cutting board. Spread about 2 spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the top, then a spoonful of mushroom sauce mix.
Carefully roll up each zucchini after filling, and place in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining slices.
Pour any remaining mushroom Taste and See sauce over top.
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and bake for about 15-20 minutes in your preheated oven, or until hot and bubbly.
Serve immediately alongside a nice fresh salad.
Enjoy and Thank You for your Suppor

General Manager Jason Smorol from the Syracuse Mets shares his appreciation for our Crew Members from Hire Ground. We have been able to assist the Mets getting ready to open for opening Day at the Stadium. 

What is Hire Ground 

Hire Ground is a collaborative partnership with the County of Onondaga and is an IMFK outreach to the unemployed homeless and pan-handlers in the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County.

The “Hire Ground” program gives panhandlers and the unemployed homeless in Syracuse and Onondaga County an opportunity for change in their lives by offering work experience through day labor and connections to needed support services.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Hire Ground van picks up nine individuals at various locations throughout the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County. Once they complete the intake process the Hire Ground team transports our friends to job sites to work beautification and other various projects. These projects include, but are not limited to, picking up liter after a concert at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater, building picnic tables for the NY State Fair and picking up trash from area parks and roadways.

In addition to working a five-hour shift and receiving a $50 stipend, Hire Ground feeds them breakfast, lunch and snacks for the day and provides transportation back to the pickup locations. We have served over 450 panhandling individuals to receive A Hand Up, Not A Handout. Our Care Managers connect participants to service providers in the Housing Coalition of CNY, as well as the Department of Social services. Without this collaborative effort, serving the needs of our participants would not be possible.

John and Leigh Ann 

Visiting our friends were they are at is an important part of what we do. We were able to connect our friend with Dr. Lehmann who does House Calls to the Homeless. Doc was able to listen to our friend and his need. Doc was able to call in some prescriptions for him while we were able to feed him and cloth him. We were able to get him reconnected with Veteran services for housing and we are committed to assist him in this journey for housing. The awesome connection here is that JD (IMFK Care Manager) is a former Marine who is loving on our friend who also was a former Marine, they speak the same language.

Leigh Ann Giving an update on the Life House project. What is Life House and Who is it for?

Who is Life House for?

Life House provides residential living to two women escaping from a life of prostitution. It is a home for women who wish to start a new life and are willing to do the hard work to make it happen.

What is Life House?

Life House is not a shelter or crisis center. It is a place of transformation spirit, soul and body. The women who are invited to live here will be those who have made the first step in uprooting themselves out of the toxic lifestyle they have been planted in. They will have the opportunity to re-plant in a loving, safe, and supportive environment.

What do we do?

Life House helps women transition to self-sufficiency incrementally, by providing a safe comfortable space conducive to building self-confidence. Each woman has her own story of trauma that has caused her much pain. Life House offers an “out of the box” approach in working with each woman and keeping her specific needs in mind.

How does it work?

Life House is a home where two women who have agreed to work through the Syracuse City Sex Trafficking court program are referred to by the court. After an interview, if both parties agree it is a good fit, they are invited to live in Life House and participate in the program. While in the home, the women will rest in the knowledge that they are safe and loved without strings.

Each woman will work in tandem with the Court and Life House programs, receiving support and assistance from the Life House Director and Resident Advocate. Building confidence and placing value in who they are is at the for front in empowering them to succeed.

Life House will assist each resident to create her own, “harvest plan” with short- and long-term goals. In addition, there will be a plan in place before she leaves to live independently. Personal safety and living plans, daily goals, and chores will be a part of living at Life House.

Where is Life House?

In an effort to protect our residents and staff the location will remain undisclosed.

Click Video for Update