News & Media

Hire Ground is a collaborative partnership with the County of Onondaga and is an IMFK outreach to the unemployed homeless and panhandlers 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 on beautification and other various projects. These projects include but are not limited to, picking up litter 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.

Lunches are a big part of what we do at IMFK. Lunch opens a door to conversations! The conversation leads to trust where change can occur. Check out the Story on Spectrum News 

Kevin and I were invited to share our stories on the Nick Cannon Show! FRom the work, we do at IMFK to Kevin sharing his personal story. The team at the show surprised us with a video from Kevin’s daughters as well as me receiving the Big Heart award. At the end of this segment, we were showered with items for our friends outdoors that were donated by sponsors of the show. Check out the link below to see the show!

October is Emotional Wellness Month. When working with our friends outdoors negativity is a big hurdle. Why, because sometimes life can be challenging and they may feel like there is no way out. Maybe you are reading this and feel the same way as our friends outdoors. I’m believing this post will help you achieve a positive mindset. Use these five tips to confidently say goodbye to negativity all month long.

Scripture says “Life is But a Vapor” James 4:14. Life is too short to let negative self-talk creep its way into our lives. We know many of our friends outdoors and you our Sous Chefs are working hard towards individual health goals and we want to encourage you in keeping a positive mindset. Use the tips below to say no to negative self-talk.

1. Unfollow

Yes, we said it. Whether you agree with it or not, social media is ever-present in most of our lives. Chances are you may need to evaluate your feed to make sure the people you follow are influencing or growing you in a positive direction.  Make room for content that leaves you feeling uplifted, spreads good news, makes you smile or laugh, and aligns with your health objectives.

2. Reconnect with Friends

The pandemic has shifted our routines and may have indirectly caused you to isolate yourself from some positive influences in your life.  Take the time to reconnect with those old friends, coworkers, coaches, mentors, or neighbors.  Genuine conversation and human connection can bring happiness to both parties.

3. Get Professional Support

If you find yourself going negative quickly or more often than you’d prefer, it might be time to get some additional support on your side as this could be a sign of anxiety or depression.  Finding a licensed specialist might be a helpful solution.  These trained professionals can help you see things from a different perspective and help you rediscover that optimistic viewpoint.

4. Practice Self-Care

Self-care is an important piece of a healthy lifestyle.  Discover a new hobby to relieve stress. Start a new weekly tradition like a Sunday coffee run.  Restart your exercise routine or create a new one. Make time for a consistent bedtime routine to support healthy sleep.  Take some time to see where you may need to pour some love or attention into your daily life to implement some self-care.

5. Use Words Intentionally

Try replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Practice daily affirmations out loud.  When your inner critic says “I’ll never run five miles on the treadmill,” replace that thought with “I’m on my way to running five miles because my hard work is paying off.”  Become your biggest cheerleader by spreading positive thoughts in your life.

6. Why Not Try God

Why Not find a Local Church to attend and re-connect with the one who created all Life! Think about praying and going inward Spiritually. Everyone seems to neglect the Spiritual part of man, I believe its the most important. I’ve seen over and over again that when someone gets in tune with God how all the other parts start to fall in place.

The Bottom Line

If you surround yourself with positive messages, activities, support, and people, then you may be more likely to avoid negative self-talk.  Keeping things positive can have a big impact on your mood and overall outlook.  In case you need a reminder, you can do anything you set your mind to.

We received a message from Patricia Parzych whos family owns Ace Hardware in Brewerton asking if it were possible for the store to sell our Taste and See Products. The answer was absolutely YES! Community Partnership is a wonderful thing especially in the corporate sector. This partnership will not just bring in finances for our work but it will also bring awareness to the community of Brewerton regarding homelessness in CNY. Big thank you to the TEAM at Ace Hardware for believing in our mission, together we are building hope and changing lives.

Ace Hardware 

9655 Brewerton Rd

Brewerton NY 13029