Galen Goben
To read the letters and the editorials it seems as if Burbank
Temporary Aid Center has collapsed. Collapsed under the weight of
indecision, turmoil and immorality. Let me share with you the following.
The names have been changed.
Tricia and her four children came in. The electricity had been turned
off two weeks earlier and she was desperate to have the lights turned
back on. BTAC assisted her in that request and also provided food for her
and the children.
Becky had been in before. This elderly woman was on the streets again.
Her job as a home health-care provider leaves her vulnerable to
homelessness as she cares for the sick and dying. Her most pressing need
was for food and shelter, which BTAC provided. BTAC also referred her to
several different agencies for assistance in obtaining another job. It
worked. She started a new job on the 16th. "God sent me to you, and you
helped me. I will always be grateful to BTAC," she said.
These are just two stories of many. In January, 1,034 people were
served by BTAC. It is sad there are so many hungry people living in
Burbank in this time of prosperity. We are living in the greatest
economic boom that America has ever seen and still some people have such
great need. Because they do, BTAC is there to supply food, friendship and
assistance on behalf of the citizens of Burbank.
I have been on the Board of Directors of BTAC since July 1998. Other
directors and I have watched as our beloved Cheri Combs moved on after
devoting 12 years of her life to the poor. I personally have prayed my
way through six months of board meetings as we struggled to discern how
best to serve the poor through BTAC. We have hung our heads as we were
jolted by the sudden departure of an executive director whom we were
excited about and we have been pleased by the capable management and the
beginnings of the development of an extended financial base for BTAC
through the work of Patricia Reardon.
The Board of Directors, are made up of caring and devoted volunteers.
We come from City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, Providence St. Joseph
Medical Center, the Burbank Ministerial Association and the business
sector. We come with experience in staff and payroll. We are teachers,
small business owners, real estate agents and administrators. We are
Protestants, Jews and Catholics. We have Jeanette Varnum who, along with
her husband Jennison, were recipients of the Angel of the Year Award, as
a consultant at our board meetings; Jeanette gives us a report each month
