It didn’t take Gail Tenney long to decide who she wanted to help when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

She works for her family’s businesses, McNickel’s Bottle and Can Redemption and adjoining RJ’s Washroom on Ellicott Street in the City of Batavia.

Given her family’s work at the Redemption Center, and because she knows that for most people “bottles and cans are a nuisance,” an empties drive was the perfect choice for an event to benefit hardworking medical providers at United Memorial Medical Center.

She collected empties with a $200 redemption value initially, $120 with the next round, and then added $100 from her family. This $420 was used to purchase 55 meals for hospital workers at UMMC.

The meals were from local eatery Commit to Well (inside Eli Fish Brewing Co.) and delivered on April 13; the recipients were more than grateful.

“The ongoing support of our community is such an important piece in our fight against COVID-19," said UMMC President Dan Ireland. "As we all learn how to cope during these extraordinary times and rise to the challenge, our team members are working long hours away from their family—many accomplishing tasks they’ve never done before.

"Our community’s acts of kindness, large or small, keep us going. This outpouring of gratitude reminds us why we’re here, and that the community we care so deeply about, also cares for us. There are not enough words to express our sincere appreciation. We are all so thankful for the heartwarming generosity.”

Now Tenney would like to expand the scope of the project and share the benefits with the people who support their businesses as well, while increasing collection efforts throughout the community.

"Let’s support them, they support us," Tenney said. "…My heart breaks for them" because they are truly the people in need during these difficult times.

Along with the hospital staff, Tenney has selected Care-A-Van Ministries and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee to be recipients in the future.

Paul Ohlson of Care-A-Van said that contributions they receive are distributed according to needs, so it is most helpful to provide them with the funds directly.

Similarly, Lisa Wittmeyer of Community Action is anticipating that any money raised will help in upcoming months when many local residents need to catch up on unpaid rents from the early days of the pandemic.

The Tenney family hopes their efforts will bring a bit of much needed relief to those who need it, without overburdening the people they are asking to contribute. They intend to continue matching funds for money raised.

To donate your empties to "Community Strong with Cans," to arrange a pick up, or to help, please contact Tenney at:  getenney@comcast.net or call/text (585) 993-2060.

Visit Tenney’s Blog here.

Top photo, courtesy of UMMC.

Inset photo right, courtesy of Gail Tenney.

The 32^nd annual Health and Humanitarian Award of Genesee County will be presented to Paul and Bridget Ohlson on Friday, Nov. 4, at an awards luncheon at Terry Hills Restaurant. They are the founders of Care-A-Van Ministries, which is now supported by 23 local churches, and partners with a variety of agencies including The Salvation Army, Cornell Extension, GCASA, among others.

The award presented by The Jerome Foundation and United Memorial Medical Center Foundation recognizes volunteer men and women of Genesee County who have helped promote emotional, physical and spiritual well-being of the area’s residents. Nominations reflected “ordinary people who reach far beyond themselves to the lives of those in need, bringing hope, care, and friendship, and helping build a stronger, healthier community.”

In naming the Ohlsons for this year’s award, the Foundations will recognize 16 years Paul and Bridget, along with other devoted volunteers, have ministered to the needy in Batavia. Their outreach program focuses on “seeking out and serving the lost, the less fortunate, and the hurting.”

It all began in May of 2000 when the Ohlsons recognized neighborhoods in Batavia where families had a great need for groceries. Using their van, they would park at various street corners and distribute food. They would rotate to different neighborhoods in the City of Batavia every Saturday morning. The Ohlsons used their vans and bus “to bring food, clothing, compassion, love, hope and prayer to many areas of the city." They have not missed a single Saturday morning in reaching out to those in need.

The Health and Humanitarian Award luncheon is open to the public. Reservations can be made by contacting United Memorial Medical Center Foundation at 344-5300. Seating will be limited so early reservations are encouraged.

(Photos and information submitted by Claudia Nigro for Genesee ARC.)

As part of the MLK (Martin Luther King Jr.) Service Project, which runs Jan. 18 through September, individuals from Genesee ARC participate in a food drive and have been volunteering to give back to their community.

They work very hard coordinating drop-off locations for donations and to distribute goods to local food pantries throughout Genesee County.

In pictures taken Monday, are individuals assisting Paul Ohlson (with mustache), of Care-A-Van Ministries, with loading the food truck, one of many recipients of donations in support of the MKL Service Project.

Genesee Arc is one of 10 grant recipients for this national effort. The “Healthy Future” initiative is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service.  The purpose of this ongoing MLK Project is to focus on food insufficiency and healthy eating for our local community.

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Batavia Youth Center 10 MacArthur Drive, Batavia

Care-A-Van Ministries is partnering with FoodLink of Rochester and the Batavia Youth Center to host a mobile foodpantry. The exact food items available are not known, but fresh produce will be available. The Mobile Food Pantry is available to Genesee County residents only. There is no income verification required, but you must be 18 years old to pick up food from the pantry. Please provide your own bags/cart/vehicle to transport itemsto your home. For more information you can call Care-A-Van Ministries at 343-0328 or visit our website at cavministries.org Food is provided on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. This is an outdoor event. 

Camp said normally you want parents who are present to get involved and deal with their children, but tonight the parents got too involved. They started yelling at each other.

Four city units and three county units responded to the call as a result.

Camp said it's unfortunate that 95 to 98 percent of the people who attend the Care-A-Van event never cause a problem, but Thursday night calls to Austin Park are becoming routine, he said.

Care-A-Van Ministries hosts free weekly Community Cookouts at Austin Park every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. during the Summer through Sept. 10 -- rain or shine.

The weather is great, the cookout vehicle is ready, and the grills fired up!

Each meal consists of a choice of hot dog or hamburger, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, pickles, chips, watermelon and a drink. In 2012, during the first summer of cookouts at Austin Park, 4,388 meals were served, in 2013 there were 4,936 meals served, and in 2014 the ministry served 6,426 meals.

The ministry projects to serve 7,000 meals this season as schools will be closed (no free/reduced lunches for children), individuals are still facing economic hardship, and most importantly, many just love to come out and enjoy a warm summer evening of Christian fellowship, music, and a great meal.

Each week, cookouts are highlighted with an inspirational gospel message by a different pastor from a local community church and uplifting music provided by the Care-A-Van Band.

Many organizations have come out on these Thursday nights to share information about their services, their churches, or just to fellowship with those attending the cookouts. These include: the Salvation Army; Fidelis Care; Total Freedom; Cornell Cooperative Extension; Genesee Country Church; Truth Ministries; R2R Ministries; First Baptist Church of Elba; Living Waters Apostolic Ministries; GCASA; Discovery Chapel; Eagle Fountain Fellowship; YMCA; PC Publications; Smoke Free Genesee; Mothers Supporting Children & Families; and the Genesee County Mental Health Association.

Care-A-Van encourages any organization or church that is interested in setting up a table or activity to contact Paul Ohlson at 343-0328 as we welcome those interested in serving their community through the fellowship and love of Jesus Christ. Donations for the ministry can be mailed to:  P.O. Box 1611, Batavia NY 14021.

Sunlight danced on the leaves while music stirred a sighing breeze, time seemed to stop for awhile as neighbors eased into languid conversation and lilting laughter. Lewis Avenue was the gathering place Saturday evening in what was the first block party for this tight-knit community.

As part of the event, a proclamation on behalf of Brooks Hawley and the City of Batavia was presented to both Stephen and Mike Rosenbeck of Lewis Avenue for their ongoing efforts of keeping the neighborhood together.

“Stephen and Mike have provided outstanding public service, selfless acts of charity, compassion and genuine concern for their fellow Batavians,” Hawley said upon presentation of the Good Neighbor Recognition Certificate.

Leanna DiRisio, community organizer with Vibrant Batavia, partnered with Paul and Bridget Ohlson of Care-a-Van Ministries to make the block party a community event.

“Our mission is to bring communities together and open lines of communication,” DiRisio said. 

“We’re building friendships,” Ohlson said. “Some residents may not know each other so this is a way to bridge people together.”

“When we first moved in,” James Bellamy said. “The Ohlsons came over with a cake and introduced themselves. That’s the kind of welcome that brings people together.”

Bellamy moved to Lewis Avenue in May 2009 from Kent County, England. He and his wife, Kathryn (Katie), moved stateside to be closer to Katie’s family, who live in the Batavia area.

“This is the first street party that I’ve been to since I was a kid,” Bellamy said. “My first ever street party was for the (50th anniversary of the) coronation of the Queen.”

There are many services a city has to offer and DiRisio’s job is to inform people of those services to help make the connection for better relations.

While melodies of the band The Old Hippies played in the background, children played in the street and drew pictures with sidewalk chalk as their adult counterparts reacquainted themselves with their neighbors.

“This is our ministry. This is our city,” Ohlson said.

But the event is not only about the food! It is about sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those in the community through uplifting music from the all-volunteer Care-A-Van worship team, inspirational words of encouragement from Pastors from various churches and denominations in our local community, and the commitment of local organizations such as the Salvation Army, Total Freedom, Truth Ministries, Living Waters Apostolic Ministries, P.C. Publications, Fidelis Care, GCASA, Mothers Supporting Children and Families, and many others in joining together to meet the needs of their community members.

Ride to Recovery, an organization devoted to reaching youth in need through biking events and activities, provides free bike repairs on Thursday nights. A favorite with the kids is the YMCA and Eagle Fountain Fellowship’s Care-A-Van kids which provides a bounce house, children’s messages, and activities during the evenings activities. Volunteers provide face painting, caricature drawings, and many other activities for the children in attendance.

Anthony “Smokie” LoCastro has brought a large donation of rain boots to the park which has provided free footwear for several hundred individuals within our community.

Most importantly, Care-A-Van wishes to thank all their committed, consistent, and faithful volunteers, because without them we couldn’t put on these cookouts week after week.

We encourage any organization, church, or agency to come out on Thursday night and join in this exciting outreach to our community members.

For more information you can contact Paul Ohlson at 343-0328, see us on Facebook, visit our website at cavministries.org, or email us at cavministries@yahoo.com.