PROGRAMS

Food Assistance: SEM had been delivering emergency food directly to peoples' homes in the Southeast area of Rochester for the past 34 years. SEM realizing the decline of resources, and duplication of services in the southeast area, developed a more effective and efficient way of getting food to people in need. SEM now provides the food and hygiene items to case managers and social workers from over 45 agencies in the Rochester area. These case managers and social workers do a complete assessment on their clients and know what the specific needs are. They pick up the items at SEM and deliver them directly to their client's home. This has served to be a great asset to the CM/SW as they can make and even better assessment ont the entire needs of the client and the family in their own environment. SEM provides food to over 250 people monthly, with enough food for the length of level they need.

Fish: This neighbor-helping-neighbor program provides a number of services to senior citizens, housebound people, and the medically disabled individuals unable to access public transportation. The service is virtually what anyone would do for a neighbor when a simple need for help arises: Transportation for medical appointments, prescription pick-ups, grocery shopping and banking. Service is provided on an individual basis. Those who can help are linked to those who need the assistance.
FISH is a worldwide organization. SEAFISH is the largest in the Greater Rochester Area (51 square miles), providing about 175 rides per month to those in our area. FISH does not duplicate services provided by other agencies, and will refer when appropriate. Volunteers are always needed. Some serve one day a month as drivers, dispatchers, and schedulers, while others choose to volunteer on a regular basis. All talents are put to good use.

CHAPP (Community Health And Pharmacy Partnership): SEM piloted this new program in the summer of 2001. Realizing the strong need for this type of assistance in the Southest area, SEM joined forces with a local pharmacy. This relief effort is designed to help individuals with prescriptions or items available from the pharmacy, while they are applying for appropriate medical insurance that best suits their needs. SEM identifies this as a great need in the southeast area and hopes for extensive contributions to the program to ensure its potential growth.

Senior/Supplemental Bag Program: The food cupboard provides monthly food bags for low income seniors and medically disabled individuals whose limited incomes cannot stretch far enough to provide shelter, medicine and nutritious foods. Presently, we have 76 individuals in our program, receiving five to seven days worth of groceries each month.

BFD (Brighton Food Depot)
The BFD is a collection point for food that is then distributed to SEM and the Pittsford Food Cupboard (PFC). SEM and the PFC came together recognizing that their service areas overlap. There are an average of 50 additional people to fed each month with this food. It has served as a bridge between the city, with its pockets of chronic and deeply rooted poverty, and the suburbs, where the hungry are not as obvious, yet are present in ever increasing numbers. The collaboration has increased the effectiveness of each cupboard.