It was a move designed to meet the needs of SPiN volunteers and guests, and to show some cooperation with our neighbors.
In other words… Everybody Wins.
Just a block from Flintstone Park, a better solution for everyone. Six months into our sack lunch program – begun when COVID-19 prevented indoor meal service to our guests – August saw us serving thirty or more people a day at Flintstone Park. What started as a wintertime stopgap idea soon morphed into a long-term commitment to care for our guests in need.
Good things sometimes come with complications, though. We brought increased noontime traffic at Flintstone Park that caused concern from some business neighbors about the impact on their customers. In addition, the increased use of the park created some concerns for city officials.
Meanwhile, just a block away and across the street from Flintstone sits Hal Ramaley Park, a tiny nook where traffic and parking aren’t an issue.
It was easy enough to make the move. SPiN is still serving sack meals at the same hours, 12:15 – 1:15 PM every day. SPiN volunteer Laurel Fagan, who coordinates the meal program, is happy too. “The move to the new location went very well,” she says. It took a bit of extra effort to let everyone know on short notice, but “our guests are very adaptable.”
SPiN Executive Director Tom Saunders sees the move as a great example of SPiN’s cooperative management style when working with the community. “We would rather find solutions,” he says, and SPiN is eager “to work together with our neighbors when it is reasonable and not to the detriment of our mission to serve people in need.”