Poet’s Corner

September’s poem was submitted by Kenya Hooper from the drop-in center. It was composed by Helen Keller.
It is truly inspirational to see such a beautiful, relatable poem was composed by someone who interacted with the world in a way completely foreign to all but a few throughout history.

In the Garden of the Lord

The word of God came unto me,
Sitting alone among the multitudes;
And my blind eyes were touched with light.
And there was laid upon my lips a flame of fire.

I laugh and shout for life is good,
Though my feet are set in silent ways.
In merry mood I leave the crowd
To walk in my garden. Ever as I walk
I gather fruits and flowers in my hands.
And with joyful heart I bless the sun
That kindles all the place with radiant life.
I run with playful winds that blow the scent

Of rose and jessamine in eddying whirls.
At last I come where tall lilies grow,
Lifting their faces like white saints to God.
While the lilies pray, I kneel upon the ground;
I have strayed into the holy temple of the Lord.

Pet Connection

Meet Hayden Ellis'(Mobile Crisis Responder) clowder of cats: Nox, Smoreo, and Auggie.

They like to play in the sink and attack Hayden’s legs. They also like to climb Christmas trees and other things they shouldn’t touch.

These crazy kittens recently locked Hayden out of the house by knocking over a board and wedging it between the door and the wall. Thankfully, Hayden got in. It could have been a cat-astrophe!

Center Stage: Nutrition Services

Nutrition services, or more commonly referred to as our heroes in the kitchen. Keonna Pittman and Chris Rhodes know a hungry workplace is not a happy workplace. Whether you look forward to the chicken wings, Friday’s fish sandwich or you just realized you forgot lunch, our dynamic culinary team is always there with a tasty meal to make each day a little better.

But this terrific, tasty treat trio doesn’t just keep everyone fed for lunch and bail us out when we forget our lunch box at home. They cook all the meals for SMARTS and ARTS. Not to mention, they categorize and deliver the food to our residential programs.

Who could forget, the holiday and special occasion luncheons!

Keonna is the kitchen leader. Armed with a degree in culinary arts, serious skill in the kitchen, and a can-do attitude she plans menus, keeps the kitchen running smoothly, and the meals coming. Her favorite part of being the Kitchen Commander is interacting with many different members of the Comprehensive family each and every day.

Christopher Rhodes has been a rocksteady employee of The Center for 3 years. He makes sure our consumers stay over the weekends are well fed and ready for success. Preparing food is his passion. He knows enjoying a meal is a visual treat as well. It’s his goal to make every meal he serves look great and taste even better.

Girtha Anderson is the most tenured member of our kitchen heroes and has continually been someone we can all count on in the kitchen.

We extend a tremendous thank you to our Kitchen Crusaders for all they do for not only CBHC employees but also the consumers who are most in need.

And I don’t know about you, but I for one am already looking forward to the holiday feast.