bmoa Hosts 14th Annual Food for the Body & Spirit Program

Lee Edwards | As of Tuesday, November 26, 2013

During Black McDonalds’s Operators Association’s “Food for the Body & Spirit” program last Wednesday, participants were provided free winter wear.
During Black McDonalds’s Operators Association’s “Food for the Body & Spirit” program last Wednesday, participants were provided free winter wear.

The Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) hosted its 14th Annual Food for the Body & Spirit Program at Apostolic Church of God (Apostolic), 6320 S. Dorchester Ave.,  last Wednesday.

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During the The Black McDonalds’s Operators Association’s “Food for the Body & Spirit” program, Walgreens provided free flu shots and general health screenings to attendees.

The BMOA is a membership organization comprised of 15 Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana-area McDonald’s restaurant owners.

Each year during the Food for the Body & Spirit program, the BMOA partners with area churches to serve a hot breakfast to those living in transitional/living-assisted homes. The program also consists of various activities, such as free health screenings, flu shots and winter wear (coats, hats, scarves, gloves).

“Food for the Body & Spirit is a program very near and dear to the hearts of the BMOA. As an organization we are committed to empowering our people and building up the communities we serve. Giving back is just one of the many ways that McDonald’s is deeply rooted in the community not only during the holidays but 365 days a year,” said Ron Lofton, President of the BMOA. “Our hope is that this program will have a positive impact on all those who attend and that we may continue this effort for many years to come.”

Dorris Boulrece, who has managed the event for 13 years and operates McDonalds’ at 3639 169th in Hammond, IN and on 7501 Cermak, North Riverside, IL, told the Chicago Citizen Newspaper, “We’re always looking for churches that have an outreach ministry. If you have an outreach ministry, you’re already in connection with the community and then it makes it so much easier for us to come right in because you already have the foundation, you’re already reaching folks from the outside and we’ll just add what we have with you.”

One reason Apostolic was chosen as this year’s venue is because its state-of-the-art kitchen allows food preparers to quickly and efficiently work without delays.

This year, the BMOA served nearly 1,000 people and partnered with local homeless shelters and human services organizations to identify needy families. In addition, the BMOA provided bus shuttles for those who needed it to and from the event.

BMOA community partners included:

         Door of Hope Shelter

         A Little Bit of Heaven

         Matthew House

         Olive Branch

         You Can Make It

Emergency

         Interfaith House

         Deborah’s House

         The Vet House

         Inner Voice

         A Safe Haven

         St Leo Residence

         Feather Fist

         Bronzeville Youth Center

“It’s good to see so many nonprofits here in one space,” said Dominique Walls, case manager at the Bronzeville Youth Center.

BMOA also partnered with Walgreens who administered flu shot.

“This is our first year partnering with [the BMOA],” said Cornetta Levi, who works at the Walgreens at 86th & Cottage Grove. “They came to us because they wanted to be able to give flu shots to the homeless. I was like ‘no problem, we can definitely provide that free of charge’ because of the state vouchers that we use.”

The Brown Sisters and the Hammond High School Choir provided live musical performances and inspirational messages.

For more information about the Black McDonald’s Operators Association visit http://bmoachicagoland.org/.

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