Governor Huntsman visits the Coalition

Governor Huntsman and long time homeless advocate Pamela Atkinson were at the Food & Care Coalition Tuesday to launch the newly named Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund Campaign which encourages Utah taxpayers to donate part of their tax return to assist Utah's homeless.

The Coalition's executive director Brent Crane gave a presentation on services and accomplishments made in the past year including a testimonial from Eva Losee, a petite young woman who had been homeless for seven years prior to her involvement with the agency. Eva recounted her climb from unemployment and regular train hopping to her new job and studio apartment she now resides in. She thanked her community mentor and the love and support she received from all the employees at The Coalition for giving her the confidence and tools to change her life..

Visitors and guests were then treated to a tour of the facility including the agencies new charity dental clinic made possible through a partnership forged between the Food & Care Coalition and Share a Smile Foundation. For the preceding three years, volunteer dentists and hygienists utilized The Coalition's dining room as a make shift clinic until the new clinic was completed in January. The clinic will now be able to serve about 75 persons a month and provide service learning opportunities for BYU and UVSC pre-dental and hygiene students and the local dental community. In lieu of cash payment for services, clients are required to perform service hours for services donated in their behalf.

As a parting gift, Governor John Huntsman was presented a Humanity Bracelet that he was asked to present to his wife on behalf of Coalition employees. The bracelet is given to volunteers throughout the year who have made a significant impact in the lives of clients, the organizations policy and programs.

read Daily Herald Article