The Blare Media team was honored to make its second half hour special for the Poverello House – this time to celebrate their 50th anniversary of providing hope for all who come their way.
Fifty years is a major milestone for any organization, and the Pov’s story is foundational to who they are and what they do. Born in Franciscan tradition that moved its founder, “Papa” Mike McGarvin, to start giving away PB&J sandwiches on the streets of downtown Fresno, the organization he started has grown to provide millions of free meals and become an innovative service provider. The modern Poverello House employs over a hundred people, performs outreach directly on the street, administers innovative “low barrier” shelter beds for men, women and now families, and has run a men’s rehab program rooted in the Pov’s founding when Papa Mike began offering men shelter for work to start their recovery through service to others.
The Blare team, consisting of Director Joel Janecek and DP’s Mauricio Tapia and Justin McAleece, decided to attempt a variety of setups to tell this story. We filmed a large roundtable of board members, many of whom worked with Papa Mike to build the modern organization seen today. We filmed traditional sit-down interviews, and captured Papa Mike’s widow and “First Volunteer” Mary McGarvin, and their daughter Clare McGarvin, taking us inside the family home for an intimate portrait of a modern organization that stays true to Papa Mike’s legacy. The Blare team also filmed human interest stories that exemplify all the success and struggles of combating some of the most endemic issues our society faces today.
Joel edited offline as did Mauricio and Justin, who also handled sound, color and finishing. The final piece stands as one our core team is very proud of. It aired on Sunday March 30th on ABC 30 and helped raise awareness and fundraising to help keep the Poverello house on its Journey of Hope for many years to come.
