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Hospitality House of Western Nevada County A Community Shelter for the Homeless |
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| Our mission: To provide a place of rest, sustenance and dignity for the homeless. | ||
| Who We Are | Our Guests | Welcome Center | Volunteers | Wish List | Thank You | ||
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Hospitality House of Western Nevada County A Community Shelter for the Homeless |
|
| Our mission: To provide a place of rest, sustenance and dignity for the homeless. | ||
| Who We Are | Our Guests | Welcome Center | Volunteers | Wish List | Thank You | ||
Please CONTRIBUTE
Be part of our community effort and give generously so we can continue our services throughout this winter! You can write a check
and send it at our address below, or click on the PayPal button to have your debit or credit card charged. Where will my money go?
Make checks payable to:
All contributions are tax-deductible.
Hospitality House is a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized for the specific purpose of providing assistance to the homeless. Hospitality House is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from state franchise or income tax under code section 23701d of the California Revenue and Taxation Code. |
Summer 2008 Newsletter
"THEY ARE NOT THE OTHER. THEY ARE US"-- U. Utah Phillips Letter from the Executive Director
I parked in the lot behind our Welcome Center and sat staring at the outside temperature reading with dismay. Not only were we encompassed with smoke, but also my car was telling me it was 106 degrees outside. I was reluctant to leave the cool waves of air that poured into the interior of my car, even though I only had to go from my car into the Welcome Center. As I sat there, I watched our guests trudge along the sidewalk and into the Welcome Center. It was evident how exhausted they were from the heat and smoke, judging by how many walked with slumped shoulders and lowered heads. I wondered how far they had walked in this heat to get to the Center. We have all wondered how our guests are doing with no overnight shelter. It is a question asked of me almost daily. We’ve heard stories of guests hearing obscure noises in the night that often signal the presence of some type of animal that is watching them. We’ve heard stories of bears destroying camps, mountain lions circling tents and how difficult it is without a fresh source of water.
We found our first sleeping area nestled under a cluster of trees only ten feet from several cement headstones. A sleeping bag was rolled out on the dirt, and a pile of brochures from social service agencies rested beside it. A short distance away I heard the hustle and bustle of a small community unaware of the invisible society living in its midst.
Though we at Hospitality House know that homelessness happens year-round, for now funding constraints compel us to close our overnight shelter program during the summer months (our drop-in center remains open). Our goal is to address this need and open our overnight shelter every night of the year. We know we can achieve this with the continued help of our amazing community. Together we can help our guests go from homeless, to hopeful to housed.
- Cindy Maple
Story of Success - Richard Shoopman
Last summer Richard generously hosted a Memorial Park barbeque for the shelter’s volunteers, staff and board members. He looks forward to presenting a repeat of the event this year. The party is a celebration for all the good work going on at Hospitality House, and for Richard himself, who spent ten months as a guest of the House and is now enjoying a home of his own. For their help and involvement he gives special thanks to Hospitality House volunteers Irene Nicolas and John Fletcher. THE LUNCH BUNCH: Serving Up Compassion with the Egg Salad EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT The Hospitality House Board of Directors and Staff opened our third shelter season on Monday October 15. Following is a report as of February, 2008. We have had 140 different guest this season so far - two families, one with two children, one with four. We've had 4000 bed nights with 25 to 39 people per night.Referrals Made: We expect to make 30 referrals per week or approximately 1560 during the year. You might ask why do we keep statistics and make estimates of program participants? The answer is relatively simple – numbers prove need in a concrete way. They also tell our supporters that we are serious about sheltering our community’s homeless. Finally they tell the entire community how much effort it takes to make Hospitality House a reality.
If you want to make a difference in our community this winter – please consider volunteering with Hospitality House. Leave a voicemail and call back number at 271-7144 stating that you wish to attend the next volunteer training session. To make a financial donation please mail a check to Hospitality House, P.O. Box3223, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Check out here illustrated story of our first year. Photos,
anecdotes, portraits ... people coming together in a true community spirit. NEWS! LINKS!
David Letterman ... Joan Rivers ... Jim Carey ... homeless ? Check out other famous people who have experienced homelessness at some point in their life. For more articles in The Union about Hospitality House, click here. |
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