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Overnight Volunteers Needed

We need volunteers to cover the overnight shift (from 11:30 pm to 7:30 am) at our hosting faith community facilities. Volunteers are there to provide back-up help to monitors (should they need it) but sleep through the night under normal circumstances.

In the morning volunteers socialize with guests and help with whatever needs doing. Being with everyone in the morning is a particularly touching and rewarding experience.

Please call David Wallace at 530-265-8210.

Volunteer for this Shelter Season. Check out the many opportunties for you to become involved at Hospitality House in a very personal way. If any of the volunteer jobs look like something you might want to try, call the Hospitality House Volunteer Coordinator at 272-8112 and leave a call back number.

Margo and Emily

Hospitality House volunteer coordinator Mary O’Brien said that approximately 20 volunteers, known as the “Lunch Bunch,” provide healthy meals to 15 or 25 daily visitors to the shelter’s Grass Valley Welcome Center Monday through Friday. In addition to free meals, the Center also offers a place to shower, do laundry and escape the heat and smoke—services that go a long way toward helping guests stay healthy and find housing and jobs.

Recently guest Don Lewis praised the program: “I can clean up and get a job,” said Lewis, who looked eminently hirable in fresh, clean clothes. “And the macaroni and cheese is terrific!”

Volunteer Mary Liebke has been a longtime Lunch Bunch linchpin, training scores of volunteers she has recruited over the years.

John Archer and Mary Liebke

One of them, Tiffany Glasser, who volunteers from Grandmothers for Peace, said the Center’s lunch program is guided by respect and compassion for both the guests and the volunteers.

“There’s love and acceptance here,” she said. “(Volunteering here) has helped me be a wiser and more compassionate person. I have a lot of respect for people who come here, because it’s not an easy thing to do; it’s not an easy world out there and it would be even harder if it weren’t for this warm, welcoming Center to come to.”

O’Brien said that one of the reasons the lunch program has been such a success is the constancy of the volunteers who show up rain or shine. “The consistency helps,” she said. “The volunteers really get to know the guests and vice versa.”

Joan, Dorothy and Jo

The food comes from a variety of sources, including Starbucks, Flour Garden, Caroline's Coffee, Summer Thyme, Dupre’s Baking Co. and many generous individuals. Sometimes leftover party trays arrive from event coordinators or community groups. For some reason, eggs are always in abundance, ensuring lots of egg salad.

Hospitality House volunteer John Fletcher, who is also a broadcaster on KVMR, said serving the poor is an essential and rewarding part of his life. “We work all our lives for a paycheck, which is a very inadequate reward,” he said. “This is a more rewarding use of my time.”

Fletcher and his wife Irene Nicolas, former owners of Moonshine Books in Nevada City, noted that several years ago when they ran the store, homeless people came to them for books. At that time, they said, “there was complete denial among officials and residents that homelessness existed in our community.”

Fletcher and Nicolas marveled at how Hospitality House developed with so little knowledge on how to operate a homeless shelter among its board of directors and volunteers.

“It was a leap of faith,” said Fletcher. “You just put yourself out there, and maybe your naiveté helps move things forward—you don’t know you can’t do it.

The self-avowed anarchist said that he could never ignore the needs of the poor.

“My feeling is that you can’t stand by and see a house burning, or watch people starve or live on the street and not step in. It’s not really about knowing how to do it, but just doing it.”

Thinking about volunteering, but feeling a bit unsure of what would be expected of you as a Hospitality House volunteer? Attend the next volunteer training session. Call Mary O'Brien at 272-8112 for more information.

Hospitality House Volunteer Teams WELCOME CENTER SHIFT 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Will have Program Supervisor, Monitor, p/t nurse, p/t case manager, and Executive Director. Two volunteers. Duties:

• Welcome guests and make sure they sign in;
• Make coffee, put out snacks, monitor the bin room and the back yard
• Monitor showers and laundry schedules
• Make sure the kitchen is clean and sanitary at the end of this shift
• Other duties as requests by the staff

CHURCH SHIFTS Evening ? 7:30 a.m. (or, if possible, to 8:30 a.m.) Two Monitors Dinner volunteers are from the faith communities One volunteer is needed for the overnight shift. The volunteer is welcome to come to the church anytime after 6:30 p.m. and go to sleep when s/he wants to. Duties: The volunteer is needed to back up overnight monitor in case of problems. The overnight volunteer needs to sleep in the same room as the guests. Help monitor with guests in the a.m. to do their chores and leave the church clean.

MORNING WELCOME CENTER VOLUNTEERS 7:30 a.m. ? 8:30 a.m. The overnight monitor comes back to the Welcome Center with the bus. One volunteer is needed to help the monitor Duties: Monitor the bin room while guests return their overnight bags and get their day supplies Set up coffee to be turned on at 1:00 p.m. Check to see that Welcome Center is in order by 8:30 a.m.

TEAMS: Supplies Team, Food Team, Facilities Team, Cleaning Team, Donations Team, Outreach Team, Fundraising Team

Supplies Team Coordinator: Jo Wamser - Supplies: Not food All other supplies, for example, plates, cups, flatware, sandwich bags, cleaning supplies, garbage bags, blankets, etc. Keep a running inventory of what Hospitality House has and what we need. Supply inventory sheets are set up at the Welcome Center. The team members should check the cupboards, bin room, bathrooms, etc. to find any items running low and mark them on the inventory lists along with your name and the date. The Coordinator will visit the Welcome Center once weekly (Tuesday mornings) to pick up the inventory lists and get new supplies when needed. The overflow of kitchen supplies is in the hall closet. The basement has overflow for laundry soap, blankets, toilet paper, etc. Sometimes overflow is kept upstairs in one of the offices. If you have trouble finding something, ask the monitor. Our hope is to monitor our use of supplies and how much it is costing Hospitality House. The Coordinator is working to have ?green? products on-hand whenever possible. Your input to the Coordinator is always welcome./p

Food Team Coordinator: Mary Liebke: Food Supplies - All food supplies needed, including coffee, creamer, sugar, hot chocolate, soups, milk, bread, sandwich fixings, etc. The Food Coordinator will keep an inventory of what food is needed at the Welcome Center. The Food team makes coffee, cooks and serves the food. The Food team makes sure all food is identified and dated. And all old food is tossed promptly. The Food team works with the monitor to make sure food supplies are used up whenever possible. The Food team helps the Food Coordinator locate cheap or free food sources. The volunteers are responsible to make sure the kitchen is clean and sanitary at the end of the Welcome Center shift.

Facilities Team Coordinator: Susan Molloy - Supplies: Materials and labor necessary to keep the Welcome Center in good working order. The Facilities Coordinator will alert the Program Supervisor and/or the Executive Director when things at the Welcome Center need to be fixed or updated. The Facilities Team will work with the staff to find sources and labor to get things fixed. The Facilities Coordinator can also work with the Supplies Coordinator to find materials to fix problems.

Cleaning Team Coordinator: Cleaning Supplies: Supplies can be requested from Supplies Coordinator and/or the staff for cleaning. The Cleaning Team is responsible to make sure the Welcome Center gets a deep cleaning on a regular basis. The guests do chores daily, but a deep cleaning cannot be done in this way. The Cleaning Team decides when and how often the Welcome Center needs cleaning. The Cleaning Team recruits volunteers and maybe guests to help with the deep cleaning outside of Welcome Center hours.

Donations Team Coordinator: Donations: This is a vital function for Hospitality House! Work with the Executive Director and the monitors to keep a current list of acceptable donations. The Donations Coordinator should decide upon certain days for donations, so the Welcome Center is not overwhelmed daily. Donations are often delivered to the Welcome Center. The Donations team is responsible to sort out what is needed and divert the rest to Hospice and Food Bank thrift shops. Please ask people to tell the thrift shops they are donating for Hospitality House. When donations are received at the Welcome Center, it is imperative that the Donations team members express our gratitude for the gift, but not accept what we can?t use. If donations are dropped off when a member of the Donations Team is not present, it is up to the Donations team to get the excess to the Food Bank or Hospice Thrift Stores. Someone from the Donations Team needs to stop by the Welcome Center daily during the season to keep the flow of donations moving.

Outreach Team Coordinator: Work with board member Joanna Robinson to brainstorm ways to reach out into the community to obtain donations and services needed to keep Hospitality House running. Arrange, and run tables and booths at various community functions to keep the Hospitality House name in the forefront of people?s minds and to accept donations. Help to organize and gather volunteers to put out periodic mailings. Help put out the Hospitality House newsletters.

Fundraising Team Coordinator: Fundraising is the most important function the Hospitality House Board has to do. This effort takes an enormous amount of time and manpower. Brainstorm ways for fundraising with Janice O?Brien and other board members. Organize and execute fundraising events. Work with community organizations and individuals to put together fundraising projects.

Want to know what it's like to volunteer? Read Becky Trout's interview of Fred Skeen, "volunteer extraordinaire" below.

Left: Sierra Pines United Methodist volunteers whip up some tasty treats in their kitchen on a recent evening. Although the church is a bit of a drive, guests agree it’s worth the ride.

Fred Skeen, Volunteer extraordinaire

Father of four and grandfather of two, Fred Skeen is a stalwart of Sierra Pines United Methodist Church — when he’s not busy leading scout troops, saving stray kitties, or training guide dogs for the blind. The HouseCall caught up with him at Sierra Pines…

HC: How did you get involved with Hospitality House?

FS: I noticed Utah (Phillips) at the Hospitality House booth at the street fair this summer. I talked to him a couple of times…. The whole concept appealed to me. When I learned it involved churches, I talked with Don (Lee) and found out he was involved.

HC: Why did it appeal to you?

FS: I’ve been involved in a lot of things. I lead a Boy Scout troop, Girl Scouts, I’m a volunteer with Animal Save, and I’m a registered nurse…. There’s an incredible network of people in Nevada County willing to save any kind of animal. There didn’t seem to be much of a network for (the homeless).

It just tugged at my heart.

HC: Did you have any experience with the homeless?

FS: When I was a little kid in the 1950's, I remember my mom making sandwiches and giving me RC Cola and telling me to go over by the highway, where there were transients, and give them something to eat. They’d always bring the bottles back and they said thank you.

We lived in Needles, Calif., right by Route 66 and right by the railroad, so there were transients and hobos — like Utah sings about.

My dad was an electrician for the railroad and we’d help a family at Christmas. We didn’t have much, but we’d always share.

HC: What has your experience been as a HH volunteer?

FS: It’s really rewarding. So much love comes out of people trying to help these folks. I’ve seen people in my own church community — many of them say, "This is the most rewarding thing I do," even though they’re involved with all these other church activities.

HC: Do you have any advice for someone considering volunteering?

FS: If anyone has any urge, follow that. If it feels good, I think that’s why we’re here.

I enjoy (volunteering). Sometimes I think I’m only a couple of paychecks away from being on the receiving end myself.

I see it as a little bit of a test of faith. To me, this is really Christianity. This is where the rubber meets the road. There are many ways of helping, but many of them are a little detached. Getting involved, socializing with these folks, making them feel comfortable and that they have worth and value — over time that will maybe give them a leg up to improve their situation.

I think a certain percentage of guests will be lifted up from their situation because of Hospitality House, and some of them will maybe be guests forever, and that’s OK.

If you want to be a team member and become a Hospitalith House shelter volunteer, read on. We are looking for  like-minded people to join the Hospitality House Team. 

 
Who should apply?  People who have a heart for the homeless, a passion for creating an inclusive community and a strong sense of social justice should first submit a letter.  Please tell us why you want to volunteer, what job related and other life experience you bring to the team, and of course your contact information.
 
Mail all letters to:
Hospitality House
P.O. Box 3223
Grass Valley, CA 95945
If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please send us your name and address using this contact.