On a very wet afternoon yesterday, our staff and 27 volunteers made and served spaghetti, a variety of side dishes and donated sweets to 130 guests, of which 10 were new. We were happy to have help from our amazing team of regular volunteers, as well as new students from Hawthorne who recently formed a club at their school which aims to make positive changes in the community.
In anticipation of the weather, our dedicated volunteers Gayle and Kristine had gone to the soon-to-be closing Kmart and bought umbrellas and blankets to give to our guests. The recipients of the new umbrellas were grateful and relieved to have them.
In the middle of our drop-in center services, the fire alarm went off and we all evacuated to the sidewalk in an orderly fashion, as the fire crew came and declared a false alarm. Thankfully, the rain had stopped during the evacuation process.
Last week, we helped two clients settle into their new apartments. One was a mother and her three young children who were so happy to be out of their motel room and in their cozy two-bedroom apartment. This family had been homeless since July 2018 and the strain on the mother and children had taken its toll. (See photos of mom with her keys and her donated furniture.)
Thank you to Betsy Yeh of The Estate Sisters for donating gently used furniture and housewares. In the middle of last Thursday’s storm, we picked up and delivered to our young family a bed, dresser, lamps and assorted housewares. We also delivered a TV table, lamp and much-needed kitchenware to our other client who had moved into his apartment last Monday with only a bed, small refrigerator, “1 skillet, a towel and paper plates.” He was so thankful to receive bedding, towels, laundry basket, dishes and other assorted items from the estate sale and our storage unit.
We are grateful to have your support which allows us to help stabilize the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness.