RITI and Hope to Home volunteer celebration June 26

TWO GREAT PROGRAMS - ONE GREAT EVENT

June 26, 2014

THERE will be a celebration gathering for

Room in the Inn and Hope to Home volunteers!

We will gather at

Skyland United Methodist Church

1984 Hendersonville Road

Asheville, North Carolina 28803

June 26, 2014

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

 

 

        BACK by popular demand we will break bread with our clients, both RITI and Hope to Home. The women will share their journeys and stories with you. This is a time for you (RITI volunteers) to reconnect with the ladies that you haven't seen in a while. It will be a time for you (Hope to Home volunteers) to share your joys of following these ladies into and during their housing journeys.

       

YOU see, there is a much greater connection between these two programs that you might imagine! We want our faith based volunteers to get to know one another! Have you ever volunteered with RITI but never considered Hope to Home? Are you on a Hope to Home team but not in a congregation that participates in RITI? We're betting that if either of those is true for you, our shared clients will join us in connecting you because they know how important each program is to THEM!

 

        WE are asking your assistance to make this happen via bringing a side dish or dessert to share. The clients won't be asked to bring food - so consider bringing a little extra! Homeward Bound of WNC will be providing meat and drinks.

 

WE are told that last year this event was a highlight for everyone who attended.

YOU won't want to miss it!

 

Nicole Brown & Sharon Blythe

Program Directors

 

RSVP to Sharon - riti@homewardboundwnc.org or leave a message at (828) 776-9741

Homeward Bound: Hope to Home Needs

Hope to Home is looking for used furniture and monetary donations in order to furnish an apartment for a homeless person or family.  If you would care to contribute either furniture items listed below or a financial donation, please contact Peggy and Dick Manz at 285-2302 or peg123rr@gmail.com:  

• Bed (either Futon or frame)
• Dresser
• Chest of drawers
• Sofa
• Dining table and chairs
• Nightstand
  End tables
• Lamps

Reflections on Hope to Home

Guest post from Tamara Puffer:

I am writing this on Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving.  In today’s Citizen Times, there was an article about the day complete with a picture of a sprawling line at Toys “R” Us on Brevard Road, which wrapped all the way to the rear of the store Thursday night in anticipation of the store’s 8 p.m. opening.

As I looked at the picture, I couldn’t help thinking about my activity on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  I helped Donnie who had shivered in a sleeping bag outside in West Asheville trying to stay warm the night before, move into his own apartment. Well, I didn’t carry any boxes or furniture because I’m trying not to use my injured hand but I did bring him a “Happy Thanksgiving” balloon.

Donnie and Tamara

As I looked at the boxes strewn across his living room floor I said, “Gee, don’t you hate moving?  Going through all these boxes is a real pain!”  He gave me an incredulous look.  “I don’t hate it at all!  I’m thankful for a warm bed to sleep in tonight.” I felt a little embarrassed because aspects of my own comfortable life had shown through.  

Mark Siler (member of Circle of Mercy) and Marvin Schrock (member of Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting) moved the bed up the stairs and into the bedroom.  GCPC member Debbie Lee had donated it and she helped Donny put the sheets and blankets on it.   We laughed at how the sheets and blanket clashed and figured Martha Stewart would not be contacting us soon to put this picture in her magazine!

Debbie and Donnie

We only had a blanket donated and Donnie wants to save money on heat so GCPC members Linda Verpereny  and Glen Shults had a neighbor who gave Donnie a comforter.  I haven’t seen his apartment all arranged yet, but I did see wonderful  items that will help make his new home comfortable. GCPC member Susie Daw even donated a beautiful desk that Donnie put in his bedroom and it looks great!  

So on this Black Friday, I give thanks that Donnie has come into our lives.  He has much to teach us.eH

Truck for Homeward Bound

For more than a decade, Homeward Bound has been a significant mission partner with Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.  Four times a year we host Room in the Inn, a program of Homeward Bound.  Through our leadership and financial gifts, Grace Covenant was instrumental in starting Hope to Home, a faith based support program for newly housed people. This fall we, at GCPC, again have the unique opportunity to help Homeward Bound with their mission. They are in need of a box truck in order to pick up furniture donations and to help move their clients into new housing.  

A group of donors has established a $7500.00 matching gift through Grace Covenant. That means our donations of an additional $7500.00 will be matched so that we can reach our goal of $15000.00, the amount needed to buy the truck. This is an amazing opportunity to invest in ending homelessness in Asheville and would dramatically increase the number of people that Homeward Bound can serve. 

Make checks out to GCPC with "Truck" in the memo line or go online next week and make a donation by credit card on the GCPC website.

Hope to Home: Donations Needed

Hope to Home, a division of Homeward Bound, is dedicated to homing the chronically homeless. Part of this complicated process is to provide items needed to set up a new home. Below is a current list of needs. If you can help, please contact Debbie Lee (281-2578 | debelee@charter.net).

• beds
• bureaus
• night stands
• sofas
• coffee tables
• kitchen tables and chairs
• microwaves
• toaster ovens
• coffee makers
• TVs

Thank You!

Homeward Bound says, "Thanks for the Welcome Kits, Grace Covenant!" Click here to learn how we're part of the solution to homelessness.  

Hope to Home Welcome Bags

As one of our upcoming service projects, the children of the church will be putting together 10 welcome bags for Hope for Home.  These bags will be given to new homeowners to help them get settled.  If anyone would like to donate any of the following items to be used, please drop them off outside Heather Gast's office door by MAY 15th.   Items needed: dish soap, sponges, paper towels, all purpose cleaners, toilet paper, shampoo/conditioner, soap, razors, shower curtains, towels, washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste. 

HOPE to HOME Informational Meeting April 16

HOPE to HOME is a faith-based program that pairs teams of 8 - 10 volunteers from the faith community with a person or family who's been homeless but is moving into permanent housing. Coordinator Emily Ball is hosting an information session on Monday, April 16, at 6:00 p.m., in the GCPC Conference Room, to better inform those interested. This small commitment of time involves one face-to-face meeting a month with your client and one team meeting. Bring your generous heart and varied skill set to learn how you can help brighten a life in need. For more information click here or contact Tamara Puffer (254-0507).

HOPE TO HOME Fundraiser March 22

Profile: HOPE to HOME

HOPE to HOME is a faith-based program that pairs teams of 8-10 volunteers from the faith community with a person or family who’s been homeless but is moving into permanent housing.  Each team commits to supporting their newly-housed partners for one year in four key ways:  financial, material, practical, and most importantly, relationally. See here for more information.

I was a member of one of the two pilot teams, and much was learned from our experience. Let me tell you about Bill.  There were eight of us from four different faith communities, and we each had our role.  One of our members was a retired nurse, and she was invaluable at helping Bill move through the maze of our broken heath care system.  Some were able to take him to his various appointments throughout the day.  Others helped him organize his apartment and mend his clothes. I brought him vegetables from our community garden.  We even had a Christmas cookie making party at the synagogue where we decorated snowmen, stars, and the Torah! 

While we helped Bill begin his new life as a housed person, all of us learned much from this experience.  At a dinner which marked the end of our year together, Emily Ball, the director of the program, led us in some reflection.  After our meal, we (including Bill) each drew one question from a pile of questions.  “What did you learn that you didn’t know before?” “How has your experience in HOPE to HOME changed you?”  “What did HOPE to HOME teach you about yourself?” “ What’s the greatest accomplishment of the past year?” were among them.

In thinking back on the experience, we thought about how every team helps their newly housed person with the demands of finally having a place to live.  Perhaps the team member helps the person learn how to budget and apply for food stamps.  Perhaps a team member helps the person set up the new apartment and get to appointments on time.  Perhaps the team member invites the person to dinner, the state fair, or on a fishing trip.

What is really important about this program is how much each member of the team learns about him or herself. The final question affected each one of us.  “When I think about HOPE to HOME ending, I feel…” Some folks shared their anger about a broken system.  Others shared how sad they were about the unfairness of our world.  One person vowed to get involved in advocacy work. 

Me?  I share all these feelings, but I also feel energized. I want to be involved in helping our community end homelessness, and HOPE to HOME is working toward this goal.  Three of us from Grace Covenant Presbyterian have committed to serving on another team and we’d like to try and form a team on our own. Being part of this team helped me put a human face on poverty.  Accompanying Bill on this journey strengthened my sense of perservance. Being a part of this team helped me see how the Body of Christ can really work.  Contact me puffer61@gmail.com if you want to join me.        

--Tamara Puffer