Pictures from Jan 21st - Announcing Wed Feb 24th Next Dinner
dreez
Needless to say Jan 21st was a complete blow out. Here are the
pictures and videos. We had quite the chorus going!
http://picasaweb.google.com/michael.endrizzi/SimpsonJan212010#
THanks again for coming to the birthday party! When I asked any of the
women if they had birthdays, one of the quiet women "Jenny"? raised
her hand. I asked her if she wanted to celebrate with me and I thought
she was going to cry. I asked her what she will do at her birthday she
just looked down at the floor and didn't say a word. She was so
excited that we sang her happy birthday and she got to hand out cake.
I have spent years working at the shelter and its the little moments
like this that keep me coming back. Thanks again for making Jenny's
birthday one she probably hasn't had for a long time!
Feb 24 Wednesday is the next meal we get to serve. Look for bleeding
hearts...it may be the last....
Now for the not so good news. We have been serving meals at Simpson
since 11/05/2005 and as everything in life things change. They are
moving to a newer/old facility and the group size is going up to 110
people. I wish I had the capacity to break bread and feed that many
people, but I"m just not that good. Its killing me to leave "Jenny"
and the small atmosphere we have and I'm going to miss it...but things
change and I/we have to change with it.
The better news is that I have been working at another homeless
shelter, Our Saviors Housing on 22nd and Chicago about 1 mile west of
Simpson. They have a great facility and staff, and a more manageable
size group 40-50 and I'm trying to get us some dates there. I think
its similar to what we experience now at Simpson.
I am opening up this thread for discussion on the topic. If anyone has
any ideas that we should consider now is the time.
Thanks again for all the years of showing up in the middle of cold wet
winters and hot summers. Hopefully it is a win-win for everyone.
Love ya all!
dreez
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Hi Meal Coordinators,
After hearing from you, shelter guests and staff, it seems to make the
most sense to try serving one meal at what we will be calling the
"Overnight Shelter" after the women relocate to the men's shelter in
the late spring/early summer. We'll give serving one meal a six month
trial period and then assess how it's going. We estimate that this
will start the first of June, but will keep May and June meal groups
at both shelters informed of whether the relocation is on schedule.
If you are scheduled to serve at the women's shelter in the summer
and fall of 2010, you will not be transferred to the Overnight Shelter
calendar. I am hopeful that your group will find other ways to
volunteer with Simpson Housing, but know that the joy of cooking
together and sitting down to eat in an intimate setting will be hard
to replace.
Groups signed up to serve at the men's shelter will keep their
scheduled dates but will be asked to cook for approximately 110
guests, an increase of 25. Breakfast groups will be serving
approximately 60 guests, an increase of 20. This may make meal
service no longer feasible for some groups currently serving at the
men's shelter, or you may want to scale back the number of times you
are serving. Please check your scheduled dates and see if the dates
are still a good fit for your community's needs and budgets.
Let me know if you have questions or concerns; your communication is
appreciated.
Sincerely,
Barbara
p.s. If you are a new meal coordinator, you are probably confused
about this message - please see the attached notes and if you have
questions, write or call me!