Celebrating 15 Years of Service
The efforts to launch Hospitality House began in winter 2004 and by June 2005, we became an officially recognized 501(c)(3). Fred Skeen, long-time volunteer and employee of Hospitality House, remembers he was at a Thursday Night Farmers Market that same summer when he first heard about the newly established nonprofit.
“I saw Utah Phillips sitting at a table on Main Street with a couple of coins and dollar bills in a fishbowl, and I asked, ‘What’s this about?’” recalled Fred.
Utah explained how he and many more were trying to help people struggling with homelessness in our community, and creating accessible shelter was a high priority. The volunteers were working to identify churches in the community that could open their doors on select evenings to give people a chance to eat and sleep safely each night. Hospitality House was already providing food support to those in need but had a goal of introducing its nomadic shelter operations in October of that year but needed more help. Fred knew right then and there he wanted to be a part of the journey and he never looked back.
CLICK HERE to listen to Fred reflect on the early days and how our services have expanded through the years:
Today, hundreds of lives have been touched and even more have homes. We are here today because our little community believed we could do better, and together, we are doing more every day to help local individuals and families in Nevada County.
Help us celebrate 15 years with a gift today>
Pandemic Progress: (March 16 – June 16)
We thank everyone who has helped our expanded efforts during the pandemic. These last three months have been impactful because of you.
- 18,830 meals served
- 1,199 case management services provided
- 1,117 rides provided to medical and related
- 142 life skills/housing counseling sessions given
- 45 mental health counseling sessions provided
- 27 people moved from homelessness to housing!
There is more work to do and we welcome your help. Give today>
Living Legacy: If There’s a Will, There’s a Way
What if you could help prevent homelessness from happening to a loved one indefinitely? One advantage of giving by will is the flexibility it offers. You can give all, or a portion of your estate to Hospitality House. One of the most common options of giving through your will is designating a fixed amount of money or a property.
Example:
“I give to Foothill House of Hospitality, located in Grass Valley, California, cash in the sum of $______________.” (Or describe the real or personal property, including exact location).
Through your will, we can help protect the people we love together. Explore further ways to support Hospitality House in your will>
Business Appreciation: Trinity Builders
They helped us last September and now they helped us again!
Larry Messer, owner of Trinity Builders and Wildwood Self Storage, and his team, donated their time and resources to help expand our office space for personalized case management.
Thank you for giving more people an opportunity to receive the services needed to return to housing.
Volunteer Spotlight: Cissy Murphy
Cissy has been a volunteer of Hospitality House since its second winter open. She was part of the Abundant Life group that provided dinners at one of the host churches during our nomadic period and packed lunches for 40-50 guests a couple times a week during the summer months.
“I’ve always wanted to help be a part of a solution, no matter the cause in which I feel called to embrace,” said Cissy. “I also believe local communities are the ones best suited to provide solutions for local problems. In its beginnings, Hospitality House was a grassroots effort that was seeking to responsibly provide solutions to the problem of homelessness in Nevada County. Local people seeking local solutions that involved community members from civic organizations, churches, city councils, supervisors and individuals all working together. I was also attracted to Hospitality House because they had found a way for over 30 churches in our county to cooperate together to help provide a hand up to those in need. I thought that was so awesome–a common reason to set aside doctrinal differences to help others.”
As the years passed on, Cissy’s willingness to help only continued. Utah’s Place opened in 2013 and Cissy and her Abundant Life Church group continued to cook and she also recruited staff from her work, Grass Valley Charter School, to come and cook as well. In addition to cooking, Cissy has been an instrumental event volunteer, leading the kitchen crews for Empty Bowl and Night of Giving and helping in the organization of smaller events, such a walkathon and yard sale fundraisers for Hospitality House.
“Cissy is a star volunteer who deserves to be recognized for her longtime volunteerism with Hospitality House,” said Christina Apkarian, Marketing & Development Specialist at Hospitality House. “She has devoted many hours to help many in need in our community. Our events, as an example, take extensive hours to plan, and Cissy has always been there to lend not only her time, but her ideas to make each event experience the best possible.”
We thank you Cissy for your years of dedication and love to our homeless community.
Empty Bowl Update
Ticketholders rejoice! After the cancellation of the 14th annual Empty Bowl benefit for Hospitality House, ticketholders finally have an opportunity to safely collect their beautiful artisan bowls and take the spirit of the event home with them. Bowl pick up will take place on Friday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 840 E. Main Street in Grass Valley (formally Bread & Roses Thrift and More), next door to Sierra Cinemas.
Review important details on how to safely pick up your bowl>
A big thank you to all of our wonderful artists in the community for making Empty Bowl possible every year. Additionally, please help us thank and support the following businesses for their loyal sponsorship: AJA Video Systems, Inc., BriarPatch Food Co-op; Caseywood Corporation; Telestream; SPD Markets; Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital; Nevada County Association of Realtors; Whitewater Naturopathic Medicine; MWA, Inc.; Northern California Mortgage; KVMR; Peace Lutheran Church; Kathy Dotson Designs; YubaNet; The Union; Interfaith Food Ministry; ClientWorks; Alan Savage of EXP Realty; Power-Structures, LLC., and Law Office of Minor & Keene.
We Heart You
Did you know that we have a fun-loving group called the Hearts & Hands Club? Club members donate every month to support the efforts of Hospitality House.
Club donations are allocated toward the greatest needs, including but not limited to shelter, food, clothing, outreach, housing assistance, case management, and job training. The club has also been a huge help in furthering our emergency services during the pandemic.
Have $10 to spare? The price of a movie ticket can help provide nourishing meals to 10 people every month.
Sign up now> Under donation frequency, select “monthly” for Hearts & Hands Club.
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