I’m Kelly, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Outreach Supervisor for Hospitality House. My job is to implement the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant program in conjunction with Grass Valley Police Department. The purpose of CalVIP is to support evidence-based violence reduction initiatives to the small segment of the population that are at highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence.
I want to share a story with you about a man who seemed to be seizing on the streets. We would often get calls about a man who would be shaking and seizing, and went to meet the man, who we will call Mike. Mike is a veteran who had an addiction of spray huffing and would end up on the streets after using. Officer Brown from the Grass Valley Department and I would come to see him several times a week to learn more about him. He is such a nice guy that had a lot of trauma history from the military, and we also learned that he was housed and owned a dog. After two weeks of talking to Mike and gaining his trust, we asked if he wanted to go to treatment, and he very enthusiastically said “yes” to treatment. We took him in to Granite Wellness Centers where Rob Barker (a former Hospitality House employee and continued partner) became his case manager. Rob helped him follow through with him during treatment, and while in treatment, we sheltered his dog via Hospitality House’s pet program to allow Mike to attend substance abuse treatment. Mike attended a 30-day detox treatment and continues to attend follow up meetings. He had one relapse but quickly worked back to soberness and continues to work hard to stay on track. I recently talked to him, and he got emotional; he cried and expressed his gratitude to all that have helped him. Mike has come a long way in a short period of time to find stability. He is now housed and has a roommate that also helps him feel supported at home. Thank you to all our partnering agencies, such as the Grass Valley Police Department and Granite Wellness Centers, as well as local donors who support our cause, who work together with Hospitality House to give veterans like Mike a second chance at a healthy and self-sufficient lifestyle. To learn more about Hospitality House, please visit hhshelter.org.
Empty Bowl tickets now on sale! Instead of a large gathering, patrons will visit a select restaurant to try a specialty dish and will keep an artisan bowl forever too (generously donated by local artists). Help people on their journey back to housing and support local businesses too. The restaurants participating are donating every meal to help make the event possible, so please patronize them. Sopa Thai Cuisine is our first featured restaurant, and thanks to the fantastic support, tickets this week sold out! Next week we are featuring Tofanelli’s Gold Country Bistro and Lola at The National Exchange Hotel from September 8 to 14. Get your tickets today before they are gone! For additional details about Empty Bowl, please visit https://emptybowl.rsvpify.com.Additionally, if you like specialty bowls and art, check out our virtual art sale and give us a call to snag an item today: http://hhshelter.org/empty-bowl-art-sale/. We’d like to thank Nevada County Association of Realtors for being a sponsor again this year! Nevada County Association of Realtors’ purpose is to provide programs and services to elevate and promote the knowledge and expertise that distinguish realtors from all other real estate licensees. Thank you, Nevada County Association of Realtors!
Normally at this time, we thank all the cook groups who came and cooked over the last week, but to keep our shelter safe, our cooking groups are supporting our meals by donating financial support and food. Chef Gina is safely cooking all meals instead. We’d like to thank Wolf Creek Co-Housing, Telestream, The Gourmet Squad, Meals by Heels, TBD, The Home Team and First Baptist Church, and BriarPatch Food Co-Op and SPD Markets for all their recent help. To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
And the needs of the shelter for this week are:
• Blankets, twin size
• Bottled water
• Headphones
• Men’s and Women’s deodorant
• Men’s pants, sizes 32-40
• Men’s shoes, sizes 10 and up
• Men’s t-shirts, sizes M, L and XL
• New pillows
• Paper plates
• Paper towels
• Plastic utensils
• PPE masks (disposable)
• Toilet paper
• Travel bags, duffle bags and backpacks
• Women shirts, all sizes
Please drop off urgent items or mail them to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way in Grass Valley. For a tax receipt, please ring the doorbell and wait for someone to come outside to assist you. We greatly appreciate the community’s help at such times of uncertainty. In the words of Utah Phillips, “If we all stick together, we’ll get what we need.” Thank you!