I am Sarah Kinney, a case manager here at Hospitality House and I work specifically with homeless victims of crime. I also assist guests with qualifying for social services, benefits, and eventually getting them into independent housing. At Hospitality House, we make every effort to guide our guests in their transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency and housing.
For this week’s news, I want to share with you all a quick story about one of our former guests, who I will call Anthony. Anthony has struggled with unstable housing since he was young and never quite felt like he was able to express himself freely. He became homeless after leaving a bad living situation with his siblings and while at Hospitality House, Anthony has received assistance with Social Security and medical services as well as transportation to and from medical appointments. Recently, staff was working with Anthony on getting his driver license for the first time and after his hard work, he passed and received his driving’s license which was a big step for him. A past conversation with Anthony lead to him saying how he felt supported at the shelter and loved how he was able to express himself through the many instruments offered for the guests to play. The guests always enjoyed listening to Anthony playing the piano as it filled the whole place with happiness. Anthony is currently housed and has been able to gain independence in his life through all his perseverance and the help from Hospitality House staff. If anyone has job openings or housing options for our guests, feel free to reach out to me, Sarah at (530)615-6707. Thank You!
Today is your last chance to double your impact. Local donors are matching all gifts to Hospitality House, up to $25,000. This means a donation of $5 will automatically become $10 and can help provide meals to 10 homeless persons in need. Act now as our May Match challenge ends today. Learn more about this incredible opportunity at hhshelter.org and give today.
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 Sandro and Chef Assistant Gina are safely cooking all meals instead. We’d like to thank Alta Sierra Latter-Day Saints, Divine Light Spiritist, Unity in the Gold Country, Seasoned with Love, The Home Team and Abundant Life, SPD Markets and BriarPatch Food Co-op for all their 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:
• PPE masks and gloves (please keep donating these)
• Blankets, twin size
• New pillows
• Bottled water
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Men’s and Women’s shorts, all sizes
• Men’s and Women’s tank tops
• Women’s underwear, sizes S, M, and L
• Men’s underwear/boxers, sizes M, L, and XL
• Men’s T-shirts
• Women’s casual summer dresses
• Shampoo and conditioner
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!