I am Mikail Graham, a Board Member at Hospitality House, which is the only year-round emergency homeless shelter in Nevada County, with 69 beds for homeless men, women and children.
Guest Story- I’d like to share a story of a woman that I will call Margie. Margie grew up in Sacramento with her mother and father and was very close to both. She married her first husband at 28-years old. Things were great at first but slowly tragedy after tragedy began to unfold. She unexpectedly lost her father in a car accident, and the grief affected her marriage, which then began to deteriorate. On top of this loss, Margie has two sons, but one died in a burning building. She struggled with substance abuse to cope with the pain of her losses. She has been clean of substances and using MAT (Medical Assisted Treatment ~ methadone) for 25-years which helps her cope with physical pain from physical birth defects. Margie lived in a board and care home before she became homeless, living at the shelter in her words, “It has been a blessing from God. Not only did I get back up on my feet, I learned to be humble, and compassionate.” Margie has a heart of gold; she has touched everyone’s hearts at the shelter with her kindness, humor and spunk. And I’m happy to tell you, this past Tuesday, right before Thanksgiving, Margie moved into a new home.
Snowstorm preparedness– We have been working diligently all week to make sure homeless individuals stay warm and have a safe place to stay during the snowstorm. Hospitality House has been collaborating with Sierra Roots and Nevada County to reach out to homeless individual that are out on the streets and in the woods to encourage them to utilize Sierra Root’s emergency warming shelter this week. Our shelter has also been at maximum capacity with 69 guests, and we’ve stayed open 24/7 throughout the duration of the storm to keep as many people as we can safe and warm.
Night of Giving! This is my 14th year organizing the Annual Night of Giving, our hometown holiday party and musical benefit for our shelter, featuring over 30 of Nevada County’s favorite performers. What started one night in a little bar with some friends and me to donate to Hospitality House, putting dollars and coins into a hat. That night of merriment turned into what is today: a community event full of music, featuring artists such a Petty Luv, Rita Hosking & Sean Feder, Sierra Master, Chorale, Shay Dylan, Ivan Najera and many more talented local artists! See the whole lineup on our Facebook page or website, hhshelter.org. Guests will be able to enjoy dinner, a silent auction and raffle for a chance to win amazing prizes, including a murder mystery dinner, fine dining at Friar Tuck’s, a private tasting for up to ten friends at The Olive Groove, among many more wonderful items and experiences.
When: Saturday, Dec. 21
Where: Miner’s Foundry
Time: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
See hhshelter.org for details and a big thank you to SPD Markets for sponsoring Night of Giving again this year.
This past week, we were blessed by many caring individuals who prepared meals and we are beyond grateful. I’d like to give a big thank you to Wolf Creek Co-Housing, Telestream, Meals by Heels, Peace Lutheran Church, The Home Team and E-team for preparing and serving a delicious Thanksgiving meal to 69 guests yesterday—and thank you to Jerriann and Gary Wasson for donating all the turkeys and to BriarPatch for their gifted pies. I’d also like to acknowledge everyone who gave up their own Thanksgiving meals with their families to ensure our guests felt love and cared for—and I can tell you they certainly did! Thank you! To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the shelter for this week…
- Men’s and Women’s sweaters, sizes L and XL
- Men’s jeans, sizes 30, 32, 34 and 36
- Men’s boxer shorts, sizes L and XL
- Men’s winter shoes, sizes 9-12
- Women’s jeans, sizes 10 and 12 long
- Women’s leggings, sizes L and XL
- Women’s winter shoes, sizes 8 to 11
- Women’s and Men’s warm gloves
- Long Johns, sizes L and XL
- Rain outfits
- Blankets
- Beanies
Please drop off urgent items to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way. For all other donations that may benefit a homeless guest or the shelter in general, please take them to the backdoor of Bread & Roses, our thrift shop, located at 840 E. Main Street, directly next door to Sierra Cinemas. Guests at our shelter are given shopping vouchers for the store to buy what they need, so your donation directly helps them. All other items are sold with 100% of the sales supporting the shelter’s operations. If we all stick together, we’ll get what we need. Thank you!