I’m Leah Farkas, the Volunteer Manager at Hospitality House. I have the pleasure and honor of working with the wonderful people in our community who donate their time to help further our mission. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is to announce our monthly Volunteer Spotlight, which this month goes to, Tommie Conlen, who has dedicated her time to our mission for almost a decade and a half, most of which has been cooking for our guests a Dinner Coordinator.
Tommie first heard about Hospitality House almost 15 years ago when she went to a birthday party and had the honor of meeting the late-great Utah Phillips. A few years later, she attended a donor thank-you dinner and learned about our Food Group program, where volunteers prepare and serve meals for our guests every day the year. She, and a good friend soon formed an eight-person group, which is now fully funded by students at the local Jazzercise (her other passion)! Tommie is also a heartfelt member of our Hearts & Hands Club, giving monthly to further the efforts of Hospitality House and has a long history of giving back to the community.
Over the years, Tommie, like many of us, has seen the devastating impact of chronic homelessness. She recognizes how people often can’t keep up with how fast the world seems to move at times and how vulnerable members of our community slip into a cycle that can be extremely difficult to break, especially without help and support.
When asked why volunteering is important, she simply says, “It is part of being a good citizen of the world.” Well, Tommie, we are right there with you and appreciate all of your years of support and dedication as we work together to further our mission of helping members of our community transition from homelessness to housing!
This upcoming Sunday! February 23, we have limited space for our special benefit concert. Partnering with InConcert Sierra featuring Ken Hardin, pianist, conductor and Alexandra Roedder, cello, studied modern and baroque cello. These artists are donating their time to make this concert possible and all proceeds will be jointly split to support the arts and to help people overcome homelessness. As part of the concert, attendees will hear from one individual on his journey to return to housing. Following the concert, attendees will enjoy wine (donated by Ironstone Vineyards) and light appetizers, dutifully prepared by Chef Chris Fagan and homeless students enrolled in our culinary cooking program. Purchase tickets through hhshelter.org or inconcertsierra.org.
Our much-anticipated Empty Bowl event is back on Saturday, March 14! This artist-driven event returns with bowls aplenty. Every year, artists around Nevada County come together to create handcrafted bowls that are then filled with soup for our patrons. Sharing a simple meal of soup together is an opportunity for the community to express its compassion for those struggling with homelessness.
This wonderful event is run almost exclusively by volunteers and we have several shifts still open. Anyone interested in volunteering with us is invited to reach out to me, Leah, directly at (530) 615-0805 or by email at LFarkas@hhshelter.org.
All sales and donations at the event will help our members of our community transition from homelessness to housing. Tickets are on sale now and are expected to sell out! You can purchase your tickets at hhshelter.org, Bread & Roses Thrift and More, or at the BriarPatch Food Co-op. A big thank you to Caseywood and The Union for being sponsors this year.
This past week, we were blessed by many caring individuals and I’d like to give a big thank you to Alta Sierra Latter-Day Saints, Mount Saint Mary Academy, Choppers, Seasoned with Love, The Home Team, Repeat Offenders and Abundant Life Community Church for coming out to cook. 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 boxers, (not briefs), sizes 32-38
-Coffee
-Sugar
-Cases of water
-Granola bars
-Tampons
-Ibuprofen
-Alka-Seltzer
-Tums
-Cough drops
Please drop off urgent items to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way. If we all stick together, we’ll all get what we need. Thank you!