My name is William Buss and I am the Shelter and Sierra Guest Home Staff Supervisor here at Hospitality House. I work with our staff to make sure that individuals are receiving the best care possible while in our stay, while also working towards achieving permanent housing.
Today I want to tell you a story about a woman I’ll call Judy.
Judy first came to the shelter after her mother passed. She, like many guests at our shelter, had been living with her mother to care for her and once her mother passed was unable to afford the rent on her own. She came to Utah’s Place in search of shelter until she was back on her feet. A few weeks after arriving, she was able to secure housing.
Judy is in her late 60s and was having trouble moving her belongings into her new place. She contacted our advocates and asked for help. Upon hearing this, Shelter Operations Manager Geoff Johannsen and I jumped at the opportunity to help Judy get settled. We met with her on multiple occasions, using my truck to transport her belongings and carry them into her new apartment. Judy is now fully settled into her new apartment with all of her belongings.
We want to thank all of our community members who have been giving financially in place of donating goods during construction at Utah’s Place. However, we do need a select few items presently:
- NEW Pillows – URGENT NEED
- Twin-sized bedding, including blankets, sheets, pillowcases, and quilts.
To increase safety during construction, donations are no longer being accepted at our shelter. Please drop off your items Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm at our admin office, located at 488 Crown Point Circle, Suite 100, Grass Valley, Ca 95945 (the admin office is closed on all major holidays and weekends).
Our kitchen volunteer program is back! We are welcoming volunteers back into our kitchen to prepare meals for the 80 individuals currently in our care. Cook groups plan their own menus, purchase the groceries, prepare the meal in our commercial kitchen, and assist in packaging the meals for transportation to various locations we are serving.
Right now, we are looking for additional individual volunteers or volunteer cook groups to cook for our guests. Volunteer slots are available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 1 pm-3 pm.
Finally, Hospitality House is currently looking for a few volunteers to help with grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is done daily, Tuesday-Saturday. Volunteers in this position are provided with a grocery list and asked to purchase the items on the list. The volunteer will deliver the groceries to the kitchen to be prepared by our chef. Volunteers will be reimbursed for these special grocery runs; however, any volunteer who would like to sponsor a dinner or grocery run is greatly appreciated. To learn more about our volunteer opportunities, please call (530) 615-0852 or email us at info@hhshelter.org.
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!