"Our mission at the St. Francis House is to take people from Homelessness to Hope. Your generous donation will allow us to continue our mission. God Bless!"
I hand-wrote that probably over 50 times in Thank You cards today. This was my first time ever going to the St. Francis House, and it was very interesting to see the organization. From the outside it looks much like any other duplex or multiple-family housing. As we walked through the door, there was an office off to the left and a few people were milling around the office and hallway.
Our (Dom, Holly, and I) first job was writing thank-yous to beneficiaries of the St. Francis House. We had an assembly line setup and worked our way through the stacks of cards, envelopes, and receipts to be written.
When we finished sealing the envelopes, Holly and I were given the task of copying down phone numbers of businesses from the phonebook. It was dizzying. In an hour we completed about 3 pages of numbers. I was thrilled to be done with that ;)
While we worked, I observed the guests and environment a bit. We were stationed at one of 6 tables in the dining room. On the East end of the dining room is a leather sofa and large flatscreen TV, and on the West end is the kitchen and a phone for guests to use. On one wall is a bulletin board covered with local job openings, ranging from maintenance to EMT to K-Mart cashiers.
Around 11 am, guests started coming into the dining room for dinner. The staff had prepared a very nutritious meal including homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans, and bananas. The dishes were set out buffet style, and guests filled their plates at their leisure. For the most part, the guests did not talk while they ate. One man and staff lady conversed, but mostly people just read the paper or sat alone at a table.
As soon as the guests finished eating, one staff member began listing off several jobs that needed to be completed. Most of the men went outside to shovel off the sidewalk while the ladies swept the hallway and cleaned up the kitchen.
Around 1:00 the staff began making sandwiches, and I think they are for sack lunches for the working guests to take along to their jobs.
While we were there I overheard one staff member explaining that guests are supposed to be up by 6:30 am for breakfast and chores. All the guests have checklists to complete each day, and it was cool to see the guests taking care of their home together. Many have outside jobs, and they are expected to be home at reasonable hours in the evening.
A couple guests made conversation easily with us. One man asked me about my boots (I'm used to that...boots are common ground for fellow boot-wearing people). We chatted knowledgeably about different brands of Western boots and he told me the designer of my boot is a former tennis shoe designer...no wonder they're the most comfortable boots I've ever owned :)
It was definitely interesting to see how the St. Francis House operates...definitely not my favorite service project (because paperwork isn't exactly a hoot), but it was an interesting opportunity and learning experience.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Despite the monotonous assignment, it seems as if you were able to observe many elements that make-up the St. Francis House. It is my absolutely favorite charity in town exactly because of the things you have said. The residents must work in their home as a family and work outside so that they can eventually move to their own house or apartment.
ReplyDeleteThe boot inclusion is endearing, funny and enlightening.