Homeless shelter ends 2nd season

Following the winter of 2009-10, when several of the Valley’s homeless perished from the elements, there was general agreement that the community needed a shelter. It was First Baptist’s Bill Hamby, the church’s treasurer at the time, who suggested using the Fellowship Hall for that purpose, and it was Reverend David Rayburn who agreed to share the space, with the blessing of his church. Thanks to a collaborative effort that included members of the church, Ministry staff and volunteers, and other local churches, the shelter opened for the first time in November, 2010.

Already equipped with a full-featured kitchen and plenty of tables, the Fellowship Hall was turned into a part-time shelter with the addition of mattresses that could be easily stood out of the way against the walls when not needed, and which are kept in a storage room when winter is over. Meanwhile, Bill Hamby (who now chairs the building committee) recommended adding a shower to the existing lavatory and laundry facilities in a utility area. Work on the shower was completed this past Christmas, and so far one washer/dryer set has been installed and a second is awaiting installation.

But the physical space would be useless without the volunteers who supervise the guests and see to it that they have everything they need — especially nutritious meals. And making sure everything runs smoothly is Bill Walker, who has served on the Ministry’s Board of Directors for four years and is currently the president. Bill assumed responsibility for overseeing the volunteer supervisors and guest supervisors, and he’s there frequently to make sure everyone has what they need.

To celebrate the conclusion of the Homeless Shelter’s second season, we’ll be having a catered meal in the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church on April 19 at 6 p.m. We’ll use the opportunity to talk about what worked and what didn’t, and share our thoughts for next year.

Meanwhile, we’re indebted to Bill Walker for his dedication, to Bill Hamby for his vision, to Reverend Rayburn and his church for generously opening the Hall to the Valley’s homeless, and to the volunteers who make the guests comfortable. Special thanks to the churches that provide evening meals, breakfast items, and bag lunches for the guests, and to the food coordinators who make sure everything’s in place.

2011 — The numbers

Service provided        Number of people or          In-Kind                Financial

                                       Households Served           $ Value                 Amount

Clothing                           4,676 individuals               71,220.00

Food                                3,607 households            295,080.00             36,365.26

Household Goods             923 households              23,150.00

Utilities:                           2,145 households                                         319,133.32

                             Power – 1,416

                             Fuel –       488

                             Water –     241

Rent/Mortgage                  281 households                                           43,787.85

Medical                               268 individuals                                             12,515.31

Vehicle Gas                        770 individuals                                               9,561.37

Scholarships                      193 individuals                                              13,576.12

Homeless Shelter               80 individuals*                                             20,580.93

Miscellaneous**                 416 individuals                                             11,904.85

Counseling/Referrals        608 individuals                       no dollar value assigned

Transients***                       313 individuals                                               7,704.40

Total                         14,200 Client Services*           $389,450.00         $475,129.41

Grand Total of In-kind and Financial Assistance — $864,579.41

*Homeless shelter clients not included in Total Client Services

**Miscellaneous items include: propane to cook, home repair, car repair, tires, car insurance, child care, water heater, microwave, bus fare, title transfer, barber’s license, property tax, truck rental, attorney consultation, refrigerator, bus tickets, furnace repair, air conditioner, Prison Fellowship Project, client housing project, furniture storage, handicap ramp, birth certificate, heat pump, Terminix, Thanksgiving food, Christmas gift certificates, other Christmas gifts and food, GED test.

***Transient services: Food, clothing, vehicle gas, lodging, bike lock, propane stove, tents, travel bag, laundry, showers, medical supplies, glasses, bus tickets.

Note: Individuals and Households may be served numerous times each year so these figures are duplicated.

We thank everyone for the faithful support that made all this possible.

Volunteer Banquet

Grove Stone Baptist Church in Black Mountain, Saturday, April 21, 6:00 p.m. Entertainment by the fabulous Moore Brothers.

You're souper!

Our thanks to all the churches that participated in Souper Bowl Sunday — probably our best ever. The food we collected helped fill in the gaps on our pantry shelves and went a long way to continuing to meet the steady requests for nutritional assistance.

Meet veteran volunteer Roy Fenton

If there’s one person who knows everything there is to know about the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, it’s Roy Fenton. Roy has been a volunteer at the Ministry for 20 years, since Lois Nix was the director. During that time, he says, “I’ve done a little bit of everything.” More like a lot. Roy is a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, and he’s the Building & Grounds director. He also partners with volunteer Chuck Williams to oversee the pantry, making sure it’s stocked and making grocery runs to replenish the shelves.

Roy, a quality assurance specialist for just about his entire career, retired from the Niagara Mohawk nuclear power plant in Upstate New York. He’s been married to his wife Jean for 58 years.

So many to thank!

Christmas is an exciting time at the Ministry, even if it is busy! Volunteer Helen Krauss did a great job setting up the Christmas rooms, and had a team of volunteers to help 60 families select gifts for 106 children. While we often ran low on gifts,  people continued to come to the rescue in large numbers. Special thanks to the Ninth Annual Black Mountain Christmas Run, who brought two truckloads of toys collected from many businesses and organizations as well as financial gifts and food.

Johnny Raines and Connie Pruitt helped clients with applications  for Christmas and helped get financial contributions and gifts. Connie led the program for the second year, matching sponsors with client families. Thanks to the community effort, almost 400 children/youth were able to have Christmas. We are especially thankful to 106.9 The Light for finding sponsors for 24 families or 42 children/youth; to Meadowbrook Baptist for providing a meal and gifts for 16 families or 29 children/youth; and residents of the Valley for sponsoring the remaining families and who made it possible for us to provide 48 gift certificates to school age youth.

It’s impossible to name everyone who helped make Christmas possible, but through God everything came together and for that we are thankful!

Another client services record set

Winter didn’t arrive with the same bang as it did last year, but the demand for assistance was still high, and Nov. 1 once again saw the Ministry’s waiting room filled with clients needing help with their heating bills. By the time 2011 ended, SVCM logged a total of 14,200 client services, compared to 12,203 in 2010 — an increase of just under 2,000.

The Ministry also gave away a huge amount of food in 2011, most of it from in-kind donations. The value of this food for the year was $295,080, and the value of all in-kind donations dispensed last year (including clothing and household goods/furnishings) was $389,450. A considerable amount of food is also purchased — from MANNA at a discount, and from local stores.

None of this would be possible without the help of the various congregations and others in the Valley — people who care enough about their less-fortunate neighbors to share what they have with them. The Ministry continues to be blessed by the community’s generosity.