IHELP is the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program, which provides dinner and overnight housing for up to 60 homeless men per night in churches on the Peninsula and in Salinas. UUCMP's Pastor Emeritus Fred Keip and member Lorita Fisher were founders of this program, and we've participated proudly ever since. We gather at UUCMP at 4 pm on the second and fifth Sundays of every month to prepare a meal and prepare to welcome the men into the sanctuary of the church. Kids under 12 can decorate place mats, and are welcome to come with a chaperone. SIGN-UP online for future months, or on the bulletin board for the current month:
It is a joyful ministry, with opportunities to get to know the men. Many of them are seeking a spiritual path, and enjoy sharing their thoughts and questions in the safe space UUCMP offers. To sign up to bring a dish or help host, contact the IHELP coordinator, Liz Ward, at ihelpshelter@uucmp.org . Other ways to help IHELP: http://www.shelteroutreachplus.org/donation.html Shelter Outreach Plus maintains a 16 bed facility in Seaside that provides shelter and services to women and their children experiencing homelessness. Some women are just re-entering society from jail, others are fleeing domestic violence. Many UUCMP families help the shelter survive by providing monthly staples of detergent, hygiene and toilet necessities, towels, underwear, and kitchen supplies. For current needs and to volunteer to bring a staple once per month, contact the coordinator, Mibs McCarthy at ihelpshelter@uucmp.org Collection Drive for Monterey County Food Bank : From Thanksgiving to New Years Eve, we also collect cans and money for the Monterey County Food Bank, which helped 30% of Monterey County residents eat nutritious food in 2010. Did you know that for every $1 donated, corporate and private partnerships can provide $8 of food to the Food Bank? This is money well spent! Giving Tree : We also enjoy providing gifts and money to needy families in the congregation and community via a "Giving Tree" every year. You can take an ornament off the tree and purchase and wrap the gift listed on it. Donations are made to "UUCMP" with the name of the family or nonprofit organization it is to be donated to in the memo line. We deliver the gifts around December 20th. If you know of a community organization helping families or animals with gifts or money for the holidays, you may recommend them to Liz Ward. |
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 Where to find us
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I-HELP / Shelter Outreach Plus |