The local, Henderson Community Partners of Hope Men’s Shelter is under new management.
Jane King is the volunteer coordinator for the shelter, and she wrote in an email to WIZS News, “We are excited to announce that Darryl Jones and Kenny Blackwell have agreed to share the duties of Shelter Manager and that we will now have one or the other at the shelter EVERY NIGHT (weekends included) from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. They will work closely with Joel Rice and will be present for the entire welcome shift as well as a half-hour overlap with the overnight shift to be sure of a smooth transition. Joel, Kenny, and Darryl all have extensive experience with homeless shelters in general and our shelter in particular so we are excited about this change! Darryl and Kenny will also lead a “quiet time” discussion / devotion time for those who want to participate.”
Rice is a housing specialist with Cardinal Innovations, Inc. and is a member of the Community Partners of Home board of directors.
If you can help, get in touch with King at (252) 432-9494.
King said, “Joel, Darryl, and/or Kenny are available to lead training/information sessions for shelter volunteers. They can come to your church or organization, or we can arrange to use First Presbyterian Church’s fellowship hall and have access to the shelter.
“There is not much to learn in terms of what to do during your shift, but Joel can help you understand what the men are going through and how to engage them in conversation as well as how to be firm about rules and what to do in the rare case of an emergency.”
There is more news about the shelter as well as additional volunteer opportunities, all of which King provided to WIZS News by email. These items are listed below.
REPAIR TO PLATFORM OUTSIDE SHOWER
The flooring on the platform has rotted. We need someone with basic carpentry skills to replace it (approximately 4’x4′) with new plywood and cover it with vinyl. We just need this completed before November 1.
NOVEMBER SUPERVISORS STILL NEEDED (Both shifts)
Thursday, Nov.3Saturday, Nov 5Sunday, Nov 13Friday, Nov 18Saturday Nov 19Sunday, Nov 20Tuesday through Saturday, Nov. 22-26 (Thanksgiving week)
NOVEMBER MEALS STILL NEEDED
Friday, Nov.4Saturday, Nov 5Sunday, Nov 13Friday, Nov 18Sunday Nov 20Monday, Nov 21Friday, Nov 25Saturday, Nov 26
BUNK BEDS & LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT!
Another exciting change is the addition of bunk beds. These will be more comfortable for the men, take up less space, and reduce the need for comforters for padding and thus reduce our laundry load.We have also added a washer and dryer near the shower. The men will be responsible for washing their own sheets and towels and will hopefully be able to wash some of their own clothing as well. There will be a rotating duty assignment such that each man can do his wash one night during the week. No more stuffing laundry bags and taking them elsewhere for washing!
