Did you know part of the Grundy Area PADS program supports St. Vincent Table meals in both Morris & Coal City? Both locations serve weekly meals ALL YEAR to anyone who needs a warm meal & some friendship. In 2017 the Morris location served 1,573 meals - 109 guests in the month of November alone! The Coal City location serves about 80 guests per week totaling over 4,100 meals served this year! This is an AMAZING mission which serves many people in need. Please contact Grundy Area PADS for more info on how you can be a part of this mission in either Morris or Coal City.
BIG NEWS!
If you look up “hospitality” in the dictionary, you will find this picture next to the definition. PADS has been experiencing some growing pains lately with record numbers of guests this season and 2 families that have been staying with us. For the comfort and security of the children, and whenever it’s possible, we like to allow families to stay together in a separate room. The accommodations we had at the Immaculate Conception Church Meeting House at 622 E Jackson that we used on Thursday and Friday nights were no longer providing the room we needed for the families we have been sheltering. PADS President Phil Wardlow asked Father Ed at ICC if there was any larger space we could use, and Father Ed quickly responded and offered PADS a house just down the street at 517 E Jackson that the church has not really been using that was purchased just about a year ago in anticipation of future plans. Not only will our PADS guests have more sleeping space, but the new location has a working shower and laundry facilities! What a wonderful example of God answering our prayers by exceeding our needs! Thank you so much to Father Ed and Joanne Morral and Chris Werden, our ICC Site Coordinators for Friday nights! Thank you to our Immaculate Conception Church family!!!
Let's Celebrate!
A former PADS Guest, Ryan Johnson, has “graduated” from
PADS. He is now housed and self-sufficient!!!
To celebrate this, we are holding a “housewarming” party for
Ryan at Saratoga Towers’ Community Room on Friday,
December 15 from 4 PM to 6 PM. Stop by an congratulate
Ryan as he begins living in his own apartment.
A Cold Night in PADS that Turned Out WARM
This is a MUST READ about our current PADS mission in the community this past week:
"Last night was one of our first really cold nights, with lows predicted in the high teens. This shelter season has already broken the record for highest consistent attendance, and we have been bracing for more when the weather finally turned downward. Last night, we had 14 people stay at the ICC meeting house. Normally, that is not a terribly difficult number to manage, but it was the make-up of that group that made it difficult. We had a family of 5 and a new family of 3 with a very young child.
It has been our practice to try to allow families with children to stay in a room together as we feel it provides comfort for the children to know both of their parents are near them. The ICC meeting house has 4 rooms that can potentially be used for sleeping, but usually only 3 of them are used because the fourth room is the living room where the volunteers are located. When the new family arrived we had to do some re-arranging of people who were already settled. When I asked the ladies who were already settled in a room if they would mind moving to the living room to allow the family with the young child to stay together, I was so touched by their reactions. They were so kind and enthusiastic about letting the family stay together, they did not care if it meant they were in a less cozy sleeping area.
Throughout the night, although there was very little space to move, it was heartwarming to see the guests smiling and laughing with each other, playing games and continuing to support each other through what is a difficult time for all of them. While I know that the efforts I make are helping them to have a warm, safe place to stay, what most people don't realize is that through volunteering for PADS, the ultimate beneficiary is the volunteer. At a time in this world where it seems that kindness and decency have all but dried up, it is so rewarding to see strangers who find themselves in a bad spot do whatever they can to help each other. That kind of reassurance is a true gift."
Thank you so much Denise Gaska for sharing about your experience the other night at PADS. Also, due to the rise in guests we are working to find additional space to accommodate families & guests during these cold nights. If you are able to assist with our mission, please consider donating today:
Pathways of Hope
"I've always felt PADS was important in providing our guests with a warm, safe place to stay for the night along with some food for nourishment. Started in our local churches and manned completely by volunteers, we have always truly cared for those less fortunate.
This year, in the 2017-2018 season, PADS has taken a huge step in further serving the homeless and needy. Joining with We Care, PADS is implementing Pathways of Hope. This program provides for more than just immediate needs. By participating in this program, our guests are given the resources and coaching to eventually escape homelessness and to once again live more independently and with dignity. The goal is to "not just give them a fish, but to teach them to fish for themselves."
I am so thankful for a loving and generous community, that has long supported PADS. This next step furthers our efforts "in caring for the least of these!"
Thanks to DeWitt Buchanan for sharing his thoughts on the PADS mission in our community!
Figuring it Out
PADS Volunteer DeWitt Buchanan shared a few thoughts with us on the program:
"For the protection of our guests and volunteers, and to allow each guest an opportunity for a good night's rest, we have a policy of not allowing entry to the shelter after 11PM each night.
Recently a young man who has been a PADS guest this season stopped me before the shelter was about to close for the day at 7AM. He was wanting to know if he would be allowed entry after 11PM because he had just been hired to work at a local warehouse on the 2nd shift and couldn't get back to the shelter before 11:30PM each night. What great news and reason to celebrate! "Of course we can make an exception!" was all I could think of saying in response.
A common misconception that I used to have was that the homeless had no ambition and did not care about escaping their situation. Our guests are much like each one of us in so many ways. Most do have ambition. For a variety of reasons, they are here--but want to do better! PADS provides a time and place for them to "figure" it out.
I'm thankful that we are serving this young man through a tough time in his life and hope that soon he has moved on to his own place and a life more on his terms! "
Thanks DeWitt for sharing about how the PADS program helps guests have time to "figure it out".
True Kindness
PADS Volunteer Marilyn Yuhas had this to share about Grundy Area PADS...
"True kindness is when you do something for someone who can never repay you. Last night I stopped by Peace Lutheran Church to check on the volunteers and the guests. We had a full house with 13 guests including one family and a pregnant mother. It was determined that when the second shift started to make sandwiches for the guests that there was not enough bread or ham. I told everyone I would go to Aldi's and get bread and ham. When I got to Aldi's I saw a friend of mine, Sammy from Maria's. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was getting lunch food for the shelter guests. Sammy is in his late 20's and bless his heart he got his wallet out and gave me $15.00 and told me he wanted to pay for the food. That is what I call a person with a good heart and sees that kindness is the way everyone should live their life! Not getting any credit other than the feeling he has in his heart to give to those less fortunate than him. Any act of kindness is welcome to ensure the homeless population has a safe and warm environment during the cold winter months. If you cannot volunteer or make a donation, perhaps you would like to make a meal and share on one of the colder nights. If you would like more information please feel free to contact me. Your kindness makes a difference in the lives of the less fortunate."
Thanks Marilyn for sharing your story with us!
Why?
Denise Gaska recently shared this reflection with us regarding homelessness. It is worth a read. Please take some time to reflect on homelessness, what your thoughts on it are and how you can be part of the solution. Thanks for sharing with us Denise!
“The worst part about being homeless is the way people look at you. They look at you like you have a disease. Like you’re all a bunch of drug addicts or alcoholics. They don’t know me. They don´t know what my life has been like,¨ one of our PADS guests said as I sat with him while he ate dinner tonight. He arrives at the shelter after 11:30 each night because he has a job out of town. ¨They judge you and they know nothing about you,”
I think people have a tough time grappling with the idea of homelessness. We live in the land of plenty, and currently we have very low unemployment rates. Often our relative affluence, and maybe some of the guilt we feel over those blessings, causes us to look for a reason why our fellow human beings are suffering the way they are. It's a natural response to any tragedy. When someone dies, especially if they are young, it causes us to ask, "Why?" Which often carries an unspoken guilt, as in, "Why them and not me?" We are comforted by logic and order. If we can make sense of tragedy, understand the pitfalls that lead to tragedy, we can avoid it in our own lives, right? Doesn't it make sense then, that our need for reason and order in the face of tragedy would cause us to look critically at people who are experiencing homelessness and ask, "Why?"
Unfortunately, it seems people think they can pinpoint the cause of homelessness in someone's life based on the superficial symptoms they see. I heard it as I entered the shelter tonight, "They keep wanting to go outside to smoke, although I don't know how they can afford to smoke..." I'm not suggesting that the volunteer was blaming our guests’ current state of homelessness on smoking. But there did seem to be some implied criticism of their life choices. Whenever we criticize the bad behavior or poor choices of those experiencing homelessness, perhaps it helps us believe we can insulate ourselves from the likelihood that we could become homeless. After all, we're not making those poor choices, whether it's smoking, drinking, drug use, or disruptive behavior, etc. Therefore, surely we are protected against that tragic outcome. While it’s true those choices may be part of the reason someone has become homeless, usually those choices are just the tip of the iceberg on a host of reasons and life experiences that have led that person to make those poor choices.
Let's consider "Why," again, but this time, instead of looking at the poor choices, or symptoms of the problem, let’s consider the root of the problem. Studies have shown that anywhere from 16-40% of individuals experiencing homeless were diagnosed with a learning disability while in school. For other individuals, mental health issues cause some to self-medicate with the use of alcohol or drugs. For still others, a childhood filled with physical or emotional abuse or neglect from parents has lead to an endless cycle of self-destruction. And, for some, they are just going through a “bit of bad luck.” Really, the list of potential issues that lead to homelessness are vast.
Instead of wasting time and energy trying to figure out how/why someone became homeless (in a futile effort to at least mentally spare ourselves of the same outcome), a more fruitful endeavor would be to ask, “Why not me?” And, the answer is it could be you. “There but for the grace of God go I.” A bit of bad luck that stretches beyond a few paychecks could land many of us into the lap of homelessness. 78% of full-time workers say they live paycheck to paycheck. If not you, maybe a friend, neighbor or relative could easily end up in this predicament. If that were the case, how would you want to be treated? How would you want your friend or relative to be viewed in the eyes of society?
As someone who has experienced tragedy at a relatively young age, one thing it taught me was that sometimes the answer to the question, “Why?” is that there is no good answer. As much as we would like reason and logic to prevail in this world, it doesn’t. Bad stuff happens. And, for some people, they get more than their fair share of bad stuff. Outside of losing your life or the life of a loved one, there really isn’t much more pain and punishment a person can go through in life than being homeless. Really, think about it. Can you imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from? Can you imagine carrying everything you own in your car, or on your back? Can you imagine not having a door to walk through at the end of a long hard day that leads to the place we all want to be most...home?
For those of us who have been blessed with a fully developed body and brain when we were born, parents who loved and cared for us and the good fortune to have steady employment, instead of pointing to the shortcomings in the lives of the homeless and relishing in the fact that we have made better choices, let’s give thanks for our blessings by sharing a little of our time and treasure with those who need it most...please help Grundy Area PADS.
New PADS Volunteer Story
Here is a nice testimony from a new PADS volunteer:
"This is my first time to volunteer for PADS. This is something I've wanted to do for awhile and I am so glad I finally signed up. I signed up for a 3rd shift and realized they still needed more volunteers, so I also signed up for a 2nd shift.
I had my first 2nd shift recently. I didn't think on 2nd shift I would get to interact with any of the guests. To my pleasant surprise, there were still 2 guests that were up when I got there at 10:45pm. Both were super nice and appreciative and thanked us for volunteering. This was the first time for both myself and the other person to volunteer and the guests actually made us feel at home and told us to just ask them if we had any questions. :) One of the guests was in the mood to talk for a few minutes before going to bed, so he told us a little about himself. It was really great to get to know him. He has a job and a goal to get a place to live in a couple months, he just needs a little help right now and is so appreciative of PADS and having a place to go. In fact, he wants to give back when he does get back on his feet and wants to be a volunteer at PADS. I really enjoyed our conversation.
I think PADS is an amazing and wonderful program! I am so happy to be a part of it and am anxiously awaiting my next shift. I look forward to meeting new volunteers, as well as the guests. I also hope more people will realize the need for volunteers to keep it running and will want to help out. It is easy, fun, and rewarding!"
Thank you Jana Trofimchuck for jumping in to help out & sharing your time & experiences with us!
A Note About PADS...
A note from Tammy Alvarez:
"As the volunteer coordinator for PADS this year, I have had the pleasure of talking to many new and returning volunteers. I am humbled by the many personal reasons that volunteers have for wanting to give back. Most have wanted to get involved for a while. It makes my heart smile for the selfless generosity of time that our volunteers offer. I know as a fellow volunteer that what I do pales in comparison to what I get back😊 If you are still looking for that great opportunity to help your fellow neighbors “get a hand up” please contact me at 815-474-7899. PADS is still looking for volunteers to help keep our guests stay warm and safe through our winter season."
Thank you Tammy for sharing your story about PADS!