Shelter for the Homeless P.O. Box 1252 Stamford, CT 06902 E :info@shelterforhomeless.org P: 203-406-0017
Shelter for the Homeless exists today because on a cold night in 1982 a man named Smitty froze to death and a handful of Stamford citizens were saddened and outraged.
They rolled up their sleeves and started preparing and serving nutritious hot meals. They put their compassion and indignation to work, spreading the word, inspiring and mobilizing others and a few months later the First Congregational Church in Stamford was offering shelter in their basement. Soon the Council of Churches and Synagogues joined this grass roots movement and by March of 1985, sixty homeless people did not have to sleep on the street.
And so Shelter for the Homeless came to be the premier agency serving homeless people of Stamford, Greenwich, Darien and New Canaan. But at the core of our mission are a handful of neighbors who vowed not to stand by and let someone else feed, clothe and save a life.
If we could conjure up magical machines that would cook and serve meals, they could not offer welcome or break bread or shake the hand of another human being hungry for a touch of humanity -- for a sense of family. Only you can do that. You can help make our facilities welcoming and our work effective.
Volunteers support our work and continuously inspire us and our clients with their dedication and generous spirit. They put a human face on the invisible Smittys and they put a human face on a helping hand.
Ways You Can Help
Meal Preparation and Service
Nutritious dinners are prepared or purchased by groups and families offsite and brought to Pacific House Emergency Shelter. Each night we need groups of at least four individuals to prepare and serve meals. The shelter has only a heating kitchen, so meals must be prepared off site.This is a great way to learn about volunteering at the Shelter.
Administration
Some volunteers provide administrative or specialized assistance for professional staff in the administrative offices at 137 Henry Street. The Development Office also needs extra help periodically with fundraising activities (committees, mailings, phone calls and events).
Construction and Facilities Maintenance
We need volunteers to help paint, repair and maintain our facilities - activities that can draw upon a wide range of skills, experience and creativity. Corporations send groups of employees to the shelter for special one-time projects such as painting, spring cleaning and planting outside ;
a wonderful team building opportunity. Church groups will also help is this way as well while building camaraderie.
Special Drives
Youth and church groups often conduct drives for items the Shelter especially needs like sock, underwear, towels and sheets. As winter approaches we are in particular need of gloves
and hats.
These are only some of the ways in which you can help. If you’d like to join our family of volunteers and/or want to learn more, call:
Peggy Lutz, Development Director 203 406-0017 X301Volunteer
Photograph by Marc Zaref
Website by: Webs For Good LLC
This page was last updated: November 1, 2011
