Adopt a Shelter?????

For the last several days, Denny (my ERV driver buddy) and I have been taking meals to local Red Cross supported shelters and hotels. Jackson, MS, where we are currently based is, as you will know, 100 odd miles from the south coast where most of the devastation is located. Consequently the people who the Red Cross is supporting here are those who have been displaced by Katrina and now Rita destruction. They have been or are being processed by the system: sounds horrible, but means that they have received counciling, have received financial aid and housing, and are getting meal support, or they have been deemed not eligible.

Many of these people (the Red Cross calls them clients) are housed in local hotels, and we take bulk food to them which is then served by volunteers from within the client community. We are currently taking lunch and dinner to these people.

We are also taking food to the shelters. A shelter is an establishment that is operated entirely by the Red Cross, some other similar organization, or in many cases by and within local churches.

One such shelter is housed in a tiny Baptist Church in the semi rural outskirts of Jackson. It has a total congregation of about 150 of which about 70 are regular church goers. It is the contributions of these church goers who are financially making this shelter possible. The Red Cross is providing management for the shelter and daily lunches and dinner.

Currently this shelter is housing and home for about 50 displaced persons, many of whom are children. This number is likely to grow, as other shelters are closed down as their residents retake their lives and go onto their next chapters. It is likely that this Baptist Church shelter will take up any slack as it is committed to provide shelter for as long as necessary, even beyond the time when the Red Cross ceases food and management support.

To digress for a moment. I heard recently of a brilliant new idea. The mayor of Burlington Vermont has recently twinned the city of Burlington with a similar sized city in Louisiana. (sorry don't recall which city). This twinning is being heralded as a model that other cities, towns and villages might want to consider, and the Burlington model is providing an interface for support, help, financial contribution, intra city visits, pen pals, school to school interaction and I'm sure a host of other ideas too.

It has occurred to me that this idea might be extended to churches too. The Baptist Shelter that I have described above is desperate for help and support, particularly financial, and it may be that there may be a church out there, of whatever denomination, that might like to twin itself with this church, adopt it and help support those who are making this haven available for those most in need.

This Shelter is such a magical place, the shelter itself is within the church hall, it is tight and impersonal - dormitory like, but very clean and well organized. The clients are motivated, interested, trying to get their lives back together, and they also help run the shelter too. It has occured to me that their need is so small compared to the support that a big church in some major city might be able to provide that there might be some congregation somewhere that might answer this call.

If anyone knows of any church that might like to look further into this please do let me know.

Please think hard.
Peter