Homelesss Shelter Ministry
2008 has seen our relationship with the Hoboken Homeless Shelter grow significantly and 2009 promises to be even more exciting. By way of background, the shelter has accommodations for up to 50 people and feeds close to 100 people every night. It is owned and operated by The Communities of Faith for Housing as well as several Hoboken churches and a synagogue. In 2008, it placed 128 people in their own houses, served 70,000 meals and helped numerous individuals in terms of mental health, substance abuse, budgeting, medication education, and job preparedness.
During Christmas, Redeemer Hoboken celebrated the season by hosting Carol singing nights at the shelter. The nights proved to be joy-filled as shelter guests joined in many of the songs as the Redeemer singers gave their all. All of the participants will likely remember those nights for quite some time! During the same time, the shelter went through a rather stressful period as many “Wall Street donations” came up short and the shelter was fearful of ending 2008 with a deficit. As conveyed in our congregational meeting, Redeemer Hoboken was happy to give close to $4,000 to assist with the shortfall. In addition, many other supporters of the shelter pitched in and the shelter cut expenses. The final result was that the shelter posted a surplus for the year. Jaclyn Cherubini, the Director of the shelter, sent an email about the turnaround in donations and I could not help but notice how many times God was praised within that e-mail.
New events are always starting up at the shelter and Redeemer Hoboken is blessed to be a part of many of these. Current events at the shelter include:
- Friday Midday: Help fold clothing, prepare shower necessity boxes, and serve food. Contact Carey Finn at carey_finn@yahoo.com.
- Fourth Friday Evening of the Month: Help to prepare and serve food. Contact Bennett Feld at bennettfeld@verizon.net.
- Concert in Late Spring/Early Summer: More about this event coming soon!
If you would like to donate money to the shelter, please make this clear on the memo line of your tithe check on Sunday. Please note that the cost of a dinner is close to $300 per night for everybody. If you would like to donate items to the Shelter, these can be dropped off at 300 Bloomfield Street. Some items that are currently needed are:
Clothing to get through the Winter Weather:
- Winter Coats (Men’s)
- Sweatpants and Sweatshirts (Men’s)
- Disposable Ponchos
- Work Boots, size 8 and higher (Men’s)
- Thermal Long Underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
- Long socks
Food Donations:
- Lunch meat
- Frozen Meat (Ham, Chicken, Turkey)
- Coffee
- Sugar
- Marinara Sauce
- Rice
- Instant Potatoes
- Cereal
Supply Donations:
- Hot/Cold Cups
- Paper/Plastic Plates
- Napkins
- Laundry Detergent
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towels
Toiletries Donations:
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Razors (disposable)
- Spray Deodorant
- Socks
- Underpants
- Towels
- Sheets
Items that the Shelter Guests would really appreciate:
- Coupons to McDonald’s or similar food outlets in Hoboken
- Phone cards
- Bus passes (NJ Transit)
General:
- Computer chairs (adjustable height, without arms)
- Desk lamp
- Sturdy kitchen chairs
For further information, please contact Yesh Paul (yeshwantp@yahoo.com), who has joined David Edwards in serving on the Shelter’s Board.