Ministry Spotlight
Seeking Shelter Solutions
Adopt A Shelter
by Patricia George for Seeking Shelter Solutions
The 2024 Holiday Adopt A Shelter Project was organized by the Seeking Shelter Solutions Ministry to benefit unhoused women in Tucson by targeting the needs of two shelters; Primavera's Casa Paloma and the Sister Jose Women's Center. The project was a great success by any measure. We exceeded all of our target goals, and nearly every member of the congregation participated in some way.
The first part of this project included support for the Casa Paloma holiday party organized by Primavera, which took place December 17th. We committed to providing 60 bagged lunches for the unhoused women attending this party. The members of the Seeking Shelters Ministry went above and beyond, especially; Cathi Brandon, Meg Pradelt and Carol Lundberg. They staffed tables on Sundays throughout the month of December to collect donations and talk to people about the needed gifts; did the necessary shopping, ran errands, decorated the church lobby, and attended all the events that made up this project; including the St.Francis Christmas Party on December 8th when bags of chocolate were packed, and lunch bags were decorated. On December 16th, they gave huge assistance at the Santa's Sandwich Workshop, where sandwiches were constructed, and lunch bags were packed for Primavera's holiday luncheon. Thank you all!
At each event, we set goals and each time more was given, and more was done than was minimally needed. It is true that many hands make small work.
There is an old Chinese Proverb that says: If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap. If you want happiness for a day – go fishing. If you want happiness for a lifetime – help someone else.
From the donations received during the Christmas Eve services, I had the pleasure of being able to deliver a check for $1, 511 to the Sister Jose Women's Center. Additionally, we also delivered the following gifts from the congregation:
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26 blankets
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1 Sleeping Bag
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19 Coats & Jackets
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32 Pairs of Gloves & Mittens
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49 Woolen Hats
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8 Neck Scarves
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132 Pairs of Woolen Socks
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3 New Pairs of Shoes
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86 New Pairs of Ladies Underwear
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26 Sports Bras
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2 Fleece Pant Suits
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82 Tubes of Hand Cream
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94 Tubes of Toothpaste
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186 Toothbrushes
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54 Deodorants
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155 Chapsticks
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22 Tubes of Sunscreen
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35 Vanity aides
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25 Hand Sanitizers
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85 Women's Razors
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58 Bars of Soap
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50+ Emory Boards
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50+ Bottles of Shampoo
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100+ Bandaids
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48 Batteries
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1,000+ Feminine Hygiene Products
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102 pounds of Dog Food
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2 Dog Jackets
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10 pounds of Holiday Chocolates
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25 pounds of Dog Biscuits & Jerky
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90+ Misc. Gifts (Journals, Coloring Books, Hair Barrettes, Costume Jewelry, Cosmetics, and Manicure Sets)
A good-sized box of lightly used ladies clothing and shoes were delivered to Bringing Out the Best - a thrift store on Speedway run by the Wings for Women organization, which serves unhoused women as well as women living in poverty.
It has been said that how a community treats its most vulnerable members is a good measure of its humanity and scripture tells us that when we serve the least of these amongst us, we are serving God. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your amazing generosity and response to this project. I am so proud to be a member of this congregation.
