HUU appears for the first time in the volunteer schedule of the Harrisonburg and Rockingham Thermal Shelter for the week of February 22 – March 1 at the Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM) house at JMU. Judith Hollowood (Judith@huuweb.org) and Mary Hahn (mary@huuweb.org) are the coordinators for HUU’s participation on Tuesday and Wednesday in this important interfaith contribution to our homeless in our community. Please let us know you can volunteer!
Here is the orientation HUU received from the organizer at JMU, Patrick Wiggins (wigginpj@jmu.edu) that provides background on how we will take part.
The Official Schedule for February 22 – March 1:
Monday (Dinner)- Intervarsity
Tuesday (Breakfast)- Intervarsity
Tuesday Feb. 23 (Dinner)- (HUU) Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists
Wednesday Feb. 24 (Breakfast)- Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists
Wednesday (Dinner)- JMU Hillel
Thursday (Breakfast)- JMU Hillel
Thursday (Dinner)- Canterbury Episcopal
Friday (Breakfast)- (MSA) Muslim Student Association
Friday (Dinner)- (CCM) Catholic Campus Ministry
Saturday (Breakfast)- Catholic Campus Ministry
Saturday (Dinner)- (Cru) Campus Crusade
Sunday (Breakfast)- Campus Crusade
Sunday (Dinner) Catholic Campus Ministry
Monday (Breakfast) Catholic Campus Ministry
Where will this take place?
At the Catholic Campus Ministry house (1052 South Main St., Harrisonburg, VA 22807)
What services will we provide for our guests?
Dinner, activities, a nice place to sleep and spend the night, laundry, showers, breakfast, temporary storage for their belongings.
What is involved for volunteers?
Evening Schedule (HUU: Tuesday, February 23)
Before 6:00PM: Volunteers arrive to meet/greet and prepare food if not already prepared.
6:30PM: Check-in for guests. (Guests will have their temperature taken by medical personnel for precaution against illness.)
7:00-7:15PM: Circle time with guests and Host volunteers, dinner is served. Guests help hosts clean up after dinner.
Activities as planned by the volunteers – cards, board games, movies if the space allows, it’s up to us. Guests are free to sleep or do any activity available to them. They are not required to participate in any activity. There are also a shower station and a laundry service station to staff during the evening. These will be very busy volunteer stations.
11:00PM – Lights out.
Overnight: 2 or 3 staff from the Dinner crew stay at the CCM house overnight to be able to service breakfast at 6:30AM the next morning. This is to make sure that if the volunteers cannot drive over early enough in the morning, the guests will not miss breakfast. It may be their only meal until dinner.
Morning Schedule (HUU: Wednesday Feb. 24)
6:15AM – Wake up process begins, breakfast set out and ready.
7:00AM- Guests leave the site while leaving their belongings in the CCM house. The guests can go anywhere but cannot re-enter the CCM house until 6:00PM when the evening schedule begins.
Expectations about Meals
You and your group can choose any meal that you like; the most pleasing to the guests will be food that they can recognize. Some examples of dinner include, but are not limited to:
- Spaghetti & Meatballs/Salad/Bread/Dessert,
- Pot-roast/Mashed Potatoes/Vegetables/Dessert,
- Burgers/Fries/Fruit/Dessert,
- Sandwiches/Vegetable soup/Fruit/Dessert, or something similar.
Breakfast meals could include, but are not limited to:
- Bagels with spread/Fruit/Orange Juice,
- Muffins/Fruit/Milk.
- Guests will have about 30 minutes to eat so a cooked breakfast is not realistic.
Activities
We are here to provide the guests with food, shelter, and a place to relax. If guests would like to talk or participate in any activities, that is THEIR decision. CCM will have several board games and card decks set out, but volunteers can bring any games or other activities of their own.
Why is this good for HUU?
HARTS is a major interfaith activity in Harrisonburg, but it is hard for small groups like HUU to find a right-sized opportunity to take part. The JMU interfaith umbrella organization is oriented toward multi-group participation in supporting the shelter, so we fit right in. Our “reward” is visibility in our community, contributing to interfaith cooperation in Harrisonburg, and the satisfaction of helping the homeless. What a great opportunity for HUU!