Homeless Shelter Donation Houston

Sometimes, I get a chance to get out of my normal day to day IT world and get to help out on video.  A few months back one of our wonderful donors/volunteers, Cookie Joe, and her business partner, Tran Pham Rich , (owners of Cookie Joe's School of Dancin'  located in Sugar Land, Texas) donated the money to rebuild and equip our intake center at the Women & Family Emergency Shelter. The name of the intake center is Place of Grace and one of the new features is a large flat screen television that families and homeless ladies, who are seeking services can sit and watch. The television is there to show the potential guests all the many programs and services that Star of Hope Mission offers to help them understand who we are and how much we want to help them.

Yesterday, after completing a video compilation of various elements I took the DVD over to test and play it for the first time at Place of Grace.  I was joined by a homeless lady who I did not think was paying any attention to the video. She, like countless others, was just looking for a place that would take her in and give her some relief from the Houston streets.  As the video progressed through all the various ministries of Star of Hope , she looked over at me and said that she had no idea that Star of Hope did so many things. I sat and explained a few details to her about what she had seen, all the while hoping she was inspired to become a part of the Star of Hope family and be a life changed, a life restored.

Learn more about Star of Hope and Philanthropy Opportunities Houston.

Excitement is building as we head toward March Madness and Houston prepares to host the NCAA Final Four Tournament!  Not only will there be lots of memorable, action-filled college basketball, but also special outreaches to those in our community who are less fortunate…..and the kick-off is at Star of Hope!

Feed the Hungry will distribute food to 1,750 Houston-area families during tournament week and donate 250 boxes of food to Star of Hope Mission. A tractor trailer will roll into our Storehouse on March 14^th, loaded down with boxes and pallets of food. We need 20 volunteers, age 18 or older, each day on Tuesday & Wednesday, March 15^th & 16^th, from 9 AM – 3 PM for to assemble and fill 750 boxes.

Through a partnership with Samaritan’s Feet, the tournament will give away 2011 pairs of shoes…..and the first 300 pairs will be given to clients at the Star of Hope Women & Family Emergency Shelter. What an awesome experience as volunteers wash and put a clean pair of socks on the feet of each client before they are fitted with new shoes and receive a care pack filled with toiletry items. Through these gestures of kindness and compassion, our clients will learn about their value and worth as individuals; that others care about them; and that better days are ahead. We need more than 80 volunteers, age 21 or older, working shifts from Noon – 7 PM on Monday, March 28^th, to unload and set-up, wash feet, change water, greet, clean-up, and be runners. 

Don’t miss out on this tremendous opportunity to participate in the 2011 NCAA Final Four Tournament! All volunteers will receive a commemorative 2011 NCAA Final Four t-shirt.

Sign-up today by contacting Elizabeth Hatler at ehatler@sohmission.org or 713-440-5322. 

Find other ways to get involved and help Houston's homeless with Star of Hope today at Volunteer Opportunities Houston.

We are grateful for the men and women who have made the decision to seek shelter and hope in our facilities, but our hearts are still with the ones on the streets tonight who have not yet reached out to Star of Hope.

Learn more about how you can help Houston's homeless men, women and children with Star of Hope Mission. Visit:
- Donation Opportunities Houston
- Volunteer Opportunities Houston
- Urgent and Ongoing Needs

Star of Hope’s Men’s Development Center is a busy place right now.  With the chilling temperatures at night, more men are filling the facility into overflow.  And we are glad to serve them, with a warm meal, a warm dry place to sleep, a shower, fresh clothes and words of God’s love for them.
 
But there is another chilling element at work in many of these men besides the cold air outside.  For a third or more of our 300+ men living here, the chill and haunt of past military combat trauma chills them to the bone, and affects their daily life, trapped inside years after they have returned home from combat.  That chill is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and it is the ‘signature’ wound of the war on terrorism.

Just recently, at the conclusion of one of our Trauma Care group meetings, led by the PTSD Foundation of America and hosted at Star of Hope, a Vietnam Veteran approached us.  He was injured in combat, and now walks slowly with the aid of a cane…his speech soft and slow.  Tears coursed down this man’s cheeks as he shared with us his guilt – a guilt he has carried for over 40 years.  One horrific day in Vietnam, he found himself in the midst of chaos and confusion with bullets flying and villagers falling in death.  In the unfathomable moment, he realized that he had taken the life of an innocent, young girl, probably not yet 10 years old.  Now in a small room with just a few fellow Veterans listening, he felt safe enough to share this very dark day in his life, and for the first time began to feel a sense of forgiveness in his life.  The Star of Hope, a few fellow soldiers, and the good news of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ set this man on a new path…free from guilt and filled with God’s grace and mercy.

On another day, a Veteran who has been attending this same support group, opened up and began telling his story after weeks of just listening.  His story was typical, but he had progressed to the place where God was real to him.  He was ready to work again, but his felony record was holding him back.  A “Second Chance Employer”, one who was willing the give him a second chance, gave him a job application, and he has been on his new job now for several weeks.  On a recent Sunday, he was invited to share his story at a church, and his two young sons were with him and able to hear their dad tell of God’s forgiveness and redeeming love.  We are now praying for his marriage and family to be restored.  And we know that all things are possible with God! 

Do you know a Veteran this Christmastime who needs a second chance?  Respond to this blog or email david.maulsby@ptsdusa.org and together maybe another Christmas miracle will happen!

Read more 25 Days of Christmas Miracles!

Learn more about how your support of Star of Hope helps Homeless Veterans Houston and donate today at Men's Shelter Donation Houston.

During my eight years working for Star of Hope Mission, I have watched over and over as homeless clients move from virtually “no hope” with total dependence, to beginning their independent walk in a new life.  Star of Hope is not just a Soup Kitchen in Houston!  We offer Christian Ministries with such services as drug rehabilitation, emergency homeless services, parenting classes, career building classes, for homeless persons and for battered women, men and for families.  We offer care for men, single women and for families at our three homeless shelters and transitional living centers.

Last week I got to meet a young woman who lived here at Star of Hope twelve years ago.  When she came here, she was 4 years old, and she got into a ballet dance program offered by a volunteer.  Her family got back on their feet and now she is married and has three beautiful children.  She was present at the opening of our newly decorated Intake area at Star of Hope’s Women & Family Emergency Shelter.  It was a real blessing to visit and to see how well she is doing now.  She and her family had received a chance to get back on their feet, and they had taken it! 

I hope that you weren’t ever homeless!  But if you had been, wouldn’t it be great to know that there was a place, where people would listen to you, pray with you, cry with you, and try to meet your every need!  Star of Hope is such a place!

Would you consider partnering with us, through offering a prayer for the less fortunate, and through making a contribution?  You can go to Charitable Donations Houston to make a contribution.

 

1.     Organize a drive for Christmas Gifts. Items are needed by December 10.
    
2.     Donate online to provide Christmas Gifts. Visit Star of Hope’s Christmas Gift Catalog.
    
3.     Create We Care Houston Packages and give them to homeless men and women you see on the streets.
    
4.     Give $10 by texting “SOH” to 20222. Encourage your friends to do it too!
    
5.     Provide warm and nutritious meals for only $1.63 each.
    
6.     Volunteer to serve a meal at one of Star of Hope’s facilities. We serve 3 meals a day, 365 days a year.
    
7.     Host a drive and a contest...Pillow Fight: Who can gather the most new pillows and pillow cases?
    
8.     TP the Mission: What?... Host a drive for toilet paper.
    
9.     Use your professional skills to help the homeless.
    
10.     Undies for Change: We always need NEW socks and underwear for men and women.
     
11.     Pray for our homeless veterans who are living on the streets.
     
12.     Provide a day of care… food, clothing, shelter and more.
     
13.     Home and Dry: Collect new linens and blankets for twin beds. Make Star of Hope feel more like home.
     
14.     Tell your friends why you care for the homeless and why you support Star of Hope.
     
15.     Pray with and for homeless children who are praying for a home.
     
16.     Pray for the men and women at Star of Hope who are on the road to recovery and a new life.
     
17.     Could you commit to working one shift a week? Become a High Impact Volunteer.
     
18.     Share your support for Star of Hope on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. We appreciate it!
     
19.     Like working with kids? You and your group can host a children’s activity at Star of Hope.
     
20.     A volunteer opportunity for the whole family… Cookies and Good Night.
     
21.     The donated clothing we receive needs to be sorted. Come serve in our Storehouse.
     
22.     We answer a lot of phone calls! Volunteer in our Call Center.
     
23.     Looking for a last minute Christmas Gift. Help the homeless and send your friends Christmas eCards.
     
24.     Get Up and Go: Host a drive for job-interview-worthy women’s clothing size 22 and up.
     
25.     It’s not too late to give a year-end gift. Donate online and help Houston’s homeless.

Homeless Vets celebrated everyday at Star of Hope Men’s Development Center

Today is Veteran’s Day, and as I’m writing this blog, I’m reminded of the long heritage Star of Hope Mission has had in serving our Veterans who become homeless.  Way back in 1945-1946, Star of Hope was serving hundreds of Veterans each month, coming through Houston with no place to stay. Ever since then, Star of Hope has proudly served Vets who have become homeless and need help in re-establishing their lives, after their service to our country. 
 
Today, we are serving 100-150 Veterans per day, from the Vietnam, Korean, Desert Storm, and Afghanistan wars, with recovery programs and life changing help for a better life.  In our VIP Program, we serve 150-200 per year, in partnership with Houston’s Veteran’s Administration to help with their physical and mental health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and addiction recovery needs.  Our men in the PTSD group meet twice each week, offered at Star of Hope in partnership with Military Ministries, an arm of PTSD Foundation of America.

When I attend any Veteran’s program at church or in our community, my eyes well up with tears, as I think of the many men I’ve met here, who, without the Star of Hope, would be on the streets of Houston today.  They are not forgotten!  And they feel God’s love everyday they are with us.  Star of Hope is “Home to the Brave”…and my hat is off to the great staff of men and women at our Men’s Development Center in Downtown Houston who faithfully serve these who have sacrificially served all of us in defending our country.

If you’ve never been to any of Star of Hope’s mission locations, I invite you to come and tour, get involved and volunteer!  You can help Veterans and many others with your talents to have a better life, renew their faith and strength, and once again, stand tall as Americans.  Come and join us, you’ll be glad you did!

Learn more about star of Hope at Mens Shelter Donation Houston and Houston Volunteer Opportunities.
 

It’s been a year since I received the first e-mail from Jeannie Eisenhart.  Jeannie works for Crowley Maritime in Florida and is on the Board of the National Business Travel Association. 

NBTA members include airlines, hotels and resorts, travel agents and corporate travel departments, food service companies and temporary corporate apartment homes – just to name a few. Their 2010 international convention & exposition was scheduled for Houston, and for the first time ever, NBTA wanted the agenda to include a community service project. After the Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau recommended Star of Hope and NBTA executives from Washington, D.C. toured our facilities, an amazing partnership was born!

NBTA featured Star of Hope on their website and urged each member’s support. Without a track record, NBTA did not know what the response would be. But they wanted to provide members with a variety of ways to help Houston’s homeless men, women and children:

·         * As members completed the convention registration form, they were asked to make a $10 donation to Star of Hope.

·         * NBTA members were given a list of needed items – such as toiletries, towels, sheets, clothing and canned goods – and asked to make an in-kind donation.

·         * And members were asked to sign-up for a project at our Transitional Living Center – painting client apartments and other living areas, writing notes of encouragement for client mailboxes and assisting in the kitchen.

Deliveries arrived from across the country – large and small boxes of donated items. As our Women & Family Emergency Shelter slept a growing number of adults and children in overflow during the dangerous summer heat, these donations were a special blessing.

We worked with the incredible NBTA staff for almost a year, planning for every detail. And there was a lot of work happening behind the scenes. NBTA secured cash donations from ADTRAV and Continental Airlines. Someone from Lowe’s contacted Werner & Co. on behalf of NBTA. Werner generously donated more than 50 ladders for the painting project. And Aramark donated drinks and snacks for NBTA volunteers. 

After such a tremendous team effort, I was eager to meet all of the people from across the country who worked so tirelessly to bless Star of Hope. I wanted to put faces with the names and personally thank each one of our new friends. Project day could not arrive soon enough!

Make plans to serve Houston’s homeless men, women and children.

Call 713-440-5322 or 713-440-5301 to discuss volunteer project options for your group.
Community Volunteer Opportunities Houston

The Coalition for the Homeless in Houston recently published its 2010 Enumeration of those in our city who are homeless.  Over 40,000 have experienced homelessness in the past year in our city, up 20% from 2009.  With all the Star of Hope has been seeing since spring, it's not surprising that the number of homeless families has doubled since 2009. Now families make up 21% of Houston's homeless population.  The economic downturn has filled Houston's network of emergency bed providers and most transitional living facilities are at or near capacity.  We therefore are finding it much more difficult to find agencies to which to refer families from our emergency shelters.  The system is in gridlock.

I wrote a few weeks ago, wondering if Summer, 2010 would ever end.  I guess you could say the weather is moderating, but we are still sleeping 80 to 100 a night in overflow on the floor of our Women & Family Emergency Shelter downtown, even in mid-September!  This is an extraordinary pattern for this time of year and with the economy still ailing it may be a while until things return to "normal."

As we gear up for the Holidays, please keep us in mind if you'd like to volunteer, do a kids' toy drive or make a special financial gift for our men, women and children at Star of Hope this Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And, most of all, please pray for those who are starting over in the safety of Star of Hope.  God is "At Work" here every day, changing lives, one by one. Come and serve with us, and you will see and be blessed yourself!  I guarantee you'll leave here counting your blessings and will have helped someone through your service!