Volunteer-assisted meal services were new to the Winter Shelter program for 2007-08. Many
volunteers became regular fixtures at the facility, helping out once or more every week. Several
clients and volunteers were on a friendly
first-name basis by the time the shelter closed.

The Winter Shelter at Cal Expo, the Volunteers of America emergency overflow facility operated in partnership with Sacramento County, assisted more than 1,500 clients during its 2007-08 season, which ended April 1.

With the majority of these homeless individuals returning frequently, the shelter saw a 90 percent or higher utilization rate each month since its Nov. 9, 2007, opening. The cumulative total of first-time and repeat users was more than 19,500.

For the homeless men, women and children who came to rely on the hot meals, warm beds and welcoming smiles provided daily during the past five months, the shelter was a lifesaver.

“Having lived in Sacramento for 44 years, I never thought that I would need the services of Volunteers of America and the shelter program,” said Mark, a local man who unexpectedly found himself homeless this year. “I am very grateful for Volunteers of America and the entire staff.”

When asked what they might have done without the 154-bed facility, many clients had no guess, others supposed they would have resorted to camping out in tents, or sleeping in cars and abandoned houses.

“To have come here to a warm, comfortable and happy environment, where smiling, caring people take their time to help me, has really meant the whole world,” said a client, who preferred to remain anonymous. “God bless all of you!”

Volunteers regularly serving dinner to the clients was a new activity this season, and one wholeheartedly embraced by the Sacramento-area community. More than 100 individuals, as well as several church, school and business groups, including Standard Pacific Homes, F&M Bank, the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Wilton Christian School and Macy’s Downtown Plaza, became frequent visitors.

“That was a good thing,” said Winter Shelter Program Director Angelo Gama of the increase in volunteerism at the Winter Shelter. “The clients loved it when they could sit down and have dinner served to them.”

The Church Volunteer Network also was instrumental in recruiting members of Skyline Christian Center and the Bayside network of churches to provide special live music-and-dessert programs on Saturdays.

Chad Fallis, a familiar face at the Winter Shelter, was one of those clients who was happy to see the volunteers in their royal blue-and-white aprons.

“Thank you to all the volunteers that have designated their time and compassion to this program,” wrote Fallis in a note to Volunteers of America staff. “They help to ease a lot of people’s pain and heartaches during this hard time. With everyone’s help, the Winter (Shelter) overflow by Volunteers of America has helped some willing members of society to turn their lives around. Volunteers of America has done a beautiful job. Thank you!”

Winter Shelter staff, headed by onsite lead monitors Al Hill and E’laina West, worked hard in the weeks leading up to the seasonal closure to provide clients with housing referrals.

West said that while some clients will be going to other shelters, including Volunteers of America’s Bannon Street and A Street shelters, others have found affordable permanent housing through such subsidized programs as Quinn Cottages.

One challenge to securing permanent housing for Winter Shelter clients, said West, is the number of those who come to the facility with impaired decision-making abilities due to mental health issues.

“We’ve made a huge effort to get them housing so they won’t end up back on the street,” said West, “but I always worry about them.”

Read what clients said about their Winter Shelter experience

Read what volunteers shared about working at the Winter Shelter and other Volunteers of America programs

Daisy Sugiyama, Melissa Liou, Alanna Leake and Michele
Liou were among the volunteers serving dinner at
the Winter Shelter Feb. 23.

When Volunteers of America Senior Accountant Melissa Liou was asked if she might be free to lend a hand during the Feb. 23 evening meal service at the Winter Shelter, she didn’t just volunteer her services, but that of family and friends.

Along with sister Michele Liou, friends Alanna Leake and Daisy Sugiyama joined Melissa for the two-hour service. Also volunteering on the Saturday were couples Rachel and Greg Arendt, Phanh Maksong and Eric Morales, and Shane and Julie Cornatzer (along with their three children).

The dinner menu may have featured Sloppy Joes, but with such a deep bench of volunteer talent manning the pitchers and steam tables, there wasn’t anything sloppy about the evening service.
 
The 150 men and women in attendance that night were treated to kind and attentive table service as well as homemade cookies baked by the Cornatzers.

 

Macy’s Downtown Plaza employees Pat Stevens,
Tequila Angelo, Jeremy Moats, Andy Wasserman, Samantha Greenleaf, Jackie D'Anna, Mikey
Carrico and Darrell Kelly volunteered as meal
servers Feb. 21 at the Winter Shelter.

No strangers to Volunteers of America, having previously assisted in 2007’s Operation Backpack and Gift of Warmth campaigns, the employee volunteers of Macy’s Downtown Plaza were a welcome presence when they turned out in force to serve the evening meal at the Winter Shelter Feb. 21.

”It’s our way of giving back to the community,” said Andy Wasserman, coordinator for the store’s “Partners in Time.” “It’s very important to us that we show that we’re not just a store, but part of the community.”.

Eight employees of Macy’s Downtown Plaza’s two stores, as well as its warehouse, donned Volunteers of America aprons to plate and serve the 143 men, women and children in attendance.

 

 

Brittny Matthews, Sharon Saechao and Ann Phan
share holiday smiles with a Winter Shelter client
during the Valentine's Day dinner service Feb. 14.

More than 18 community volunteers, Volunteers of America staff and their friends joined together Feb. 14 to treat Winter Shelter clients to a very special Valentine’s Day meal service.

Already designated as a volunteer meal service date (two to three are held weekly), the day was made more special with an array of homemade cupcakes and cookies festively decorated for the holiday, as well as dozens of similarly homemade Valentine’s Day cards made specially for the residents by children in Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services programs.

Led by Development Officer Shauna Ross, Cristina Stoyle, Alexis Raymond, Karen Brown, Rachel Mowry, Kelly Siefkin, Cynsi Clark, Elaine Siegel, Gay Caputo and Kacie McDaniel baked and frosted more than 150 cupcakes and almost as many cookies to serve the men and women in attendance that evening.

Guitarist/vocalist Marcus Rivers was among the four Skyline Christian Center musicians who performed Jan.
26 at the Volunteers of America Winter Shelter.

More than a dozen members of the congregations of Skyline Christian Center and Bayside of West Roseville paid a repeat visit to Volunteers of America's Winter Shelter Jan. 26, bringing desserts and song to the 148 men and women in residence at the Cal Expo facility.

Performing for the near-capacity crowd were Skyline musicians Marcus and Maggi Rivers, Daniel Knight Jr. and Patty Kashiwamura, whose appreciative listeners could be heard yelling out "One more song!" at the conclusion of the group's one-hour set.

Assisting with the food service were Shane and Julie Cornatzer, Jerry Cornatzer, Kirby and Carolyn Loo, Glenn Kashiwamura and Dan Meyerpeter.

The Church Volunteer Network, which organized the Saturday night event, will be continuing its twice-monthly series of dessert and music programs at the Winter Shelter through its entire season, which ends March 31, 2008.

Patricia Gayman was among the Volunteers
of America board members who helped with
the Jan. 23 dinner service at the Winter
Shelter at Cal Expo.

Five members of Volunteers of America's board of directors joined with community volunteers and Volunteers of America staff Jan. 23 to inaugurate a new series of weekly program tours at Volunteers of America's Winter Shelter at Cal Expo.

President and CEO Leo McFarland, Patricia Gayman, Stan Stancell, Judy McGarry and Rick Wylie stayed after the tour to help plate and serve the evening meal of roasted chicken, rice and vegetables to the 128 homeless men and women in attendance.

One-hour program tours of the Winter Shelter, which serve as an introduction to the facility as well as to Volunteers of America's more than 40 other human-service programs, are now being offered Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.

Kathi Burns was among the volunteers who served the evening meal Jan. 15 at the Winter Shelter.

We’re not sure if the recent interest in volunteering at our Winter Shelter for homeless men, women and children has been prompted by a New Year’s resolution, school-based community-service requirement or simply a desire on the part of parents to share meaningful time with a son or daughter, but we couldn’t be happier about the result.

The volunteers seem to agree.

“Definitely time well spent,” said Kathi Burns, who made the first of her visits to the shelter Jan. 15. She was joined by eight other volunteers, some of whom were also making their debut as meal servers, and some – like Cynthia and Francis Arnaiz – who were repeat time givers.

Rounding out Jan. 15's crew were Stephanie Graham, Jack Howe, Jim Evans and son Brandon, Susan Whalen and Jillian Wiseman. Wiseman was introduced to the activity by co-worker Cynthia Arnaiz – something we’re happily finding to be a frequent occurrence.

Volunteers of America Board Chairman Steven
Green (fourth from left) was among those giving
of their time to help serve Christmas Eve dinner at
the Winter Shelter at Cal Expo.

More than two-dozen volunteers spent their Christmas Eve at the Winter Shelter bringing yuletide joy to the some 150 homeless men, women and children who sought warmth and safety at the seasonal overflow facility.

Volunteers of America Board Chairman Steven Green, a senior vice president for F&M Bank, led the 5 p.m. meal service, assisted by fellow F&M vice presidents Lily Tang and Tom Cook, along with community volunteers Diane Sindt, Dan Tschannen, Adam Tschannen, Cliff Brabant, Mark Ivers, Julia Donhost, Shani Davis, Arthelle Porter-Davis, Erinn Davis and Aysha Douglas.

"It was a wonderful experience serving the men and women of the shelter," said Sindt, president of Roseville's PSA Realty. "They truly appreciated the experience, being served at the tables instead of waiting in line. The thank you’s that we received were very sincere and heartwarming."
 
"The shelter itself is a wonderful habitat for these people," Sindt continued. "What I thought about – as we were working – is some of these people could have been in my position last year, lost their job in 2007 and now (have) no place to go. Only one day could make a difference between them and me."

Following the meal service, several members of Skyline Christian Center, recruited by the Church Volunteer Network, arrived to serve a variety of desserts and perform a program of Christmas carols.