Winter Relief Wrap-Up

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our huge group of volunteers who made our week of providing warm shelter, good food and safety to our Winter Relief guests so successful. After some comings and goings, we served between 11 and 15 guests during our week. The Arundel House of Hope bus broke down limiting the number of guests who could come to Annapolis.

Our shelter setup team gave our guests ample space for comfort. Our take down team cleaned up and put things away afterwards so we can do this again next year. Our meal preparers and bakers came up with delicious and nutritious snacks and meals including two that were catered by Main and Market while another team provided subs from Jersey Mike’s – how about that! Our help desk, overnight and weekend monitors kept things calm, distributed medications, and provided guidance for our guests to keep things running smoothly. Our shower coordinators kept things rolling so we had enough hot water for all of our guests while giving them ample opportunity to get cleaned up. Our games coordinators made evenings fun with BINGO, Pictionary and prizes. Our launderers ensured we had enough clean towels and wash cloths for showers and linens for use next year.

Our volunteers’ skills, hard work, and dedication made all of this seem easy which it is not but did provide a feeling of satisfaction for a job well done. Our guests regularly expressed thanks and that warmed our hearts.

And finally, members of our generous congregation donated $4,749 through our Christmas Card fundraiser to help defray costs. We’ll have enough left over to make a sizable donation to the great group that organizes the Winter Relief Program – The Arundel House of Hope.

They and our volunteers are truly angels.

Many, many thanks,
Steve Esmacher