Friends serves approximately 25,000 hot sit down meals per year to the homeless and disadvantaged six days per week. Friends also distributes sack lunches on Saturdays so the hungry have a meal for Sundays and to allow Friends to give thanks and rest for the week ahead.
Through the relationships developed within Friends existing programs, their guests experience a level of trust difficult for them to develop in other settings. Trust is followed by a greater openness to make changes. This is the kernel from which Friends expanded services have lead to successes in re-uniting individuals with families, resolution of legal and other issues, offering health or dental services, bus passes, access to clothing for job interviews, and refferal to other agencies that can assist with locating housing for Friends' guests.
It is by observing the daily experiences of individuals making the transition to community participation, access to resources or to sheltered living, that informs them that our approach works for many to some degree and for some, it is enough to achieve independence.
There are volunteers, eager to participate and make a difference. Friends objective is to assist our guests in finding stable housing in an effort to get them off the streets.
Help Friends and these incredible volunteers scale their successful program. They also need your financial support to do so.
Teresa is the Program Director for all Friends in the Desert operations here at St. Timothy's.
